House Types

Four Square Economical to build, these two-story square homes with hipped or gable roofs saw great popularity in the U.S. in the years after 1900. A simplistic reaction to the irregular shapes and high ornament of the Victorian era, these boxy, four-room-over-four-room homes frequently had a dormered attic and a wide front porch. The clean styling and simple design met with quick favor, appearing in every small town across the country and becoming an American classic. Split-Level Part of a modern design movement, Split Levels were intended to separate living activities within a home by removing them to different planes. Sleeping quarters are separate and raised from dining and communing areas, which are themselves separate from other levels, which might include vehicle storage. Many of these homes assumed characteristics of the Craftsman movement, with widely overhanging eaves and ribbons of windows at different living levels. Bungalow By definition only a one-story house, these low, yet broad dwellings typically have large porches with substantial overhanging eaves and a roof dormer set in a gable, hip, or jerkinhead (clipped gable) roof. Variations may include an additional half or full story with tapered columns, particularly associated with the signature Craftsman style. Suburban Ranch These homes are characteristically one story with a low, pitched gable or hipped roof with limited detailing. Their low-to-the-ground, horizontal appearance was a reference to homes of the Southwest; but their nascence stems from the crushing demand for affordable housing at the close of World War II. Young families settled into newly developed "suburbs", their modest-yet-efficient homes designed with either double-hung sash or the newly engineered metal casement, awning, or slide windows. Picture windows were a popular central feature of the 1950s Suburban Ranch, as was the integral garage. Raised Ranch A stylistic variation of the Suburban Ranch, the elevation of the upper floor over a raised foundation gave the advantage of full-size windows and additional finished living space in the lower level. This adaptation saw its greatest popularity during the 1970s.

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