Typical middle class Honduran homes

These photos are of typical middle class houses in and around La Ceiba, Honduras. The muros (concrete fences) in front are usually painted the same color(s) as the house. The front porches are often enclosed with decorative ironwork for reasons of security. Only rarely will you see a middle class home without iron bars on the windows.

I like the little rooftop over the gate area on this house. That's where I got the idea for the little entrada entrance that we built. With the amount of rain we get in La Ceiba, it seemed like a practical and considerate thing to do. Our architect really liked the idea and sketched a design even more grand than we had in mind (see photo below).

Unfortunately, many people do not bother to paint the outside of their muros. It's especially unattractive in the the wealthier neighborhoods where the concrete walls may be 10 or more feet high. Who am I to talk, though, since we haven't painted our muro yet.

Floors in middle class homes are always tiled and often the outdoor areas, terrazas and carports are tiled as well.

On the flatter or higher roofs, the rusty tin doesn't show so much. This one really detracts from the house which otherwise looks to be well-maintained. The tin is sometimes painted to cover the rust. Prepainted laminas are available which are rust resistant and more attractive.



Most of these types of houses have three bedrooms, one or sometimes two baths, a sala (living room) and eating area (often combined) and a very small kitchen.

This photo is of the kitchen and dining area of the pink house. The kitchen is the area behind the half wall. Did I say very small?! Obviously, the majority of houses are designed by men, not women. Dishes and other kitchen supplies are often just kept in open concrete areas under the tiled concrete countertop, although some have wooden shelves or cabinet doors built into the concrete frame. Bathrooms usually have pretty good sized showers and never bathtubs.


New colonias seem to be sprouting up all over La Ceiba. Many of them are called "residenciales." Residencial used to be a name reserved for the more expensive neighborhoods with larger lots, but now it doesn't seem to have a meaning any different from the normal colonia.

These new developments seem to be using more and brighter paint colors. I like to see that. They look so cheery.