A single-family home (known as a detatched house in the UK) is a free-standing residential building, generally found in less dense urban areas, the suburbs of cities, the exurban region, and rural areas. Most single-family homes are built on lots larger than the structure itself, adding an area surrounding the house, which is commonly called a yard in American English or a garden in the British variety. Garages can also be found on most lots. In older homes, they are typically detached, standing as a separate building, either near a driveway or facing an alley in urban areas. Newer homes in North America favor attached garages, often facing the street, as most recent developments do not include alleys.

Literally only members of a single family live in this type of house, yet in the wider sense it refers to a single party of people. The counterparts to single-family homes are apartment complexes, condominiums, duplexes, or terrace houses where several families live in the same structure.

Large, inner city neighborhoods are so densely populated that there is generally not room for houses devoted to just a single family. Yet the outer districts of larger cities are usually transitional areas with equal shares of smaller apartment buildings and single-family homes. Among the wealthy industralized nations, single family homes are most common in the United States, Canada, Australia, Northern Europe and New Zealand.

Structure of the house

A single family house in Western culture usually has at least the following rooms:

Living room: Most of the time the largest room of the house where the owners spend time relaxing or entertaining guests.

Kitchen: Food preparation is undertaken here, some homes feature eat-in kitchens where the family has their meals in the same room the food is prepared in.

Bedroom: Any type of house features at least one bedroom providing a space to sleep.

Bathroom: The room where grooming is taken care of; most baths feature a shower and/or a bathtub.

Furthermore most average houses feature some or many of these rooms:

Front room: The room that you first step into upon entering a house; for bigger homes this room is commonly called a hall or entryhall; for small houses on the other hand it may be titled hallway; in more simple places this is the room where outer garments are kept as are shoes.

Dining room: When more space is available, the food is taken in a room separate from the kitchen, the dining room; sometimes the room may be referred to as formal dining room to highlight the fact that casual everyday meals are commonly eaten in the kitchen or the next space.

Family room: most often the casual living room that is set apart from the living room by its use; this informal room is less representative and thus children's toys may be kept out and most often this is the spot for the multimedia entertainment equipment, it is designed to support the need for relaxation and ease of the owner compared to the next room.

Formal living room: the formal room of the house used for representative purposes such as picture taking and entertaining guests.

Storage room: Bulky goods such as suitcases are stored here, sometimes this is the spot for the washer and dryer in case the following room is not a part of the house.

Laundry room: The big appliances are situated in this space as may be a storage of linens or cleaning supplies.

Study: For self-employed workers and home-workers this may also be called home-office and features the office infrastructure one needs for work, such as desks, computers, telecommunication devices and peripherals.

The following rooms can be found in more spacious or luxurious homes:

Library: A more imposing study, usually featuring a great selection of books, artwork and trophies.

Wine cellar: In case the owner is interested in wine, a special storage room can be added to the house where wine is kept dark and at the right temperature.

Studio: For artists and art-lovers this room is used as a creative space.

Game rooms: For games like pool/billiards, table tennis, darts, sometimes with its own bar

Saunas, indoor Jacuzzis or even, in the most luxurious, indoor swimming pools.