The 8 Most Popular Architecture Home Styles with post and beam homes.
Below we highlight the eight most popular housing styles described on Angi, the website formerly known as Angie’s List:
Cape Cod
This style of home dates to colonial times. Cape Cod housing styles are especially popular in the northern part of the United States. This is due to the low ceiling style that makes heating more efficient in colder climates. The shutters on modern Cape Cod homes are decorative only.
Colonial
Colonial homes are popular due to their spaciousness and style variations. Modern versions of colonial homes typically include the following:
- Dining room
- Eat-in kitchen
- Family room
- Half-bath
- Formal living room on the first floor
- Partially finished basement
Bathrooms and bedrooms of colonial homes are typically on the second floor.
Contemporary
People often choose to have contemporary homes custom-made because they desire to live someplace unique. Typical features of a contemporary home include:
- Asymmetrical floor plan and façade
- Clear lines throughout the home
- Extensive use of natural light
- Geometric shapes
- Open floor plan
- Sustainable building materials
The design of one-story or two-story contemporary homes generally highlights the outdoors.
Craftsman
Craftsman-style homes are unique to the United States, having originated in California approximately 100 years ago. These homes feature ornate wood trim, symmetry, and an open layout that maximizes every square foot. Craftsman homes built prior to 1920 often develop issues with basement walls and cracks in the foundation. This is due to the fact that builders did not have the same knowledge about properly mixing aggregates that builders have today.
Mediterranean
This style of home developed between 1915 and 1930, and it is especially popular in Florida. The architecture resembles homes discovered during the early colonization of North and South America. Cream, beige stucco, and white are popular color choices for the exterior of Mediterranean homes. Typical features include:
- Arched or columned front porch
- Liberal use of limestone, painted balconies, wooden doors, and exposed wooden beams
- Low-pitched roof made from red tiles
- Patios or courtyards
- Stucco walls
- Wrought-iron railings
Ranch/Rambler
The popularity of these homes peaked in the 1940s to 1970s as the post-war generation settled down to raise families. The living space is typically on one level. Common characteristics of ranch/rambler style homes include:
- Attached garage
- Beam and post ceilings
- Large overhanging eaves
- Large picture window
- Long and low roofline
- Sliding glass door leading to patio
Tudor
Tudor homes emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, and the primary materials used to construct them include brick, concrete, slate, and stone. These homes replicate the style of 16th-century homes in England during the Tudor Dynasty. Typical features include:
- Arched front doorways
- Dark wood panels
- Decorative half-timbering
- Large stone chimney
- Leaded glass windows
- Pitched and steep roofline
- Small dormers
Victorian
These ornate homes became popular during Queen Victoria’s reign. At that time, people placed greater value on the beauty of architecture than practicality. That can make Victorian homes expensive to heat and cool. Common features of Victorian homes include:
- Asymmetrical shape
- Bay windows
- Bold colors
- Fireplace in every room
- Large porch
- Ornamental trim
- Stone chimneys
- Textured walls
- Two-story or three-story
- Wooden exterior
Knowing the style of your home can be helpful for insurance purposes and when reselling your property. Head over to Angi to learn more about architecture home styles or to find a residential architect in your area.
