When looking for your next home (or even your first), it’s important to keep in mind the different styles available for houses. While many homes incorporate several aspects of various inspirations, understanding the primary framework for a house can be a good indicator about whether it would be a good fit for you and your lifestyle. Here are 9 styles to consider when linking about your next home.
Ranch
Ranch homes (pictured above) have been around since the 1920s and are characterized by their single story design and attached or very close garage. Even though some feature split-levels or additional floors, these homes are favored by younger generations for their simplicity and older residents gravitate to them for the ease of access.
Townhouse
These kinds of homes are typically found in more urban environments where space is at a premium. Instead of sprawling sideways, they typically extend deeper lengthwise and stack two or three floors up. Inside, townhouses are space conscious and make a point to not waste floorspace. They typically share at least one wall with a neighboring townhouse, and can be typically found as a part of a long row of similar homes.
Contemporary
Contemporary homes are often amalgamations of many different architectural styles. Though some consider Contemporary and Modern styles to be the same, they differ in their original inspiration. Contemporary homes incorporate current trends and technology, usually focusing on open versatility for interior floor plans, energy efficiency, and using sustainable materials for construction. Modern style homes are more focused on the modernist art movement.
Cape Cod
These homes are typically of a simpler style, with steep roofs and large chimneys that harken back to the early days of settling the Northeast. One of the most easily identifiable features of a Cape Cod home is the use of windows on either side of the front door and on the second story to create a picturesque frame.
Craftsman
A style born of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th/early 20th century, Craftsman homes usually feature a return to natural elements and sprawling porches. The use of square columns to support the front porch are also typical as are exposed support beams on the inside of the home. A good number of Craftsman houses also feature hand-worked stone or woodwork, earning it a reputation of a more personal feeling home.
Colonial
Known for their symmetry, Colonial homes can belong to a wide variety of subgroups. This is because they are based on the early homes constructed by early American settlers, who all had their own spin on the style. Common features of this style include shutters around most, if not all windows, multiple chimneys, and larger first floor windows.
Neoclassical
Neoclassical homes are commonly associated with grandiose and lavish lifestyles. Usually reserved for government or school buildings, a house in this style invokes images of wealth. Usually symmetrical and utilizing tall columns, the most recognizable aspect of these structures is the likeness they share to classical Greek and Roman architecture.
Prairie
Prairie homes were built with the concepts of utilitarianism and practicality. Just like the Craftsman style, Prairie structures were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, and so they share many of the same features. Low sloping roofs, open open floor plans and lots of rows of windows are also commonplace in Prairie home architecture.
Victorian
Easily one of the most recognizable styles of home, Victorian houses feature large single pane windows, sprawling porches, asymmetrical shape, and varied rooflines. Just like the Colonial style, Victorians feature a variety of subcategories—Italiante, Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Romanesque— each with its own distinct twists on the Victorian theme.
