Independent house or townhouse in Vadodara?
An independent house stands alone on its plot with open space on every side; a townhouse shares its side walls in a row. The independent house gives more land, light and freedom to extend, and costs more to buy and look after. A gated townhouse gives a house of your own for less land, with security and common upkeep shared.
People who search for an independent house in Vadodara often find that a townhouse covers most of what they wanted. Sometimes it does not. This page sets out the difference plainly, so you can tell which one you are actually looking for.
Written by Kinjal Mehta, civil engineer (MSU Baroda) and partner, TAM Developers.
Published: · Last reviewed:
We build townhouses on this road. Lake Tree Avenue is our project, so read this guide knowing who wrote it.
What do the words mean?
- Independent house or bungalow. A house standing free on its own plot, with no wall shared with anyone. Usually there is open land in front, at the back and on the sides.
- Townhouse or row house. A house on its own plot, with its own front door and staircase, built in a row so that it shares its side walls with the houses next to it. Nobody lives above or below you.
- Duplex. Any home on two floors with its own internal staircase. It describes the inside, not the plot: a bungalow, a townhouse and a two-floor apartment can all be duplexes.
So the real question is not duplex or not. It is how much land you want around the house, and who will look after everything outside your front door. Our page on tenament, row house and townhouse covers the local words in more detail.
How do they compare, point by point?
| Independent house | Gated townhouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Walls shared | None | The two side walls |
| Light and air | From four sides | From the front and back, plus any shaft or courtyard in the plan |
| Land needed | A bigger plot, so a higher price for the same rooms | A smaller plot for the same rooms |
| Security | Your own: a gate, a guard or nothing | One gate and guards for the whole campus, cost shared |
| Roads, lights, drainage outside | Usually the society's or the local body's | The campus society's, cost shared |
| Extending later | Often possible, within the building rules | Usually not allowed outside; the developer's rules say so |
| Looking after it | All yours: walls on four sides, garden, gate | Your house is yours; the common parts are shared |
| Neighbours | As close or far as the plots are | Close on both sides, by design |
Where does the independent house win?
More land. A garden on several sides, room for a car and a scooter and a swing, and distance from the neighbours.
Light from every side. Windows on four walls, and cross-ventilation that a row house can only get through its front, back and shafts.
Freedom to change it. Adding a room or a floor later is often possible, subject to permission. In a planned campus the outside of every house is usually fixed.
No shared wall. Whatever your neighbour does to their house, your walls are your own.
Where does the gated townhouse win?
The price of the land. Land is the biggest part of what a house costs. A townhouse puts the same two bedrooms on a smaller plot, so the same budget reaches further.
Security you do not run yourself. One guarded gate for the whole campus, paid for together, instead of your own gate and your own worry when you travel.
Shared upkeep. The internal roads, street lights, garden and gate are looked after by the homeowners' society, with the cost divided between every house.
Neighbours who chose the same thing. Everyone bought into the same rules, so a neighbour building a third floor next to you is not a risk you carry.
What does each one cost beyond the price?
Stamp duty and the registration fee in Gujarat are the same percentage for any home: 4.9% stamp duty and a 1% registration fee, on the higher of the agreed price and the government's jantri value. Because an independent house usually sits on more land, both its price and its stamp duty are usually higher for the same rooms.
After you move in, an independent house asks you to maintain four outside walls, a compound wall all round, a gate, and any pump, tank or garden on your own. A townhouse in a gated campus shares the outside costs through an annual maintenance charge. Ask any project for that figure in writing; ours is not fixed yet, and we say so on the amenities page.
The full list of costs on the day you buy is in the cost of buying a home in Gujarat.
What should you ask before buying either?
- What land exactly is in the sale deed? The plot number, the plot area, and the boundaries on each side.
- Is the land converted for housing (NA), and is there a building permission for this house? Ask for copies, and check the land record on the state's AnyROR portal.
- How wide is the road to the gate, and who maintains it?
- For an independent house: what may you add later under the building rules? For a townhouse: what changes does the agreement forbid?
- For a resale house: how old is it, and what will the waterproofing, wiring and plumbing need in the next five years?
Where does Lake Tree Avenue fit?
Lake Tree Avenue is the townhouse side of this page, and we will not call it independent. Each of the 48 houses stands on its own plot of 703 to 1,050 sq ft, shares its side walls, and has its own front door, internal staircase, terrace and parking at the door, inside one gated campus with 24-hour security.
If you lean towards an independent house because you want more land, look at the 17 larger plots on the site plan: the corners and the heads of the rows, up to 1,050 sq ft. The house is the same; the open land around it is not.
If you want to extend upward or outward later, or want no shared wall at all, an independent house is the better buy for you, and we would rather say that now.
Questions on this topic
Is a townhouse an independent house?
No. A townhouse is a house on its own plot, with nobody above or below, but it shares its side walls with the houses beside it. An independent house or bungalow shares no wall.
Is a duplex the same as an independent house?
Not necessarily. Duplex only means the home is on two floors with its own internal staircase. A duplex can be a bungalow, a townhouse in a row, or a two-floor apartment.
Which is cheaper to maintain?
Usually the gated townhouse per family, because the roads, lights, gate and security are shared across all the houses. An independent house has no society bill, but every outside cost falls on you.
Can I extend a townhouse later?
Usually not on the outside. In a planned campus the developer's terms fix the outside of every house so the avenue stays uniform. At Lake Tree Avenue external alterations are not allowed; read the disclaimers.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked on 12 October 2026. Rules and rates change; check them again before you sign.
- Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958, as amended (GARVI, Government of Gujarat)
- AnyROR land records portal (Revenue Department, Government of Gujarat)
- Types of houses: bungalow, row house, duplex (Bajaj Finserv)
More guides like this
- 2 BHK house on Waghodia Main Road: What is for sale at Lake Tree Avenue: plots, rooms, distances, charges and the steps to buy.
- Tenament, row house or townhouse?: The words Vadodara uses for a house, what they really describe, and what to check behind each one.
- Searching for a 2 BHK flat?: For flat searchers: space, monthly bills and location compared with a 2 BHK house.
- 2 BHK in a gated community: What a gated campus should give you, what ours has and does not have, and what to ask any project.
- વડોદરામાં 2 BHK ઘર (ગુજરાતીમાં): ગુજરાતીમાં લખેલું: ટેનામેન્ટ, રો હાઉસ, ઘર અને મકાન શોધનારા માટે.
- वडोदरा में 2 BHK मकान (हिन्दी में): हिन्दी में लिखा: वडोदरा में मकान, घर या रो हाउस खोजने वालों के लिए, गुजरात के शब्दों के मतलब के साथ।
Come and stand in it.
A floor plan is a drawing. A picture is a picture. Neither tells you how the living room feels at four in the afternoon.
Tell us when you can come. We will keep the house open, keep an hour free, and walk the avenue with you. Site visits happen every day.