CAAR Information Services

House Styles

Program Issues & FAQs User Guides Rules, Regs, & Policies Classes Input Forms House Styles Mobile MLS Access Reciprocal Listings Open House News (updated 5/1/08) Backup MLS Site

IDX/VOW Tax & Geographic Info File Downloads Lockbox Help (8/20/07) Web Components Membership Forms

Architectural Styles

CAAR MLS offers many design styles for you to choose from when describing a residential property. The two most common for new construction are "contemporary" and "neoeclectic."

Detailed Styles (Chronologically)

Pueblo (Adobe) Styles

Because they are built with adobe, Pueblo homes are sometimes called adobes. Modern Pueblos are inspired by homes used by Native Americans since ancient times.
Traditional Pueblo houses have many of these features:

Massive, round-edged walls made with adobe
Flat roof with no overhang
Stepped levels
Rounded parapet
Spouts in the parapet to direct rainwater
Vigas (heavy timbers) extending through walls which serve as main roof support beams
Latillas (poles) placed above vigas in angled pattern
Deep window and door openings
Simple windows
Beehive corner fireplace
Bancos (benches) that protrude from walls
Nichos (niches) carved out of wall for display of religious icons
Brick, wood, or flagstone floors

Due to Spanish influence, Pueblo Revival houses often have:

Porches held up with zapatas (posts)
Enclosed patios
Heavy wooden doors
Elaborate corbels

Cape Cod House Style

The Cape Cod house style originated in colonial New England. Today, the term refers to Cape Cod-shaped houses popular during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
Traditional, Colonial-era Cape Cod houses had many of these features:

Steep roof with side gables
Small roof overhang
1 or 1½ stories
Made of wood and covered in wide clapboard or shingles
Large central chimney linked to fireplace in each room
Symmetrical appearance with door in center
Dormers for space, light, and ventilation
Multi-paned, double-hung windows
Shutters
Formal, center-hall floor plan
Hardwood floors
Little exterior ornamentation

Folk Houses

Folk houses built pre-railroad relied on local materials, so while designs might be similar, construction and exteriors varied. Coastal areas had access to imported materials and usually followed more stylish designs, while inland homes were constructed of hewn timber, stone, or sod.

New England Folk

Boxy shape with steeply pitched roof and little or no eave overhang (gave rise to Cape Cod style)
Usually 2-story, I-house form (two rooms wide, one room deep)
Later designs added one-story addition to back
Single central chimney

Midland Folk

Began in middle colonies by Germanic settlers
Log and/or hewn timber construction
One room deep linear plan
Single end chimney
Lean-to or porch added for space

National Folk

Once the railroads made transportation of materials easier, house styles became more consistent across the country as massed-plan construction became possible.

Hall-and-parlor style (two rooms wide, one room deep)
Urban version: often narrow, 2-story house with steep roof pitch and front gable (porch or overhang)
One-story version: front gable and/or L-shape
When needed, usually extended to rear, with different number of levels or even shape
Little to no eave overhang; roof extends to create front porch or gable.

(Georgian) Colonial House Styles

The symmetrical, orderly Georgian style became prominent in Colonial America.
Georgian Colonial homes usually have these features:

Square, symmetrical shape
Paneled front door at center
Decorative crown over front door
Flattened columns on each side of door
Five windows across front
Paired chimneys
Medium pitched roof
Minimal roof overhang

Many Georgian Colonial homes also have:

Nine or twelve small window panes in each window sash
Dental molding (square, tooth-like cuts) along the eaves

Many saltbox style homes fall in the Georgian Colonial category; these may have wood or brick siding, and a central fireplace or two fireplaces, one at either end.

