Common House Styles
It’s the American dream to own your own home and choosing the perfect home can include choosing the perfect style for you and your family.
Some of the styles of homes date back centuries, and although many of the characteristics of a style of home may stay true to itself, many of the inside features are updated to fit today’s technology and standard of living.
Whether remodeling, adding on, or just giving your home some extra curb appeal, knowing the style of your home can help you develop a successful plan. Using the original style of your home as a starting point for an exterior makeover is usually the best technique, but—in some cases—mixing styles can energize a design.
The following examples are the most common styles of homes that you will see today.
Ranch
The layout is horizontal, and each room is easily accessible and interchangeable. A family room can be transformed into a home office, or a formal dining room can become a library by adding French doors and appropriate furniture. These features of versatility include:
A single story accented by simple trim and often with an attached garage
Large picture windows and sliding glass doors that can lead to a patio or backyard
Floor plans that are open
Bungalow
The word “bungalow” is often used to refer to any small 20th century home that uses space efficiently. Popular in the early 1900s for homes that were built in the suburbs in the Arts and Crafts style. Features include:
Either one- or one-and-a half stories with a low-pitched roof and a horizontal shape
Low eaves with exposed rafters
Tapered or squared columns that support the roof
Large covered front porches
Most of the living spaces are on the main floor
Lots of built-in cabinetry and shelves
Cape Cod
This style home originated in the Cape Cod area of the U.S. in the mid-1600s. These homes were built to withstand the tough, cold New England winters. Originally, these homes featured heavy shutters that could be closed during a storm and a large central chimney that was linked to fireplaces in each room. Features include:
Either one- or one-and-a-half stories with a steep roof and a small roof overhang
The home is constructed of wood and covered with clapboard or shingles and boasts a symmetrical appearance with a center door
Architecture includes multi-paned windows, dormers (which are created as usable space with windows in the roof) and a formal floor plan, usually with hardwood floors
Colonial
Much like the Cape Cod, this house was born out of the arrival of English colonists on the Eastern seaboard. Colonial homes are distinct in their use of geometry – square symmetrical facade, evenly spaced multi-paned windows with shutters and fireplaces with evenly proportioned chimneys Features include:
Two to three stories with a rectangular shape, a gabled roof (both sides slope at the same angle) and dormers
Decorative crown over the front door that’s supported by pilasters or columns
Construction is made of brick or wood siding
Grand entrances and porticos reveal living areas on the first floor while bedrooms are located on upper levels
Split-Level
This style of home is characterized by its staggered floor-level layout. The top level is typically the bedroom level, followed by a short set of stairs that lead to the main floor landing area, with another short set of stairs that go to the basement area. This area is usually finished and contains a walkout. The popularity of the split-level home was influenced by the ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright who believed that half floors would blend naturally with the landscape. Features include:
Three or more levels with the main entrance typically located in the middle level
The front door can open to a landing or foyer with a small flight of stairs leading up and another leading down. Alternatively, the front door can open directly to the main living area with the stairs located in another place
Prairie
Prairie or Prairie School in its complete term is an architectural style in the late 19th and early 20th century, which is common in the Midwestern United States.
This style is defined with horizontal lines, hipped or flat roof having broad overhanging eaves or roof space, horizontal band windows and it is usually integrated with landscape, craftsmanship, solid construction and ornament discipline.
The common horizontal lines were likened to the native prairie landscape.
Tudor
Like many of the other home styles we’ve covered, this style also originated in England. It’s best known for its very steep, multi-gabled roofs and half-timber framing. Most of these homes were built in the 20s and 30s but fell out of popularity after World War II when homeowners were looking for an “American-style home.” Features include:
Steeply pitched roofs with wide gables, elaborate chimneys with small dormers and slate surrounds
Exposed wood framework on the exterior, with the spaces between the frames filled with stucco and masonry
Large, narrow casement windows with multiple panes that are framed with wood or metal
Stone trim and decoratively embellished doorways with stone trim and door surrounds
Traditional
This style of housing was somehow considered to be alike with the tudor house plan styled architecture. They have the same front gable and immense chimney. However, it is scaled back in a lower roof pitch and elaborate detailing. This house plan style dominated in the year 1940 and early 1950s.
Common throughout the U.S. with floor plan designs that adhere to American lifestyles. Traditional homes are combinations of other styles yet there are basic features traditional styles always have, like the simplicity of hipped roof, and stucco exteriors. Single level floor plans are common in traditional styles and these usually come with a steeper roof pitch, lofts, covered porches and open foyers.
