The patio homes I am familiar with in the Myrtle Beach area have a small patio on the side of the home, under 2000 square feet have, no rear exit and very limited yard space. Many of them are also sold as maintenance free.
Patio homes are also detached, single-family homes, but with smaller yards. These compact backyards are perfect for creating patios, giving rise to the name, patio homes. A patio home is often a low maintenence detached home that is built upon a concrete slab versus a crawl space, and they usually have a fenced patio in lieu of a yard.