Architectural Styles

Art Deco

sleek, linear appearance with stylized, often geometric ornamentation

Cape Cod

Symmetrical appearance with a centered front entry. Steep roofs with side gables and an overhang. Shingle siding. Gabled dormers. Double-hung windows with shutters. Centralized chimneys. Simple exterior ornamentation.

Cubic

Basic geometric shapes. Modern and unique materials. Sharp and clean lines ensuring that the building is viewed in perspective with ease.

Farmhouse

asymmetrical massing with a gable at the front.

Garrison

typically two stories with the second story overhanging in the front

International

rectilinear forms; light, taut plane surfaces that have been completely stripped of applied ornamentation and decoration; open interior spaces; and a visually weightless quality engendered by the use of cantilever construction.

Modern

Rectangular forms. Lack of adornment. Low, horizontal composition. Elements of asymmetry. Open floor plans. Large glass windows. Whitewashed exteriors. Natural materials like wood.

Normandy

steep, conical roofs or hipped roofs and round stair-towers. They generally have stone walls and an asymmetrical plan

Ranch

a single-story home that features an open floor plan. tend to be wider than they are deep, often with an L or U shape, and a lower-pitched roof

Southern Colonial

a large, Early American style, 2- or 3-story frame house with a characteristic colonnade extending across the front.

Tudor

secular architecture are: a lavish use of half-timber work; large groups of rectangular windows; rich oriel, or bay, windows; complex roofs with many gables; interesting and sometimes fantastic chimney treatments; and much brickwork

Arts and Crafts

Raw, truthful materials with a focus on their natural qualities. Simple forms that hero and celebrate the construction of the object. Designs, motifs, and patterns inspired by nature. Vernacular designs focused on traditional disciplines and techniques.

Contemporary

architecture of the 21st century

Dutch

domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house

Federal

square or rectangle-shaped with a hipped roof.

Georgian

square or rectangular, made of brick, and features symmetrical windows, shutters, and columns.

Grand entrances were often embellished with pediments, arches, and columns, and interior spaces featured high ceilings, window headers, and crown molding

I-Style

generally feature gables to the side and are at least two rooms in length, one room deep, and two full stories in height. tends to be symmetrical

Neo-Electric

asymmetric structure that combines various materials like stone, brick, composite, vinyl. It has 2-3 stories with multiple high gabled roofs, at least 2 garages, vinyl windows, open floor layouts, and various decorative add-ons such as shutters, dormers, window boxes, wainscoting siding

Prairie Style

emphasis on the horizontal rather than the vertical. They spread out over their lots, featuring flat or shallow hipped roof lines, rows of windows, overhanging eaves and bands of stone, wood or brick across the surface.

Saltbox

frame houses with two stories in front and one in back, having a pitched roof with unequal sides, being short and high in front and long and low in back. The front of the house is flat and the rear roof line is steeply sloped.

Spanish

uniformity, minimal embellishments, and smooth stucco, adobe, or stone exteriors. You may also recognize them by their tile and stone roofs, often featuring barrel-shaped tiles in warm earth tones

Victorian

Steeply pitched roofs. Plain or colorfully painted brick. Ornate gables. Painted iron railings. Churchlike rooftop finials. Sliding sash and canted bay windows. Octagonal or round towers and turrets to draw the eye upward. Two to three stories.

Bungalow

sloped roofs, open floor plans, large front windows, and broad front porches

Counter Culture

domed houses that are very hippie like

English

elaborate interiors, classical exteriors, high ceilings, and panel doors. influenced by roman empire

French

Stone, brick, or stucco exteriors. Two stories with high-pitched roof lines. Hipped roofs that slope down to the eaves on all four sides. Mansard roofs with two slopes on each of the four sides. Large towering chimneys. Dormers. Multi-paned windows. Round towers or gables.

Greek Revival

symmetrical shape, pilasters, columns, a porch entry, a window in the pediment, and plain or highly decorated cornices and friezes. Chimneys were placed as far back as possible to make the home look more like a temple.

Italianate

have a plain shape and are usually two or three stories tall.

Neolithic

rectangular homes with a central hearth that were called long houses. They typically only had one door and were made primarily from mud brick, mud formed into bricks and dried. Neolithic religious architecture was often massive

Queen Anne

steep roof with cross gables or large dormers, an asymmetrical front façade, and an expansive porch with decorative wood trim.

Shed

Entrances are often recessed and obscured from the street and windows tend to be a variety of sizes and shapes. Long narrow windows installed vertically or horizontally are common, as well as windows that are angled to follow the slope of the roof line.

Split Level

typically has a ground level entrance door leading into the main floor. A short set of stairs divides the other levels. The bottom level features a playroom, den, family room or garage, while the upper floor has bedrooms and bathrooms.