Patio Home Architecture

A patio home, also called a cluster home, is a type of American residential housing built mainly in suburban settings, becoming common during the second half of the twentieth century. Patio homes are small freestanding houses set very close to their neighbors, or several houses joined by shared walls, with exterior maintenance and landscaping typically handled through association fees, and they may be structured as condominiums or as townhomes with direct land title, often marketed under names such as townhouse, garden home, twin home or carriage home. The type appeals particularly to buyers who do not want the exterior upkeep that ordinarily comes with home ownership, including those who occupy the home only seasonally. The term patio home first appeared in print in the mid-1970s, though it can also be used loosely for any home built around a prominent patio, and the type carries no standardized legal definition, so most tax jurisdictions do not classify it as a separate housing category.