Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Guide to Residential Styles

Every house has a style. Sometimes it has two or more; because of renovations and new, eclectic mixes, fitting a home into one specific category can be daunting or even impossible. Thankfully, there’s no need to memorize complicated architectural terminology. REALTOR® Magazine has compiled a convenient compendium of common styles. Delve in and learn to highlight the details that give a home character, history, and romance. 


Cape Cod: Some of the first houses built in the United States were Cape Cods. The original colonial Cape Cod homes were shingle-sided, one-story cottages with no dormers. During the mid-20th century, the small, uncomplicated Cape Cod shape became popular in suburban developments. A 20th-century Cape Cod is square or rectangular with one or one-and-a-half stories and steeply pitched, gabled roofs. It may have dormers and shutters. The siding is usually clapboard or brick.


Contemporary: You know them by their odd-sized and often tall windows, their lack of ornamentation, and their unusual mixtures of wall materials--stone, brick, and wood, for instance. Architects designed Contemporary-style homes (in the Modern family) between 1950 and 1970, and created two versions: the flat-roof and gabled types. The latter is often characterized by exposed beams. Both breeds tend to be one-story tall and were designed to incorporate the surrounding landscape into their overall look.

Craftsman: Popularized at the turn of the 20th century by architect and furniture designer Gustav Stickley in his magazine, The Craftsman, the Craftsman-style bungalow reflected, said Stickley, "a house reduced to it's simplest form... its low, broad proportions and absolute lack of ornamentation gives it a character so natural and unaffected that it seems to... blend with any landscape."


Dutch Colonial: This American style originated in homes built by German, or "Deutsch" settlers in Pennsylvania as early as the 1600s. A hallmark of the style is a broad gambrel roof with flaring eaves that extend over the porches, creating a barn-like effect. Early homes were a single room, and additions were added to each end, creating a distinctive linear floor plan.


National: Born out of the fundamental need for shelter, National-style homes, whose roots are set in Native American and pre-railroad dwellings, remain unadorned and utilitarian. The style is characterized by rectangular shapes with (insert link side gabled roofs) or square layouts with pyramidal roofs. The gabled-front-and-wing style pictured here is the most prevalent type with a side-gabled wing attached at a right angle to the gabled front.

Queen Anne: A sub-style of the late Victorian era, Queen Anne is a collection of coquettish detailing and eclectic materials. Steep cross-gabled roofs, towers, and vertical windows are all typical of a Queen Anne home. Inventive, multistory floor plans often include projecting wings, several porches and balconies, and multiple chimneys with decorative chimney pots.

    4 comments:

    1. It really is interesting to think about all the different models of homes that have happened throughout the years. Something that really stood out was that you shared the first home designs that were addressed when the U.S was established. Hopefully this will be some kind of inspiration for those who are looking for a nice older looking home. I personally think that the Cape Cod homes have a great touch to them. Thank you for sharing.

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    2. It really is interesting to think about all the different models of homes that have happened throughout the years. Something that really stood out was that you shared the first home designs that were addressed when the U.S was established. Hopefully this will be some kind of inspiration for those who are looking for a nice older looking home. I personally think that the Cape Cod homes have a great touch to them. Thank you for sharing.

      http://www.ajshirkroofing.com/Pages/Residential.php

      ReplyDelete
    3. Great history of residential styles and it is very informative but taking care of these prisons designed and expensive houses are also very important. For roof care I consider. EPDM Rubber Roofing

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