Korean Job Discussion Forums

[postfundie]

other than having two levels and looking more like a house what is/are the differences between the two?

Does anybody have any experiences living in both?

I posted this here because I've never lived in a townhouse and a student asked me today in class

[Otherside]

Didn't know there were any townhouses in korea.

In south africa, a townhouse is basically a small house which is part of a development (Shared access, parking, perhaps some shared facilities like a pool etc.) Usually its a double-story place with 2-3 bedrooms and other living rooms. Also, they will often have a garden or some outside space.

[Bryan]

Here, we usually refer to a townhouse as a type of multi-family dwelling much larger than a duplex or triplex. They have first floor entry and may be multiple stories--but all of the subdivided units have first floor access and you don't divide floors between tenants. For example, a tenant will own a three story place, have his own door, and it will be packed in line a sardine can by another place exactly like that with private door access as well.

Usually this has nothing to do with the method of payment. You can rent or buy them (obviously, because if someone buys it they usually have the right to rent it out under the strata/subdivision rules).

Often these are called condos, which makes it all the more confusing. I usually reserve the word condo for high rise type buildings that are purchasable rather than rented solely by one building owner.

[postfundie]

have you guys lived in townhouses? Are town houses in S.Africa that much more different that townhouses in America?

[esetters21]

[ontheway]

Townhouses are also called row houses in America. They are 2, 3 or 4 stories sharing common side walls and usually have a basement. Townhome developments are often set up as "condominium" developments (which are then called townhome condominiums) in order to take care of common areas, parking, playgrounds, pools, parks etc and to allow for funds for the maintainance and replacement of shared items such as roofs and walls.

Living in a townhouse is quite similar to living in any house but with a very small yard. In a townhouse the front and back yards are tiny and there are no side yards, but many free standing homes have yards only slightly larger. Once inside, the townhouse has the same "feel" as living in any small house with a small yard.


In Korea most people, and teachers, live in high rise condos. There are almost no apartments available anywhere. All of the "apatuh" are really condos. When people go on vacation here, they stay in hotel suites and call them "konedo." All of the words and meanings are mixed up here.