IV. REGIONAL HOUSE MODELS
General points
This chapter describes house models in different regions of the provinces of the Basque Country. Not all the types are obviously described, but rather we have focused on the most significant ones. Mansion or tower house models are not considered as the aim is to provide a sketch of ordinary dwellings that fall within the general and most common types.
They are models of rural houses that, generally, have been used for crop or livestock or, more usually, mixed farming. Those remits have now been modified, as in some cases the crop-livestock farming work has been significantly reduced or, thanks to the modern machinery, the type of crops or the way of livestock farming has changed, which has resulted in significant modifications to the house, particularly, regarding the internal distribution of the spaces.
The rural house described is the typical one of each area, the house that only has to be seen to recognise the region in which it is located, even though it may not be the most common or coexists with other models. Descriptions are also included of urban houses in concentrated settlements or charter towns, and the fishermen's houses that are unique and picturesque in appearance.
Nowadays, many new house models have also appeared in rural regions, and of course in the charter towns and in urban areas. Some of them are in the style of more or less idealised farmsteads, alongside other more realistic ones, but semi-detached and detached houses have also been built, along with many other types of buildings. Furthermore, the isolated housing blocks or clustered together have been built in rural and urban locations.