Federal and Adam House Styles

American Federal houses have many of these features:

Low-pitched roof, or flat roof with a balustrade
Windows arranged symmetrically around a center doorway
Semicircular fanlight over the front door
Narrow side windows flanking the front door
Decorative crown or roof over front door
Tooth-like dentil moldings in the cornice
Palladian window
Circular or elliptical windows
Shutters
Decorative swags and garlands
Oval rooms and arches

Tidewater Style

Tidewater homes have extensive porches (or "galleries") sheltered by a broad hipped roof. The main roof extends over the porches without interruption.
Top

Greek Revival

Greek Revival houses usually have these features:

Pedimented gable
Symmetrical shape
Heavy cornice
Wide, plain frieze
Bold, simple moldings

Many Greek Revival houses also have these features:

Entry porch with columns
Decorative pilasters
Narrow windows around front door

Gothic Revival

Stone and brick homes in the Gothic Revival style have many of these features:

Steeply pitched roof
Pointed windows with decorative tracery
Grouped chimneys
Pinnacles
Battlements and shaped parapets
Leaded glass
Quatrefoil and clover shaped windows
Oriel windows
Asymmetrical floor plan
Veranda

Wooden homes in the Gothic Revival style have many of these features:

Steeply pitched roof
Steep cross gables
Bay and oriel windows
Windows with pointed arches
Vertical board and batten trim
One-story porch
Asymmetrical floor plan

Italianate

Low-pitched or flat roof
Balanced, symmetrical rectangular shape
Tall appearance, with 2, 3, or 4 stories
Wide, overhanging eaves with brackets and cornices
Square cupola
Porch topped with balustraded balconies
Tall, narrow, double-paned windows with hood moldings
Side bay window
Heavily molded double doors
Roman or segmented arches above windows and doors

Renaissance Revival Style

Renaissance Revival houses have many of these features:

Cube-shaped
Balanced, symmetrical façade
Smooth stone walls, made from finely-cut ashlar
Low-pitched hip or Mansard roof
Roof topped with balustrade
Horizontal stone banding between floors
Segmental pediments
Ornately-carved stone window trim varying in design at each story
Smaller square windows on top floor
Quoins (large stone blocks at the corners)

"Second" Renaissance Revival Houses are larger and usually have:

Arched, recessed openings
Full entablatures between floors
Columns
Ground floor made of rusticated stone with beveled edges and deeply-recessed joints

Victorian

Victorian houses were usually built between 1860 and 1900, taking advantage of industrialization (mass production) and railroads (inexpensive transportation) to simplify construction while adding complex design features in doors, windows, roofing, siding, and decorative detailing. Houses often feature:

Complex shapes
Elaborate detailing (including carpenters’ “gingerbread”)
Multi-textured and/or multi-colored walls
Asymmetrical facades
Steeply pitched roofs
Stylistic details mixed from a variety of Medieval styles

Victorian house styles in America include Second Empire, Stick, Queen Anne, Shingle, Romanesque, and Folk Victorian.

Second Empire (Mansard) Style

Second Empire homes usually have these features:

Mansard roof
Dormer windows project like eyebrows from roof
Rounded cornices at top and base of roof
Brackets beneath the eaves, balconies, and bay windows

Many Second Empire homes also have these features:

Cupola
Patterned slate on roof
Wrought iron cresting above upper cornice
Classical pediments
Paired columns
Tall windows on first story
Small entry porch

Stick Style

Victorian Stick Style homes have these features:

Rectangular shape
Wood siding
Steep, gabled roof
Overhanging eaves
Ornamental trusses (gable braces)
Decorative braces and brackets
Decorative half-timbering

Queen Anne

Queen Anne houses have many of these features:

Steep roof
Complicated, asymmetrical shape
Front-facing gable
One-story porch that extends across one or two sides of the house
Round or square towers
Wall surfaces textured with decorative shingles, patterned masonry, or half-timbering
Ornamental spindles and brackets
Bay windows

Romanesque

Romanesque houses have many of these features:

Constructed of rough-faced, square stones
Round towers with cone-shaped roofs
Columns and pilasters with spirals and leaf designs
Low, broad "Roman" arches over arcades and doorways
Patterned masonry arches over windows

Shingle Style

Shingle Style homes usually have these features:

Continuous wood shingles on siding and roof
Irregular roof line
Cross gables
Eaves on several levels
Porches
Asymmetrical floor plan

Some Shingle Style homes also have these features:

Wavy wall surface
Patterned shingles
Squat half-towers
Palladian windows
Rough hewn stone on lower stories
Stone arches over windows and porches

Colonial Revival

Colonial Revival houses have many of these features:

Symmetrical façade
Rectangular
2 to 3 stories
Brick or wood siding
Simple, classical detailing
Gable roof
Pillars and columns
Multi-pane, double-hung windows with shutters
Dormers
Temple-like entrance: porticos topped by pediment
Paneled doors with sidelights and topped with rectangular transoms or fanlights
Center entry-hall floor plan
Living areas on the first floor and bedrooms on the upper floors
Fireplaces

Neoclassical

Neoclassical, or "new" classical, architecture describes buildings that are inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. A Neoclassical building is likely to have some or all of these features:

Symmetrical shape
Tall columns that rise the full height of the building
Triangular pediment
Domed roof

Beaux Arts

Beaux Arts buildings have many of these features:

Massive and grandiose
Constructed with stone
Balustrades
Balconies
Columns
Cornices
Pilasters
Triangular pediments
Lavish decorations: swags, medallions, flowers, and shields
Grand stairway
Large arches
Symmetrical façade

Some famous Beaux Arts buildings:

Vanderbilt Marble House, Rhode Island
Grand Central Terminal, New York
New York Public Library
Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco
Carnegie Hall
The Waldorf, New York City

Tudor Revival

Tudor style homes have many of these features:

Decorative half-timbering, giving the appearance of a medieval building
Steeply pitched roof
Prominent cross gables
Tall, narrow windows
Small window panes
Massive chimneys, often topped with decorative chimney pots

Cotswold Cottage

Other names for the Cotswold Cottage style

Storybook Style
Hansel and Gretel Cottage
Tudor Cottage
English Country Cottage
Ann Hathaway Cottage

Cotswold Cottage houses have many of these features:

Sloping, uneven roof, sometimes made of pseudo-thatch
Brick, stone, or stucco siding
Very steep cross gables
Prominent brick or stone chimney, often at the front near the door
Casement windows with small panes
Small dormer windows
Asymmetrical design
Low doors and arched doors
Small, irregularly-shaped rooms
Sloping walls in rooms on upper floor

Spanish Mission House Style

Spanish Mission style houses have stucco walls, arches, and other details inspired by the Spanish mission churches of colonial America.
Spanish Mission style houses have many of these features:

Smooth stucco siding
Roof parapets
Large square pillars
Twisted columns
Arcaded entry porch
Round or quatrefoil window
Red tile roof

Prairie Style

Frank Lloyd Wright revolutionized the American home when he began to design "Prairie" style houses with low horizontal lines and open interior spaces.
Prairie style houses usually have these features:

Low-pitched roof
Overhanging eaves
Horizontal lines
Central chimney
Open floor plan
Clerestory windows

American Foursquare

American Foursquare houses usually have these features:

Simple box shape
Two-and-a-half stories high
Four-room floor plan
Low-hipped roof with deep overhang
Large central dormer
Full-width porch with wide stairs
Brick, stone, stucco, concrete block, or wood siding

Arts and Crafts (Craftsman)

Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman, houses have many of these features:

Wood, stone, or stucco siding
Low-pitched roof
Wide eaves with triangular brackets
Exposed roof rafters
Porch with thick square or round columns
Stone porch supports
Exterior chimney made with stone
Open floor plans; few hallways
Numerous windows
Some windows with stained or leaded glass
Beamed ceilings
Dark wood wainscoting and moldings
Built-in cabinets, shelves, and seating

French Eclectic

Flared roofs and other French details give French eclectic homes a European flavor.