Victorian
While this particular name is often used to describe a style of home, there are actually many different styles of a Victorian home. The “Victorian” name actually refers to the period in history in which these homes were most popular – the 1830s to 1900. When most people refer to a Victorian home, they are typically referencing a Queen Anne style home. These are the homes we all immediately recognize – large, imposing structures with fancy woodwork decoration and big wrap-around porches. Think “The Addams Family” minus the creep factor. Features include:
The home’s interior often contained high ceilings, deep archways between rooms, with small rooms divided up by their use: a formal dining room, a small library, a parlor, a formal living room, and so on
Craftsman
This architectural style is also known as the American Arts and Crafts movement, which is a local American architecture that started in the 19th century and retained its popularity until 1930. It all rooted from the comprehensive design and art movement in the Industrial Revolution. This was a battle of preserving the high value of handmade products and some other natural materials.
At present, several revivals and restorations continue to evolve, which still embrace simplicity and handicrafts. Of course, natural materials won’t lose their part in this style. There is still shingled siding, stone details, overhanging beams, and rafters that are present in open porches with projecting eaves and deep gable roof.
Shingle
One of the most famous shingle style homes in America is the Kragsyde, built in 1882 and situated near Manchester-By-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Many of the homes of this design can be found in places like Martha’s Vineyard, East Hampton, Nantucket, Rhode Island, Cannon Beach and parts of New Jersey.
There are different types of shakes. In North America they generally will use California Redwood, Atlantic White Cedar and Western Red Cedar. Shakes are split while other types of shingles are not; they are sawn.
Farmhouse
A farmhouse is a building or structure which serves as the main residence in agricultural or rural areas. Historically, this was commonly infused with animal space known as a house barn. There are farmhouses that are connected with more than one barn, which form a courtyard.
Today, farmhouses are enjoying revived popularity, which its traditional version has endured through the test of time. The known characteristic of this style is its porch that stretches on the house’s front area and wraps around either side or to the rear. The roof of the house is typically a steeply pitched one that runs along the house’s length and sometimes decorated with gables and dormers. It also includes other exterior features like horizontal siding and shutters.
Mediterranean
This style originated in the areas of the Mediterranean, like Greece, Spain and Italy. It began in the United States as an offshoot of the mission churches built by Spanish colonialists. This very distinctive style is very popular in warm, Southern states and are typically built with a stucco exterior with large arched windows and a tile roof. Features include:
A flat or low-pitched tile roof, often red, with warm-colored stucco finishing
Many homes include extensive outdoor living areas or verandas, second-floor balconies and large open seating areas to allow for air flow throughout the home
Balconies and large arched windows are surrounded by wrought-iron railings and details
Tuscan
This is the traditional architecture of Tuscany located in central Italy. Some of the building materials generally used in Tuscan style buildings are stone, wood, wrought iron and tile.
Tuscan architecture is rustic yet stylish and is mainly suitable to its original Mediterranean arrangements. Simple, clean line and designs were inspired from a very long time ago.
Mid-Century Modern
This easily recognizable style is most often characterized by flat straight lines, large glass windows and open spaces. The focus of this particular design is its simplicity and integration with nature and the surrounding environment with an emphasis placed on form as well as function. It was most popular in the 50s and 60s. The most famous architects of this style are Rudolph Schindler, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Joseph Eichler.
Contemporary
Contemporary and modern are often interchanged and used in this style of home. Typically, contemporary is a word used for homes that are built with a look of today’s building styles and use energy efficient materials and products. Either way, modern or contemporary style homes are ones that try to bring some of the outside in, using large windows to let in lots of natural light. The architecture is often detailed with neat, clean lines and sustainable materials.
Log home
Log homes originated as little cabins, and typically were built as one room structures using no nails in their construction, however, they’ve evolved quite a bit over the years. While log homes are most often thought of as little cozy getaways, they are also built to be permanent homes. You may imagine log homes in rural or mountainous areas, but in reality, they can be built just about anywhere, although the type of wood used to construct the home will vary depending on the climate, they’re built in.
Cabin
I’m not sure how to tell you exactly the difference between a cabin house and a cottage except that cabin has a more rustic feeling. Both are often associated with vacation usage, but the cabin is more of an “escape”.
You know, it has a more minimalist design, simple construction, built from logs (traditionally), and less finished–almost always rural. You’ll be most likely to hear about a cabin in the wood, but never a cottage in the wood. Get it?
Cottage
Cottage houses are the more popular term in England, which explain a small vacation house, mostly occupied during winter with a chimney, thick roof and one single room.
This type of house traditionally has square form, thick walls, and the roof is covered with straws or similar material to add warmth. However, modern cottage is now becoming more popular–some even built two levels up with extra luxury.
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You will often see elements of different styles combined in one home. It’s a product of one era moving into another while retaining some features of the previous period, and it can easily be adapted to your design scheme. Although you should avoid a hodgepodge of styles, you can alter a particular style for your addition, especially considering the many house styles to choose from. Once you understand the style of your existing home, you can thoughtfully move forward with any remodeling or additions that you may want to do.