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This is an example of a common 20th Century duplex home built in New England.

A duplex house is a dwelling comprised of two units, usually side-by-side, but sometimes on two different floors. The former often looks like two houses put together, sharing a wall (compare semi-detached); the latter usually appears as a townhouse, but with two different entrances. Duplexes are especially common in the Northeastern United States and urban areas throughout the United States. Duplex can also refer to three- and four-unit buildings, sometimes called, respectively, triplex and fourplex. [1] [2] The line between an apartment building and a duplex is therefore somewhat blurred, with apartment buildings tending to be bigger, while duplexes are usually the size of a normal house.

Unlike townhomes, in most areas of North America, when purchasing a duplex the entire building is purchased as a single piece of real estate, whereas a townhome is usually purchased by a single unit that is attached to the other unit(s) which are owned by other homeowners. However, in some areas, it is possible for units of a duplex (or triplex or fourplex) to be owned by different owners (see the link below for semi-detached, which is the technical name for this form of housing but in practice is often referred to as duplex).

Especially in dense areas like Manhattan, a duplex apartment refers to a maisonette, a single dwelling unit spread over two floors connected by an indoor staircase. Similarly, a triplex apartment refers to an apartment spread out over three floors. These properties can be quite expensive, and include the most expensive property in Manhattan as of 2006 (according to Forbes Magazine), a triplex atop The Pierre Hotel.

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