Kenneth Fach Telling It

When we are out looking at homes, we are looking at styles, architectural styles. Each home fits a particular style or eclectic mix of styles. Probably the most common home style, is the ranch style home. There are ranches everywhere it seems, but most are older homes, built in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. See below for a detailed explanation of this popular 20th century style, and my favorite architectural type.

Residential Styles:

Art Deco—Homes built in this style feature geometric elements and a vertically oriented design.

California Bungalow—A forerunner of the craftsman style, California Bungalows offer rustic exteriors, sheltered-feeling interiors, and spacious front porches.

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Research on Craftsman Bungalow:

1.   All-American style, but the roots come from the Bengal region of India and adapted by the English there from one-story thatched huts.

2.   First one built on Cape Cod in 1879.

3.   Structural simplicity, efficient use of space

4.   Low-pitched roofs.

5.   Exposed rafters.

6.   Popular on 1900’s but faded after 1930.

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Cape Cod—A true classic, Cape Cod homes—square or rectangular one-story structures with gabled roofs and unornamented fronts—were among America’s first houses.

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My research on the Cape Cod style:

1.   Steep roof with side gables. (keeps weather out and provides attic space)

2.   Small roof overhang

3.   1 or 1 and a half stories.

4.   Made of wood and covered in wide clapboard or shingles.

5.   Large central chimney linked to fireplace in each room

6.   Symetrical appearance with door in center

7.   Dormers for space, light, and ventilation (a dormer is a window set vertically on a sloping roof with its own roof)

8.   Multi-pane, double hung windows

9.   Shutters

10. Formal center-hall floor plan

11. Hardwood floors

12. Little exterior ornamentation

13. An example of Colonial Revival Architecture

14. Goes back to English Colonists.

15. Reverend Timothy Dwight a president of Yale Univ coined the term

16. In 1930’s became popular throughout USA

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Colonial—An offshoot of the Cape Cod style, Colonial homes feature a rectangular, symmetric design, second-floor bedrooms, clapboard siding, and gabled roofs.

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Colonial style:

1.   Evolved from English. Dutch, Spanish and French cultural traditions.

  

  

Contemporary—Unmistakably modern in feel, Contemporary style homes are identifiable by their odd-sized windows, lack of ornamentation, and unusual mix of wall materials.

Craftsman—Full-or partial-width porches framed by tapered columns, overhanging eaves, and exposed roof rafters differentiate a Craftsman home from the similar California Bungalow.

Creole—A front wall that recedes to form a first-story porch and a second-story balcony highlights the Creole Cottage design.

Dutch Colonial—German, or “Deustch”, settlers in Pennsylvania originated the Dutch Colonial style, dominated by a barn-like broad gambrel roof with flaring eaves.

Federal—This style arose amid a renewed interest in Greek and Roman culture, as its classical ornamentation around cornices, doors, and windows demonstrate.

French Provincial—Balance and symmetry define the French Provincial style, which includes a steep hip roof; balcony and porch balustrades; and rectangular doors set in arched openings.

Georgian—Refined and symmetrical with paired chimneys and a decorative crown, Georgian houses were named after English royalty.

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Georgian Colonial:

Square, symmetrical

Paneled front door

Decorative crown over front door

Paired chimneys

Flattened columns on each side of the front door

Five windows across the front

Medium pitched roof

Minimal roof overhang

  

Gothic Revival—English romanticism influenced this style, marked by “Gothic” windows with pointed arches; exposed framing timbers; and steep, vaulted roofs.

Greek Revival—Large porches, entryway columns, and a front door surrounded by narrow rectangular windows characterize Greek Revival Homes.

International—The International style exposes functional building elements, including elevator shafts, ground-to-ceiling plate glass windows, and smooth facades.

Italianate—Symmetrical bay windows in front; small chimneys set in irregular locations; tall, narrow, windows; and in some cases towers, typify Italianate houses.

Monterey—The Monterey style updates the New England Colonial style with an Adobe brick exterior and a second-floor with a balcony.

National—Rooted in Native American and pre-railroad dwellings, the National style consists of a rectangular shape with side-gabled roofs or square layouts with pyramidal roofs.

Neoclassical—Recognize Neoclassical homes, which exist in incarnations from one-story cottages to multilevel manses, by their Ionic- or Corinthian-columned porches.

Prairie—Originated by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Prairie-style house comes in two styles–boxy and symmetrical or low-slung and asymmetrical.

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Praire style:  FrankLloyd Wright believed Victorian rooms were boxed-in and confining. He was interested in horizontal lines open and interior spaces.

1.   Low-pitched roof

2.   Overhanging eaves

3.   Horizontal lines

4.   Central chimney

5.   Open floor plan (L-shape, T-shape, Square, V-shaped, and pinwheel-shaped)

6.   Rows of small windows

7.   One-story projections

8.   Designed to blwnd in with flat praire landscape.

Pueblo—Flat roofs, parapet walls with round edges, straight-edge window frames, earth-colored stucco or adobe-brick walls, and projecting roof beams typify Pueblos.

Queen Anne—Emerging in the late Victorian era, the style employs inventive, multistory floor plans that often include projecting wings, several porches and balconies, and multiple chimneys with decorative chimney pots.

Ranch—Similar to the Spanish Colonial, Prairie, and Craftsman styles, Ranch homes are set apart by pitched-roof construction, built-in garages, wood or brick exterior walls, sliding, and picture windows.

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My research on ranch style:

1.   Single style traditionally (although Raised Ranch is a split level design)

2.   Low pitched gable roof (gable is a triangle formed by a sloping roof)

3.   Deep set eaves (eave is edge  of roof)

4.   Long, narrow, low to the ground

5.   Asymmetrical

6.   Large windows: double hung, sliding, and picture

7.   Rectangular L-shape or U-shape

8.   Sliding glass doors in back

9.   Attached garage

10. Simple floorplans

11. Openness, few interior walls

12. Built from natural materials- oak floors, wood or brick exterior

13.  Lack decorative detailing

14.  Also known as American Ranch, Western Ranch, California Rambler.

15. Found often in suburbia

16. First ranch built in San Diego in 1932

17. Dominant home style of the 1950’s and 1960’s, and with returning GI’s and were affordable.

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Regency—Although they borrow from the Georgian’s classic lines, Regency homes eschew ornamentation. They’re symmetrical, two or three stories, and usually built in brick. Typically, they feature an octagonal window over the front door, one chimney at the side of the house, double-hung windows, and a hip roof.

Saltbox—This New England Colonial style gained the Saltbox nickname because its sharply sloping gable roof resembled boxes used for storing salt.

Second Empire—A Victorian style, Second Empire homes feature mansard roofs with dormer windows, molded cornices, and decorative brackets under the eaves.

Shed—A subset of the Modern style, Shed houses are asymmetric with multiple roofs sloping in different directions, which creates several geometric shapes.

Shingle—An American style that echoes the Queen Anne, the Shingle style is distinguished by unadorned doors, windows, porches, and cornices; continuous wood shingles; a steeply pitched roof line; and large porches.

Shotgun—Tradition says that a shotgun blast can trace a straight path from the front to back door of this long, narrow home. The style is characterized by a single story with a gabled roof.

Spanish Eclectic—Taking its cues from early Spanish missions, Spanish Eclectic then adds a dash of details from Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance architectural styles.

Split Level—A Modern style, Split level design sequesters certain living activities, such as sleeping or socializing.

Stick—Decorative horizontal, vertical, or diagonal boards characterize Stick Houses, which are members of the Victorian family.

Tudor—Half-timbering on bay windows and upper floors, and facades that are dominated by one or more steeply pitched cross gables typify Tudor homes.

Victorian—Built during the rise of the machine age, Victorian architecture often incorporated decorative details such as brackets, spindles, and patterned shingle

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American Foursquare:

Simple box shape

Two-and-a-half-stories

Four-room floor plan

Low-hipped roof with deep overhang

Large central dormer

Full-width porch

Brick, stone or wood siding