1800s: Tidewater Style

This "Tidewater" home has an extensive porch sheltered by a broad hipped roof.

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

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1855 - 1885: Second Empire (Mansard) Style

With their high mansard roofs, Second Empire houses suggested European majesty.

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

Second Empire buildings with tall mansard roofs were modeled after the the opulent architecture of Paris during the reign of Napoleon III. French architects used the term horror vacui - the fear of unadorned surfaces - to describe the highly ornamented Second Empire style. Second Empire buildings were also practical: their height allowed for additional living space on narrow city lots.

In the United States, government buildings in the Second Empire style resemble the elaborate French designs. Private homes, however, often have an Italianate flavor. Both Italianate and Second Empire houses tend to be square in shape, and both can have U-shaped window crowns, decorative brackets, and single story porches. But, Italianate houses have much wider eaves... and they do not have the distinctive mansard roof characteristic of the Second Empire style.

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1915 - 1945: French Eclectic

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

French Eclectic homes combine a variety of French influences. The cottage pictured above is a charming example of a home inspired by the symmetrical Provincial style. It was built in 1938 and is sided in Austin Stone.

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1945 - 1980: Ranch Style

Uncomplicated and informal Ranch houses evolved from several 20th century styles.

Known as American Ranch, Western Ranch, or California Rambler, Ranch Style houses can be found in nearly every part of the United States.

Ranch Style houses have many of these features:

• Single story
• Low pitched gable roof
• Deep-set eaves
• Horizontal, rambling layout: Long, narrow, and low to the ground
• Rectangular, L-shaped, or U-shaped design
• Large windows: double-hung, sliding, and picture
• Sliding glass doors leading out to patio
• Attached garage
• Simple floor plans
• Emphasis on openness (few interior walls) and efficient use of space
• Built from natural materials: Oak floors, wood or brick exterior
• Lack decorative detailing, aside from decorative shutters

Variations on the Ranch Style:

Although Ranch Style homes are traditionally one-story, Raised Ranch and Split Level Ranch homes have several levels of living space. Contemporary Ranch Style homes are often accented with details borrowed from Mediterranean or Colonial styles.

Origins of the Ranch Style:

The earth-hugging Prairie Style houses pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright and the informal Bungalow styles of the early 20th century paved the way for the popular Ranch Style. Architect Cliff May is credited with building the first Ranch Style house in San Diego, California in 1932.

The California real estate developer Joseph Eichler popularized his own version of the Ranch Style, and Eichler Ranches were imitated across the USA. After World War II, simple, economical Ranch houses were mass-produced to meet the housing needs of returning soldiers and their families. Because so many Ranch Style homes were quickly built according to a cookie-cutter formula, the Ranch Style is often dismissed as ordinary or slipshod. Nevertheless, many homes built today have characteristics of the elegantly informal Ranch houses that Cliff May originated.

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1957 - Present: A-frame Style

An inventive A-frame house in North Gloucestershire

A-frame houses have many of these features:

• Triangular shape
• Steeply sloping roof that extends to the ground on two sides
• Front and rear gables
• Deep-set eaves
• 1½ or 2½ stories
• Many large windows on front and rear façades
• Small living space
• Few vertical wall surfaces

About the A-frame Style

Triangular and tee-pee shaped homes date back to the dawn of time, but architect Andrew Geller turned an old idea into a revolutionary concept in 1957 when he built an "A-frame" house in Long Island, New York. Named for the distinctive shape of its roofline, Geller's design won international attention when it was featured in the New York Times. Soon, thousands of A-frame homes were built around the world.

The steep slope of the A-frame roof is designed to help heavy snow to slide to the ground, instead of remaining on top of the house and weighing it down. At the same time, the sloped roof provides two other benefits. It creates a half floor at the top of the house which can be used for lofts or storage space, and, since the roof extends down to the ground and doesn't need to painted, it minimizes the amount of exterior maintenance required on the house. On the other hand, the sloped roof creates a triangular "dead space" at the base of the walls on each floor. A-frame houses have limited living space and are usually built as vacation cottages for the mountains or beach.

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