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32 MOST COMMON
HOME ARCHITECTURETYPES
32 MOST COMMON
HOME ARCHITECTURETYPES
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Art Deco homes are well
known for their stucco walls,
their flat roofs, daring
exterior decoration and
tropical colors.
"ART DECO"
Bungalows usually have
1-1/2 stories, low pitched
roofs with wide overhangs,
large front porches and
open floor plans.
"BUNGALOW"
Inspired by British thatched
cottages, Cape Cod homes
have steep roofs, cedar
shingles and dormers on the
second story.
"CAPE COD"
Created in the 1600s, this
architecture emphasizes
symmetry, with evenly
spaced shuttered windows
and pillars that support
small porches.
"COLONIAL"
These homes vary widely in
terms of the overall look.
Typically, the style includes
clean lines, bold geometric
shapes and irregularly
shaped windows.
"CONTEMPORARY"
This style is known for its
low pitched roofs with
broad overhangs and a full
or partial front porch.
Interiors boast built-ins and
exposed beams.
"CRAFTSMAN"
Originating in New Orleans,
these homes are best known
for having a full-width front
porch with a second story
balcony above.
"CREOLE"
This architecture offers
stone or brick construction.
Expect gambrel roofs, some
with wide flaring eves,
dormers, gables and
parapets are also common.
"DUTCH COLONIAL"
Known for symmetrical
design, grand stairways to the
front door and fan-shaped
windows above the door with
evenly spaced rectangular
windows on either side.
"FEDERAL"
Originally used for French
manor houses, this style is
known for balanced and
symmetrical proportions,
brick or stone exteriors and
steeply pitched roofs.
"FRENCH PROVINCIAL"
Features include square
shapes, decorative crowns
over the door, five windows
evenly spaced across the
front and a medium-pitched
roof with little overhang.
"GEORGIAN"
Gothic Revivals are best
known for their pointed
arches used for windows and
doors; steeply pitched roofs
and front-facing gables are
also common.
"GOTHIC REVIVAL"
Greek Revival architecture is
often majestic, with tall
columns and pediments, heavy
cornices, small-paned sidelights
and rectangular transoms with
wide, plain trim.
"GREEK REVIVAL"
These homes boast a heavily
ornamented style that can
include corbels, window
cornices, round windows and
columns framing the
doorways.
"ITALIANATE"
Often started as one-room
cabins; these homes today
are used in various settings
and often have large
windows to take advantage
of beautiful views.
"LOG HOME"
The style is most prevalent in
California and Florida. It is
known for tiled roofs, stucco
or adobe exteriors, balconies,
arched entrances and
grillwork.
"MEDITERRANEAN"
These homes often have clean
lines, a flat or gabled roof,
oversized windows and sliding
glass doors; interiors
emphasize open space.
"MID-CENTURY
MODERN"
This two-story home is most
known for its wide porches
with a corresponding
balcony on the second floor.
Railings are decorative and
typically made of wood.
"MONTEREY"
Wealthy homeowners are
often attracted to this style
with its simple side-gabled
roofs, bold columns and
elaborate pediments.
"NEOCLASSICAL"
Exterior construction of adobe
or stucco characterizes these
homes, along with flat roofs
and roof beams that extend
past the roofline.
"PUEBLO"
These homes are typically one
to two stories, with towers,
turrets, wrapped porches, fish
scale siding and as much
spindle work as possible.
"QUEEN ANNE"
Best known for the octagonal
window above the front door,
these homes typically have
clean lines, hipped roofs and
simple proportions.
"REGENCY"
Named after a box that
actually held salt in the 1600s,
the most prominent feature is
the roofline that slopes from
the second floor down to the
first floor in the back.
"SALTBOX"
Identifying features include a
Mansard roof, often with
dormer windows on the
upper floors. Some examples
have a square central tower
in the middle.
"SECOND EMPIRE"
A Shed home is best known for
sharp angles and rooflines that
slope in different directions to
form geometric shapes.
Exteriors are typically wood.
"SHED"
Shingle homes aren’t
elaborately decorated, but
they do have complex
shapes that are tied together
by cedar shingles on the
outside walls and roofs.
"SHINGLE"
Shotgun homes are prevalent
in areas that have limited
space. A shotgun home has
one story with a row of
rooms, one behind the other,
from front to back.
"SHOTGUN"
These homes are known
for tile roofs, prominent
arches, decorative tile
accents, stucco exteriors,
private courtyards and
wrought iron railings.
"SPANISH ECLECTIC"
These homes have staggered
floor levels to create two
floors in part of the home,
with a mid-level floor
extending on one side.
"SPLIT LEVEL"
Stick homes typically have
steep roofs, wide overhangs
and board-and-batten
exteriors where boards are
placed between narrow
strips of wood called battens.
"STICK"
Inspired by British styles,
Tudor homes boast steep
roofs and half timbers
crossing over a typically
stucco expanse of the
exterior.
"TUDOR"
This style is renowned for its
elaborate design, including
“gingerbread” exterior trim,
towers, wings and bays,
steep roofs and vibrant
exterior colors.
"VICTORIAN"
The ability to distinguish home architectural styles at a glance will come in handy for home buyers, home sellers
and real estate professionals alike. Here’s a handy visual guide to some of the most common home
architecture you may stumble upon in the housing market...