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Houses and Their Styles
by Jordan Etheridge
http://www.yphouses.com
Throughout the years houses have gone through
many transformations of styles and designs
depending on the location of the house and the era
in which it was built. There are some housing
styles that have stood strong over time and that are
still a model for the modern homes being built
today. Some of the popular house styles over the
years have included Cape Cod houses, Spanish-
Mediterranean houses, Greek Revival style homes,
the Tudor house, and French style houses.
Built in the late seventeenth century in the state of
New England, the Cape Cod house is still as
popular now as it was then. The house was
originally designed to commemorate the Colonial
Revival homes of the time but it soon gained its
own reputation. The Cape Cod house is distinct
with its wooden structure and its gabled, steep roof.
The symmetrical flooring plans make it popular
among home owners and in later years chimneys
were added to one, or both, ends of the house to
keep in warm during New England winters.
Another popular house style is the Spanish-
Mediterranean home. These houses are often seen
in the lower Southern states, such as California,
because of the warm weather. The Spanish-
Mediterranean house is easily recognizable because
of its red tiled roof that is usually long and flat. The
other distinctive feature is the exterior stucco, which
has the advantage of keeping the home cool during
the heat and warm on cold nights.
One of the most elegant styles of houses is the
Greek Revival home. These houses were first built
in the city of Philadelphia when architects with a
European flair designed homes after the Grecian
styling in Europe. The front porch is adorned with
heavy columns, giving the home a bold and austere
look and feel.
The influence of Great Britain is also present in
many of the houses built today. The Tudor house, a
reflection of homes in Great Britain during the
Medieval era, is usually built of dark wood beams
on the upper portion of the home, with brick on the
lower half. These homes will have one or more
chimneys that highlight at least one room and the
top floors will feature multi gables. You~ll find the
Tudor home built in many neighborhoods that are
upper class in mainly Anglophile areas of the city.
French style houses have never lost their appeal
over the years. This is because they are simple yet
very stylish, featuring many fine details that you
won~t find on other house styles that include multi-
paned windows, interlocking block facades, and
shutters. The inside of the French style home is
considered to be traditional in that it has a dining
room, kitchen, and living room on the bottom floor,
with the bedrooms being upstairs.
The style of homes will continue to change over
time and we~ll see slight adaptations made to the
above house styles, with the main basis always
remaining. Modern architects will create new
homes that reflect our own times but the time
honored home will always be here.
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