types of houses

Question

What are the diferences between a Chalet, a bungalow, a villa, and a cottage?

In Spanish we call Chalet to a beautiful big detached house, usually situated in a posh area or near the beach (that's not essential, though), but in English I think a Chalet is a house with just one floor. A bungalow is a small house built for holidaymakers and a cottage is a small house in the country. Am I right? And what about a villa?

And what do you call one of those houses with a big roof that are normally built in the mountains? Do you understand what I mean? In Spanish we call them bungalows but I don't think that's correct in English, is it?

Are there any other important types of houses I should know?

Thanks for your answers.

Inchoateknowledge · Accepted Answer

villa=mansion?

incho

Nona the brit · Answer

I think different countries use the names differently (UK and US property type words can be completely different).

Which country's version are you interested in learning?

Coachpotato · Answer

Nona The BritI think different countries use the names differently (UK and US property type words can be completely different).

Which country's version are you interested in learning?

UK's please.

Nona the brit · Answer

Here we go then, according to the UK

Chalet is not really used for permanent houses in the UK. We talk of holiday chalets. They tend to be very small, often a bit cheap and nasty, and make me think of holiday camps and drizzly grey seaside developments on the UK coast. Not very classy. We do, however, realise that chalets in Europe are another matter and we would talk about Ski Chalets, for example. It's just that a UK chalet is going to be on the grotty side (probably) as it is a very cheap holiday option. I've seen ones that are pretty much just sheds with a window and furniture! In fact it is quite hard to find a property described as a chalet - they've all been renamed holiday apartments or bungalows or something - as they have such a bad reputation.

A bungalow is a home built all on one level.

Cottage is a small house in the country. Am I right? This is often the case but it also gets used to describe small town houses as well sometimes, if they were originally built for workers to live in, but they are mostly in the country yes.

We don't really call UK homes villas? To us a villa is a self-contained property abroad for holidays (usually with a private pool).

Englishuser · Answer

Please find the Oxford Dictionary of English's (second revised edition, 2005) definitons below.

Chalet 1) A wooden house with overhanging eavings, typically found in the Swiss Alps. 2) (Brit.) A small cabin or house used by holidaymakers, forming a unit within a holiday complex.

Bungalow A low house having only one storey or, in some cases, upper rooms set in the roof, typically with dormer windows.

Villa 1) (Especially in continental Europe) a large and luxurious country house in its own grounds. 2) (Brit.) A detached or semi-detached house in a residential distric, typically one that is Victorian or Edwardian in style. 3) (Brit.) A rented holiday home abroad. 4) A large country house in Roman times, having an estate or consisting of farm and residential buildings arranged around a courtyard.

Cottage 1) A small house, typically one in the country. 2) (Brit.) A simple house forming a part of a farm, used by a worker.

Kindly note that I have only included definitons of the entries as long as they are concerned with housing.

Coachpotato · Answer

Thanks for your answers. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Anonymous · Answer

These are a very nice definitions, thank you.

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