[llamaorama]

The first example (joined houses with party wall) is far more common than the second example (vertically stacked) in modern US suburbs. The latter looks like something from an old east coast city.

The duplexes im familiar with are one story houses with a concrete wall down the middle. So they both have private fenced backyards and front yards and driveways and for the most part it’s like living in an SFH

As I said earlier, they are a cool middle option if you can only afford or need a small apartment but want a yard or house feel. It’s a shame some cities have few of them.

Also they don’t seem to replace large dwellings in a more dense footprint, as those tend to come in the configuration of attached row or townhouses now in Houston and it’s suburbs.