Architectural Styles

1600s-1780s

Symmetrical rectangular homes with centered front doors, multi-pane double-hung windows, and steep side-gabled roofs, rooted in early American settlement building.

1690s-1950s

Compact one to one-and-a-half-story homes with steep gabled roofs, a central chimney, shingle or clapboard siding, and dormers, originating in colonial New England.

1700s-1780s

Formally symmetrical brick or clapboard homes with paneled center doors, decorative crown pediments, and paired chimneys, based on English Renaissance classicism.

1780s-1830s

Refined symmetrical homes with elliptical fanlights and sidelights around the entry, slender columns, and delicate classical ornament, the dominant style of the early American republic.

1625-1840s, revived 1900s-1930s

Homes defined by a broad gambrel roof with flared eaves, often with shed dormers and a central entry, derived from Dutch settlement building in New York and New Jersey.

1600s-1840s

Thick stucco or adobe walls, low-pitched red clay tile roofs, small windows, and interior courtyards, developed in Spanish-settled regions of the South and Southwest.

1825-1860

Temple-front homes with prominent columns or pilasters, wide entablature trim, and low-pitched gable roofs painted white to imitate marble, America's dominant style before the Civil War.

1840s-1880s

Steeply pitched cross-gabled roofs, pointed-arch windows, and decorative gingerbread vergeboard trim, adapting medieval church forms to rural cottages and villas.

1840s-1885

Low-pitched or flat roofs with wide overhanging eaves supported by ornate brackets, tall narrow windows, and often a cupola, modeled on Italian villas.

1855-1885

Homes crowned by a dual-pitched mansard roof with dormer windows, molded cornices, and ornate brackets, imported from Napoleon III's Paris.

1880-1910

Asymmetrical homes with wraparound porches, corner towers or turrets, patterned shingles, and elaborate spindlework, the most exuberant of the Victorian-era styles.

1870-1910

Simple square or L-shaped folk houses dressed with machine-made Victorian porch spindlework and gable trim, made possible by railroads and mass-produced millwork.

1880-1900

Rambling homes wrapped in continuous unpainted wood shingles with minimal ornament, sweeping rooflines, and broad porches, developed for New England coastal resorts.

1880-1900

Massive rough-faced stone homes with round arches over windows and entries, deep-set openings, and squat towers, popularized by architect H.H. Richardson.

1905-1930

Low-pitched gabled roofs with exposed rafter tails, wide eaves, tapered porch columns on stone or brick piers, and handcrafted woodwork, born of the American Arts and Crafts movement.

1905-1930

Small one to one-and-a-half-story homes with efficient open floor plans, front porches under a low sweeping roof, and built-in cabinetry, the dominant modest house form of the early 20th century.

1900-1920

Strongly horizontal homes with low hipped roofs, broad overhanging eaves, ribbon windows, and open interior plans, pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Midwest.

1890-1940

Steeply pitched roofs, decorative half-timbering over stucco or brick, tall narrow multi-pane casement windows, and prominent chimneys, evoking medieval English cottages.

1880-1955

Symmetrical facades with pedimented entries, columned porticos, and double-hung shuttered windows, reinterpreting Georgian and Federal precedents at larger scale.

1915-1940

Stucco walls, low-pitched red tile roofs, arched windows and doorways, and wrought-iron balconies, blending Spanish and Italian coastal influences, especially in Florida and California.

1890-1920

Smooth stucco walls, shaped parapets and curved gables, red tile roofs, and arcaded porches modeled on California's Spanish missions.

1910-present

Flat roofs with rounded parapets, earth-toned adobe or stucco walls, projecting wood roof beams (vigas), and battered walls, drawn from Native Pueblo and Spanish adobe building in the Southwest.

1925-1940

Vertical-emphasis homes with stepped or zigzag geometric ornament, smooth stucco walls, and stylized motifs in low relief, translating 1920s machine-age glamour to residential design.

1930-1945

Streamlined homes with smooth rounded corners, flat roofs, horizontal banding, glass block, and porthole windows inspired by ships and aerodynamic design.

1895-1935

Boxy two-and-a-half-story homes with four-room-per-floor plans, hipped roofs with a central dormer, and full-width front porches, an efficient favorite of catalog and kit builders.

1935-1950

Small economical homes with low or intermediate roof pitches, minimal eaves, and stripped-down traditional detailing, built en masse through the Depression and postwar housing boom.

1945-1980

Single-story homes with long low profiles, low-pitched roofs, attached garages, sliding glass doors, and open plans oriented to the backyard, the defining style of postwar suburbia.

1955-1975

Multi-level variant of the ranch with staggered half-story floors separating living, sleeping, and recreation zones, suited to sloped suburban lots.

1945-1970

Flat or low-slung angular roofs, walls of glass, post-and-beam construction, and seamless indoor-outdoor connection, expressing postwar optimism and modernist principles.

1955-1980

Monolithic exposed-concrete construction with bold geometric massing, deep-set windows, and raw unfinished surfaces, applied to a small but distinctive set of residences.

contemporary

Current-day homes with mixed materials, asymmetrical massing, large expanses of glass, and open flexible floor plans that reflect present-moment design rather than one historical style.

contemporary

Gabled forms with board-and-batten or lap siding (often white), black-framed windows, standing-seam metal roof accents, and open interiors updating traditional American farmhouse cues.

contemporary

Clean-lined homes with simple gabled or flat volumes, light wood and neutral palettes, abundant natural light, and pared-back detailing rooted in Nordic functionalism.

contemporary

Residences featuring exposed brick, steel, ductwork, and concrete with high ceilings and open plans, derived from converted warehouses and factory buildings.

contemporary

New construction reinterpreting the original Craftsman vocabulary — tapered porch columns, exposed rafters, and mixed shingle and stone — with modern floor plans and building systems.

contemporary

Barn-inspired homes, often steel-framed or post-frame, with large open-span interiors, metal siding and roofing, and combined living and workshop space.

contemporary

Small-footprint accessory dwelling units and compact homes with efficient layouts, simple modern massing, and space-maximizing design, driven by infill zoning reform.

contemporary

High-performance homes with superinsulated airtight envelopes, heat-recovery ventilation, and onsite renewables designed to minimize or eliminate net energy use.

contemporary

Homes combining heavy timber, stone, and steel with expansive glass, low-pitched or shed roofs, and rugged materials suited to alpine and high-country sites.

contemporary

Shingle- or lap-sided homes with gabled rooflines, generous porches, white trim, and light airy interiors, updating New England seaside traditions for modern living.

contemporary

Low-slung homes with flat or butterfly roofs, deep shading overhangs, earth-toned masonry and glass walls, designed for arid climates in the tradition of Palm Springs modernism.