What Is A Detached House? All You Need To Know (2026)

Owning a detached house is often seen as the pinnacle of homeownership in Quebec. However, there are both pros and cons to owning a fully detached house and it certainly isn’t for everyone. In this article we will look at:

• What exactly is a detached house?
• The advantages of owning a detached house
• The disadvantages of owning a detached house
• Which is better detached vs semi-detached vs row house?

What is a detached house?

A detached house is a single-family home that stands alone on its own lot, without sharing any walls with another house. Unlike townhouses, semi-detached homes, or condominiums, you own the entire building and typically the land it sits on.

Owning the land gives you more control over your property. You can landscape, build outdoor structures, or make modifications. Although you will need municipal permits for major changes, you do not need approval from a condo board or need to worry about shared walls with neighbours.

Most detached homes in Quebec feature a private garden, driveway, private entrances and individual utility connections. They range from modest bungalows to luxury estate properties. Making them accessible to buyers with various budgets.

The advantages of owning a detached house

In this section we look at the advantages of owning a detached house in Quebec.

Faster value appreciation

Detached houses tend to increase in value faster than other types of property in Quebec. For instance recent data shows that single-family homes’ average selling price is climbing faster than condos in Quebec. Detached homes rose ~7.0 % YoY, while condos rose ~3.6 %.

This is partly due to land scarcity. There is limited space to build new detached homes in established neighbourhoods. Therefore, as populations grow and cities expand, existing detached properties increase in value as they remain closer to the core of the city.

For instance, consider Montreal. With the arrival of the REM, detached homes on the West Island have shifted from a distant suburb to a well-connected, accessible area. Over time, being “on-island” will make the West Island even more desirable.

Another reason that detached houses increase in price faster is because they typically start at a higher price point compared to condos or townhouses. This means that even a modest percentage increase translates to a larger absolute increase in value. For example, a 5% increase on a $1 million detached home adds $50,000, whereas the same 5% increase on a $500,000 condo adds only $25,000. Over time, this can make detached homes appear to appreciate faster in terms of real dollars.

Renovation flexibility

Detached houses are far easier to renovate compared to any other property type. For instance, if you want to build a deck, or add a garden suite, you will have far fewer restrictions than condo or townhome owners face.

You will need to get municipal approval whenever your renovations involve structural changes, additions, new buildings, or changes that affect safety or zoning compliance. However, many municipalities in Quebec do allow substantial modifications to detached properties. This flexibility means your home can evolve with your needs rather than requiring you to move when circumstances change.

Property owners can upgrade their home’s energy efficiency, add solar panels, or improve major systems without needing approval from neighbours or a homeowners’ association.

Greater privacy

If you live in a space that has a shared wall, floor or ceiling with neighbours, then you know that noise from the neighbours can be very disruptive. By contrast, detached houses have no shared walls. This means that you will have signifanctly more privacy, peace and quiet. You won’t hear neighbours’ televisions blaring, or the loud late night phone calls through common walls.

In the same way, you can make as much noise as you like. Family gatherings, barbecues with karaoke, or 7am music practice. All of this can be done without getting the angry neighbour banging on the walls or complaining to the condo syndicate.

More space (indoors and out)

Perhaps the biggest advantage of a detached house is the space it provides. In Quebec, detached houses tend offer larger square footage compared to town houses or condos.

Suburban and rural areas of Quebec highlight this perfectly. Detached homes sit on spacious lots, giving children room to play and families space to enjoy the outdoors. Inside, these homes often feature larger layouts, making them the ideal choice for families with two or more children.

The disadvantages of owning a detached house

While detached homes offer many advantages, they also come with drawbacks. If not properly understood and managed these drawbacks can quickly turn homeownership into a very stressful and unpleasant experience.

In this section we look at some of the downsides, of owning a detached house, so that you know what to expect.

Maintenance costs

The maintenance cost for a typical detached house is typically 1%–3% of the property value per year. For example, let’s say that you own a property worth $1 million. You should budget for at least $10,000 per year ($834 per month) and on the high end $30,000 per year ($2500 per month).

Older homes, larger properties, or homes with big yards, driveways or roofs can easily push the number above 3%, sometimes even toward 4%–5% in certain years. For instance, if you have a standard asphalt shingle roof, you typically need to replace it every 15 to 30 years.

Another thing to watch out for with detached houses are trees. These can add a lot of character to the property, provide shade and are generally nice to look at. However, they do also increase the cost of owning a property. For instance, municipal bylaws in many Quebec cities require homeowners to maintain trees on their land, keep them healthy, and remove dangerous or dead branches.

In short, whilst detached houses do not have the dreaded condo fees, they generally require more maintenance costs than owning a condo. You are also 100% liable for the cost of maintaining your home.

