Present & Correct jokingly refers to these as "halfway houses:" Domiciles that have been split down the middle and divided between two families in Ruhr, Germany, a region once dominated by the coal mining industry. Photographer Wolfgang Fröhling documented a number of them in his "Semi Detached Houses" series on Pixel Project.
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
As Fröhling explains:
"With the beginning of the [region's] exit from mining, the colliery apartments were gradually privatized. The houses, in which several families previously lived, were divided and the semi-detached house was created. At some point the new owners began - each for himself - to design their property. The result was a curious mix of styles in the semi-detached house."
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
My favorite shots are the ones where the yards really highlight the contrast:
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
Image: Wolfgang Fröhling
I don't envy the owners of the houses with sharply-peaked roofs. Those upper spaces must be completely unusable.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Examples of When One House is Owned by Two Families With Different Aesthetic Tastes
You think this is bad, you should look at the UK where most urban housing is semi-detached or terraced houses. I remember some amazing contrasts from my youth living in both the south and north of England. But that chaos also gave many areas their 'charm'.