Whats the difference between a Townhouse and a Villa?

Alma in the Ranches are exactly the same as Ghadeer in the Lakes :)

Motor City Green Community also has some great villas and townhouse villas (for a pretty good cost). The townhouses are 3 Beds plus office plus maids room (and around 4200 sq feet) - so very spacious...and they are new. The community has a really nice feel to it, plus there are lots of ammenities in Motor City - large grocery store, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants, drycleaners, nursery, etc... It's definitely worth a look!

The easiest way to know is to go by type/floor plan when looking in Areas like Springs, Lakes, Meadows, Arabian Ranches Springs Types: 4M/4E- 2 Bedroom plus Study townhouse 3M/3E- 3 Bedroom plus Study Townhouse 2M/2E- 3 Bedroom plus study plus maids townhouse 1M/1E- 3 Bedroom plus study plus maids townhouse (bigger than the 2 though) M= Middle unit, typically has a smaller garden E= End Unit, typically has a bigger garden than a middle There are different Springs, so theres Springs 1 all the way to Springs 15, their locations are different and their facilities are different, some springs have 1 pool, some 2, some none. Same goes with parks. Meadows villas are all detached, but they have 3 bed, 4 bed, 5 bed and 6 bed. The Lakes: There is: Deema: These are all independent villas similar to the meadows ones, they're 3,4,5+ bedrooms Zulal: Type B (end or middle)- 3 Bedrooms plus maids, the same as the springs type 1 Type C (end or middle) 3 bedrooms plus maids, the same as springs type 2 Type D (end or middle) 3 bedrooms plus study, the same as springs type 3 Type E (end or middle) I think these are 4 bedroom, and they're found in Zulal 3 on the lake. This could be the biggest type in Zulal if I'm not wrong Type F (end or middle) 4 bedroom plus maids Forat: These are similar to the Zulal's Maeen: These have independent villas as well as townhouses, the townhouses are the same types as the Zulal/Springs Independent villas are usually listed as Type 16/17 or something like that- They come in 4 bedroom and 5 bedroom I think Ghadeer- This is the newest part of the lakes and closest to the main road, they are listed as type 1M/2E/3E etc, and they're similar to the springs although I thought a few of them seemed a lot smaller And lastly, the Hattan's in the lakes- these are large independent villas and they're in the higher price brackets, they are 4,5,6 bedroom. Arabian Ranches: There's a few communities within Arabian Ranches (AR residents will know better than I, so can add/correct this) Al Reem, Palmera, and Alma are townhouses Al Reem has the same types as the Springs (1,2,3,4 E and M) Palmera has A, B and C A are three bedrooms plus study and maids, and B is two bedroom plus study, and C is 2 Bedroom also not sure if it has a study or not . Have no idea about the Alma though Saheel, Mirador, Mirador La Collection, Savannah, Al Mahra and a few others are all independent villas from 3 bedroom plus maids up to 5+ bedrooms. Hope that helps give you an idea what to look at

Ok that clears it up a bit... yes what has confused me is the fact that estate agents seem to be unclear in their defnitiion themselves. Are townhouses cheaper? where are the nice ones located? I gather Springs are all villas. But that makes it easier to define thank you! . No, springs are townhouses, Meadows are villas (there are a few exceptions), Lakes are a mixture of both as is Arabian Ranches.

stay tuned, my latest book," the 21st Century Metropolis - can a fragmented, multi-centric city be sustainable in a knowledge based economy" coming soon!

A townhouse is typically adjoined to another property on both sides. Typically this results in the rear "garden" or terrace being accessed via the house itself. Townhouses in Belgravia for example would rarely be classed as small.

Actually villas can also be semi-detached (they share a common wall usually along the garage or something similar). Townhouses are smaller than villas (usually more narrow). They are also 2 story because they are smaller (so they build upwards), where even a semi-detached villa can be 1 story.

You're not being thick, what starsouthern has just said is right, however you'll find agents advertise a townhouse as a villa a lot.

in most cases a Townhouse is attached to another house whereas a Villa is detached/standalone. Obviously on the compound villas I guess they are attached but in other areas such as Emitates Living etc a townhouse is attached to another one Hope I haven't confused you more

My understanding was that Townhouse is usually attached or semi detached, and a villa is undetached/stand alone.