Identifying Styles

Art Deco
A vertically oriented design includes flat roofs and metal window casements.

Bungalow
A forerunner of the craftsman style, you'll find rustic exteriors and sheltered-feeling interiors.

Cape Cod
A true classic, Cape Cod homes have gabled roofs and unornamented fronts.

Colonial
An offshoot of the Cape Cod style, it features a rectangular design and second-floor bedrooms.

Contemporary
Unmistakably modern, this style has odd-sized windows and little ornamentation.

Craftsman
Full- or partial-width porches are framed by tapered columns and overhanging eaves.

Creole
A front wall recedes to form a first-story porch and a second-story balcony.

Dutch Colonial
German settlers originated this style, which features a broad, barn-like roof.

Federal
This style arose amid a renewed interest in Greek and Roman culture.


French Provincial
Balance and symmetry define the French Provincial style, which has a steep hip roof.

Georgian
With paired chimneys and a decorative crown, this style was named after English royalty.

Gothic Revival
English romanticism influenced this style, marked by Gothic windows and vaulted roofs.

Greek Revival
Entryway columns and a front door surrounded by rectangular windows are characteristic.


International
The International style exposes functional building elements, including elevator shafts.

Italianate
This style has symmetrical bay windows in front, small chimneys, and tall windows.


Monterey
The Monterey style updates the New England Colonial style with an Adobe brick exterior.

National
Rooted in Native American dwellings, the National style is rectangular with side-gabled roofs.

Neoclassical
Neoclassical homes exist in incarnations from one-story cottages to multilevel manses.

Prairie
Originated by Frank Lloyd Wright, this style can be house boxy or low-slung.

Pueblo
Flat roofs, straight-edge window frames, and earth-colored walls typify Pueblos.


Queen Anne
Emerging in the Victorian era, the style features inventive floor plans and decorative chimneys.

Ranch
Ranch homes are set apart by pitched-roof construction, built-in garages, and picture windows.


Regency
The style borrows the Georgian's classic lines, yet eschews ornamentation.


Saltbox
Its sharply sloping gable roof resembles old-time boxes used for storing salt.


Second Empire
This Victorian style features mansard roofs with dormer windows.

Shed
A subset of the Modern style, Shed houses are asymmetric with sloping roofs.



Shingle
An American style that echoes Queen Anne, it has unadorned doors and large porches.



Shotgun
Tradition says that a shotgun blast can trace a straight path from the front to back door.





Spanish Eclectic
This style has details from Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.

Split Level
A Modern style, Split levels sequester living activities, such as sleeping and socializing.

Stick
Decorative horizontal, vertical, or diagonal boards are typical of this Victorian style.



Tudor
Tudors have half-timbering on bay windows and upper floors, and steep cross gables.

Victorian
Built during the rise of the machine age, Victorian architecture incorporated decorative details such as patterned shingles.

Bonnet

Gambrel