Detached duplex (fully detached duplex)

"Detached" means the house is separate from others: no shared walls, and usually space all round for parking, a garden or a boys' quarters. Agents often add "fully" for emphasis, as in "5 bedroom fully detached duplex".

A detached duplex is the classic upmarket Nigerian family home. Inside, the layout is usually sitting and dining rooms, kitchen and guest facilities downstairs, with bedrooms upstairs, many of them en suite.

Plot size matters. A detached duplex needs more land than a semi-detached or terraced one, which is why it costs more in the same area. On small plots, developers sometimes build "detached" houses with very narrow gaps; check what the space around the house actually is.

Buying or renting. You will find detached duplexes in older GRAs, in established estates and as new builds. New ones are sold finished, semi-finished or as a carcass.

Layout. A typical detached duplex has a sitting room, dining area, kitchen and store, a guest toilet and often a guest bedroom on the ground floor. Upstairs there is a family lounge and the bedrooms, usually all en suite, with the main bedroom often having a walk-in wardrobe. Larger houses add a study, a cinema room or a rooftop terrace.

Outside. Because it stands alone, a detached duplex usually has parking in the compound, a gatehouse in some areas, and space for a BQ, a water tank and a generator house. The size of the plot decides how much of this fits, so compare compounds as well as houses.

Renting one. Landlords usually let the whole house, including the BQ, to one household. Ask whether the BQ is included in the rent.

Value. In most areas detached duplexes hold their value well because the supply of large plots is limited.

• Lagos: Ikoyi, Lekki Phase 1, Magodo and Ikeja GRA have many older detached duplexes; new ones are built across Lekki, Ajah and the mainland estates.
• Abuja: common in Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, Gwarinpa and Lokogoma.
• Elsewhere: the standard upmarket house in GRAs and new estates.