Art Moderne

Art Moderne houses have many of these features:

Asymmetrical
Horizontal orientation
Flat roof
No cornices or eaves
Cube-like shape
Smooth, white walls
Sleek, streamlined appearance
Rounded corners highlighted by wraparound windows
Glass block windows
Aluminum and stainless steel window and door trim
Mirrored panels
Steel balustrades
Suggestion of speed and movement: Horizontal rows of windows or stripes
Little or no ornamentation
Open floor plans

Ranch

The “rambling” ranch house, first popularized in the 1940s, has many of these features:

Style based on early Spanish Colonial, Craftsman, and Prairie modernism
Asymmetrical one-story shape
Low-pitched roof, usually hipped, cross-gabled, or side-gabled
Moderate to wide eave overhang
Usually wood, brick, or a combination thereof
Decorative iron or wooden porch supports and decorative shutters
Ribbon and/or picture windows
Partially enclosed courtyards or patios, usually in the rear (as opposed to the less private front or side porch)
Built-in garage

Split-Level

The split-level evolved in the 1950s from the popular Ranch style. It often features:

Horizontal lines, low-pitched roof, and overhanging eaves of the Ranch style
Two-story unit intercepted at mid-height by a one-story wing (3 levels of interior space, for quiet living areas, noisy living and service areas, and sleeping areas)
Lower level usually houses garage and family room (“noisy”); mid-level has “quiet” living areas, and bedrooms on upper level
Exterior often mixes materials – wood, brick, stone, shingle
Decorative detailing often leans towards Colonial

Neoeclectic

A Neoeclectic home can be difficult to describe because it combines many styles. The shape of the roof, the design of the windows, and decorative details may be inspired by several different periods and cultures.

Features of Neoeclectic Homes:

Constructed in the 1960s or later
Historic styles imitated using modern materials, such as vinyl or imitation stone
Details from several historic styles combined
Details from several cultures combined
Brick, stone, vinyl, and composite materials combined

Neo-Mediterranean

Neo-Mediterranean is a Neoeclectic house style that incorporates a fanciful mix of details suggested by the architecture of Spain, Italy, and Greece, Morocco, and the Spanish Colonies. Realtors often call Neo-Mediterranean houses Mediterranean or Spanish.

Neo-Mediterranean houses have many of these features:

Low-pitched roof
Red roof tiles
Stucco siding
Arches above doors, windows, or porches
Heavy carved wooden doors

Contemporary

Contemporary homes are designed for today's lifestyles with huge windows and large, open spaces. Contemporary houses have many of these features:

Odd, irregular shape
Lack of ornamentation
Tall, over-sized windows, some with trapezoid shapes
Open floor plan
Natural materials such as cedar or stone
Harmony with the surrounding landscape

Also look for:
Some contemporary homes have flat roofs. Other contemporary homes have gabled roofs with cathedral ceilings and exposed beams.

A-Frame

A modern folk type of house built since the 1940s, the A-Frame is used more for vacation and second homes than for permanent dwellings and features. Rather than sidewalls or roof-wall junctions, a gable roof reaches to ground level on two sides (resulting in awkward interior spaces).

Postmodern (Pomo)

Postmodern houses have many of these features:

Sense of "anything goes": Forms filled with humor, irony, ambiguity, contradiction
Juxtaposition of styles: Blend of traditional, contemporary, and newly-invented forms
Exaggerated or abstract traditional detailing
Materials or decorations drawn from far away sources

©2007 by Jackie Craven (http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/index.htm).
Used with permission of About, Inc. which can be found online at www.about.com. All rights reserved.

Additional information included from A Field Guide to American Houses. McAlester, Virginia & Lee; copyright 1984, Borzoi Books. Copies are available in the CAAR IS department for viewing.

©2007 Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS®