Half Duplex | Living in one
Front Half or Back Half: They Are Different Homes
Where a lot is deep rather than wide, the two homes sit one behind the other. Buyers treat them as interchangeable and they are not.
The short answer
The front half gets street presence, the address, and usually more natural light at the front, along with street noise. The back half gets privacy, the larger share of usable yard, and lane access, at the cost of a longer walk in and less daylight if the front home is tall.
Newly built half duplexs on the market
670 active listings
- Median list price
- $1,586,500
- Median price per sq ft
- $876
- Median size
- 1,895 sq ft
- Median strata fee
- $365
- Median annual property tax
- $5,070
typical range $1,148,000 to $2,338,000
typical range $482 to $1,290
typical range 1,435 sq ft to 3,084 sq ft
typical range $109 to $629
43 of 670 listings state one
typical range $2,117 to $8,529
236 of 670 listings state one
Measured across 670 active listings on .
Where these homes are
Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link.
300 of 670 homes plotted. 355 more have coordinates but were left off to keep the map readable. The ones shown are spread evenly across the price range rather than taken from one end. 15 listings have no coordinates in the feed and cannot be placed. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons or by pinching.
Homes behind these numbers
$599,000B 2020 VIEWMOUNT COURT
FVREB Out of Town · 3 bed · 1,648 sq ft
$798,0002485 BECK ROAD
Abbotsford East · 3 bed · 1,609 sq ft
$812,0002473 BECK ROAD
Central Abbotsford · 3 bed · 1,609 sq ft
$859,900
Freehold
8576 DUNBAR WAY
Mission · 4 bed · 2,233 sq ft
$859,900
Freehold
8548 DUNBAR WAY
Mission · 4 bed · 2,233 sq ft
$869,90044720 WILLOWSTREAM ROAD
Lower Landing · 4 bed · 2,306 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
1 46018 BONNY AVENUE
Chilliwack Proper East · 5 bed · 2,201 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
32529 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,149 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
32531 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,145 sq ft
$899,9003143 E 19 AVENUE
Renfrew Heights · 2 bed · 1,073 sq ft
$899,9002 552 KASLO STREET
Renfrew · 2 bed · 971 sq ft
$899,9001051 CELIA CRESCENT
Gibsons & Area · 3 bed · 1,702 sq ft
658 more active listings are not shown here. Search every active listing . Prices are the list price. Most new homes have GST added on top.
What the front half gets
Street frontage, which means the recognisable address, the front door people arrive at, and usually the more conventional layout.
It also means the street: traffic noise, headlights, and passers-by. On a quiet residential road that is nothing. On an arterial it is the defining feature of the home, and it is why visiting at the busiest hour matters more than any listing photo.
What the back half gets
Privacy, generally the larger and more usable share of outdoor space, and lane access, which in this region often means the garage and the more practical parking.
The cost is daylight and approach. If the front building is three storeys, the back home's light is affected, particularly at the lower level and in winter. And you walk past someone else's home to reach your own.
What to check on the day
Visit both halves if you can, at the same time of day, and look at where the light actually falls. Photographs are taken to flatter and they are usually taken in the best hour.
Establish what outdoor space is exclusive to each unit, and whether that is registered on the strata plan or simply how it has been used. The second one is not a right.
- → Which unit has the garage, and how the driveway is shared
- → Where the bins go, and whose space they cross
- → Whether the back unit's light is affected by the front building in winter
- → Whether the outdoor space is exclusive use on the strata plan or informal
Read next
Common questions
Is the front or back half worth more?
It varies by lot and by street, which is why they are usually priced differently in the same development. On a quiet street the back half often commands more for the privacy and yard. On a desirable street the front half commands more for the address and light.
Does the back unit get less light?
Often, particularly at the lower level and in winter when the sun is low and the front building casts further. How much depends on orientation and the height of the front home. This is worth seeing rather than asking about.
Who gets the yard?
Usually the back unit gets the larger share, and the arrangement should be registered as exclusive use on the strata plan. If it is not registered and is simply how the current owners have used it, that is not a right you are buying.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
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See the half duplexes on the market
Every figure in this hub comes from listings you can open. Search the full set and filter by price, bedrooms, freehold or strata, pets, parking, and distance to a station.