The Casebook of House Types

Why the building shape matters

Plumbing follows the frame. A one-storey bungalow sends every drain straight down into a basement stack; a backsplit drops its fixtures across four short levels; a semi shares a party wall and sometimes a little more; a stacked townhouse hangs its waste lines over a neighbour's ceiling; and a condo suite lives off risers it does not own. When we arrive at a Mississauga address, the first thing we ask is what kind of house it is, because that tells us where the cleanout probably sits, how far the camera has to travel and whose permission we need before opening anything.

How these entries are written

Each entry below walks through one dwelling type the way a plumber reads it: where the main shut-off usually is, how the drain and vent system is laid out, which parts were original builder grade, and the repairs we keep returning to. None of it replaces a look at your own pipes, but it will help you describe the problem on the phone so the right tools come off the truck.

Era still counts

A 1958 bungalow in Lakeview and a 2004 townhouse in Churchill Meadows are different animals even before shape comes in. Older houses usually hold cast-iron stacks and clay laterals, fed by galvanized steel or early copper; later ones carry ABS drains, PEX or copper supply and sump pits. Read the house-type entry alongside your neighbourhood notes for the full picture.

Everything in this section