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Here are some characteristics that will help you identify the architectural style of a home.

1.   Colonial Style:  This is considered one of the most popular residential styles in the history of the United States.

       Characteristics:

Usually, they are 2 or 3 stories with high pitched roof and has one or more dormers; oversized chimney or chimneys at the center; narrow clapboard siding or brick exterior; double-hung, multi-pane windows in pairs which are placed symmetrically on both side of a centrally located front door; decorative crown mold over the front door that is supported by pilasters or columns.

2.  Cape Cod Style:  Cape Cod style homes were built by English colonists who came to America in the late 1600’s.  Colonial Revival Cape Cods became very popular in the 1930’s.

Characteristics:

They have a snug feeling; steep roof with single gables with a chimney on one end; one and  a half stories with one or more dormers on the half story; exterior siding with wide clapboards, wood shingles or brick; centered front door, plain but sometimes with portico.

3.  Contemporary Style:  Contemporary designs are not defined by a single shape or style.  One clue is the presence of large, tall pane of glass.

Characteristics:

The house built using natural siding materials such as wood or stone with odd or irregular shapes and often looks plain and lacks ornamentation.  They often have open floor plan, cathedral ceilings and exposed beams or flat roof.

4.  Cottage Style:  They are normally small and informal houses.  Historically, cottages could be quite large as found in Newport, Rhode Island.

Characteristics:

They have tall, perched roof with masonry chimney, large multi pane windows, and wood or shingles exterior siding; meandering walkway to the front door and surrounded by flowers and climbing plants.

5.   Craftsman Style:  An early 20^th century favorite exemplifies the Arts and Crafts movement emphasizing simple forms and natural materials.

Characteristics:

The style has low pitched gable roof with exposed rafters, decorative beams, or braces under the gables; wide welcoming porch supported by massive columns; wood, stone, or stucco siding; double hung windows often grouped in three, with the upper sashes divided into two or three panes over a plain lower sash; open floor plan, built-in cabinets, shelving and seating; organic colors and use of natural materials such as native river rocks.

6.  Farm House Style:  There are various farmhouse styles, but the unpretentious version can be thought of as a simplified Victorian.

Characteristics:

They are asymmetrical plan with dormers and gables with either metal or shingle roof; tall windows; wrapped around porch with some Victorian detailing; lap siding with simple moldings and trim.

7.  Federal Revival Style:  Federalist architecture has its roots in England. 

Characteristics:

They are large and graceful two-story brick with massive chimneys and have centered front door often sheltered by a portico and topped with a fan shaped transom light; dentil moldings in the cornice and fan shaped or elliptical gable windows; Palladian windows; oval room interior and recessed wall niches.

8.   Georgian Revival Style:  The Georgian Style is more angular but otherwise similar to Federal style.

Characteristics:

They are symmetrical and square in shape with brick or wood siding; centered front door with flattened columns on each side and a decorative crown above; medium-pitched roof with a chimney on each end; minimal roof overhand; five double-hung windows on dormers across front with 9 or 12 panes in each sash.

9.   Grecian Revival Style:  Grecian Revival mansions became popular in the South.

Characteristics:

They are square with tall double hung windows on each side with front facing column portico usually supported by a triangular pediment; shallow pitched roof; white clapboard exterior; decorative pilasters with dentil moldings and a heavy cornice.

10.  International Style:  It uses industrial materials and emphasizes free-flowing spaces and lack of clutter.

Characteristics:

They have flat roof and large expanse of glass, including glass block; neutral palette, simple geometric shape; constructed of steel or wood, rarely brick and mortar; tubular steel railings around porches and decks.

11. Post Modern Style:  They take traditional motifs and reformulate the design using modern materials and often exaggerate familiar forms in a playful ways.

Characteristics:
They have temporary, informal look and feel appropriate for a beach house;  large, angular, but can include oversize half round windows, often stair stepped in placement; bold shape and color.

 

12. Mediterranean Revival Style:  The heritage of the Mission churches lives on in the Southwest and Florida.

Characteristics:

They have stucco exterior with flat or low-pitched roof with clay tiles; often built around access to an inner courtyard with deeply shaded porches and dark interior; balconies with black, wrought-iron railings and terra-cotta pavers.

13. Ranch House Style:  Ranch houses became popular in 1950-1960s where land was cheap and families wanted an economical house in the suburbs.

Characteristics:

They are single story with a low pitched gable end or hipped roof; rectangular, but can be L-or U-shaped; long and low to the ground with sliding glass doors leading to a patio; attached garage, simple open floor plan; plain, lack of ornamentations.

14. Shingle Style:  These were built as a vacation home along the shores of New England.

Characteristics:

They have continuous shingle cladding on all exterior surfaces with free form, rambling architecture and stone chimney; wide porches, asymmetrical dormer windows, half turrets; lower portion may be wrapped in heavy stones.

15. Southern Colonist Style:  Colonial style homes were as popular in the South as the North, but the South version had the chimneys at the ends instead of the center.

Characteristics:

The homes are symmetrical in shape with center front door and wide welcoming front porch; steeply pitched gable roof with multi-panes, tall, double hung windows; narrow plan often only one room deep; tall foundation walls to protect against moisture damage.

16. Spanish Colonial Style:  This style goes back to the early Spanish influence in the Southwestern United States.

Characteristics:

The homes have massive masonry walls made of rough-cut stone blocks or wood-framed walls covered with stucco with muted earth tones of red clay or ochre on exterior; small windows; large ornate wooden doors; low-flat roof.

17. Tudor Style:  They became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s and 30s and then again in 1970s and 1980s.

Characteristics:

They look like fairy-tale castles with steeply pitched roofs, wide gables and massive chimneys; brick and stucco exterior combined with stone trim and door surrounds; tall, narrow casement windows with multi panes; larger Tudor homes feature wood and stucco half-timbering.

18. Victorian Style:  Although there are many 19^th century Victorian architectural styles, the more popular one is Queen Anne style.

Characteristics:

They have steep gable roof; lacy ornamental woodwork (ginger bread); tall, narrow windows; turned columns, turrets and porches; decorative wooden brackets, patterned shingles, clap board siding; combinations of up to 8 exterior colors on the same house (hence the nickname “painted lady”).

 

Typical house rarely expresses a single, strong influential architectural style.  With some of the details above, you might have less trouble explaining to your real estate agent or a contractor exactly what you want in a new home or remodel.