Higher property taxes

Detached homes often come with higher property taxes. This is because property taxes are based on the property’s assessed value, which is determined by the municipality. Assessors look at factors such as land size, building size, recent comparable sales, neighbourhood trends, and the overall condition of the property.

Since detached houses usually sit on larger lots, offer more square footage, and often have higher market values, they tend to receive higher assessments than condos or townhomes. As a result, the property taxes on detached homes are generally higher than on other housing types.

Harder to keep clean

Unlike condos, which rely on a building maintenance team to handle much of the upkeep, in a detached home, you must manage all cleaning yourself.

Detached houses generally have more rooms, hallways, floors, and storage areas than condos or townhomes. More space automatically means more surfaces, floors, and corners where dust, dirt, and clutter build up. Even simple things like vacuuming or mopping take longer because there’s just more house to cover.

These homes also have windows on every side. That means more glass collecting dust inside and grime outside, especially if your home is near trees, grass, or a busy road. Exterior window cleaning can be time-consuming or require hiring help.

Detached homes also tend to have multiple entrances. They have front doors, back doors, patio doors, garage doors and so on. Each entrance becomes a pathway for dirt, leaves, snow, and mud to get inside. This makes it hard to keep floors clean, especially in households with kids running in and out.

And unlike condo living, you’re also responsible for the exterior: clearing leaves, maintaining walkways, cleaning gutters, mowing the lawn in summer or shovelling snow in the winter. All of this work adds to your overall cleaning load. Unless you hire help, you should expect to spend a large part of your weekends taking care of upkeep.

More expensive

According to a 2025 market-report summary for Québec, the median price of a single-family detached home recently reached about $500,000. This is roughly 25% higher than condos, that came in at a median price of $399,000 for the same period.

In addition, if you are looking to buy a detached house, you will also need to pay the land transfer tax. This tax is calculated as a percentage of the property’s purchase price. Given that detached homes generally have higher property values than condos or townhouses, this means you will end up paying a higher land transfer tax as well.

Detached houses almost always come with higher utility costs. They have more square footage to heat and cool, more exterior walls exposed to the elements, and often older or less efficient systems than newer condo buildings. Larger lawns, multiple entrances, and additional systems like sump pumps, exterior lighting, or garage heaters can also increase electricity and gas usage. As a result, most owners of detached homes should expect noticeably higher monthly utility bills compared with smaller or attached property types.

Which is better detached vs semi-detached vs row house?

Owning a detached house requires more maintenance work and has a higher monthly cost than other house types. In addition, whilst the property prices tend to appreciate faster, there is a lot of variability depending on neighbourhoods. Moreover, for many people, where you live is more important that what type of home you live in. For instance, do you want to live in a neighbourhood with the best public schools and daycares? Or you might be looking for a neighbourhood with great transit access, quieter streets, or proximity to downtown.

As such, you should consider your personal situation and what you want. Many older people will actually choose to sell their detached house and downsize. This is because moving into retirement communities or condos, a lower cost and lower maintaince effort compared to owning a detached house. No one wants to shovel snow in their late 80’s!

To help make the decision between detached vs semi-detached vs row houses, the table below summarizes some of the pros and cons of each.

Home Type	Pros	Cons
Detached House	– Maximum privacy (no shared walls) – Largest lots and most living space – Easiest to renovate or expand – Quietest living environment – Typically highest property value growth	– Highest purchase price – Highest property taxes (higher assessed value) – Highest maintenance costs (exterior + interior) – Higher utility bills (more space to heat/cool)
Semi-Detached House	– More affordable than detached homes – More space and privacy than row houses or condos – Some flexibility for renovations (depending on wall shared) – Lower property taxes than detached homes	– Noise transfer possible through shared wall – Less privacy than a detached home – Renovations on the shared wall may have restrictions – Value appreciation generally lower than detached homes
Row House (Townhouse)	– Most affordable of the three – Lowest utilities (shared walls reduce heating/cooling costs) – Lower property taxes (smaller lot, smaller footprint) – Less exterior maintenance (sometimes shared)	– Least privacy (shared walls on both sides) – Smaller yards and limited outdoor space – More restrictions on renovations or exterior changes – Noise transfer from multiple sides – Can appreciate slower than detached/semi-detached homes

Need a realtor?

When choosing a realtor, local expertise and knowledge of the property type are crucial. While Quebec has over 17,000+ realtors, only a small number are truly active and knowledgeable within specific neighbourhoods.

Immovision has developed a free Broker Matching Tool, that uses a human in the loop AI system to find the agents who are active in your area and who consistently outperform the local market by as much as 20% across key metrics.

Click the link below to get your personalized list of top-performing realtors in minutes now — completely free.

Try out our Broker Matching Tool now – no credit card required.