A Cape Cod house is a low, broad, single-story frame building with a moderately steep pitched gabled roof, a large central chimney, and very little ornamentation. Originating in New England in the 17th century, the simple symmetrical design was constructed of local materials to withstand the stormy weather of Cape Cod.
What’s the difference between a cape and a colonial house?
The Cape Cod house has a gabled roof, which means the roof has two sloping sides that meet at a ridge. In the case of the Dutch Colonial house, the roof has a gambrel roof: There are two sides and each side has two slopes. The first slope is shallow and the second is steep.
What makes a Colonial Revival house?
What Defines Colonial Revival Homes: Most of the houses are two or two-and-a-half stories tall, and the front doors typically boast a grander appearance than their predecessors had, with pediments and even columns accenting the entrance.
What does a Colonial Revival house look like?
About one-quarter of the Washington-area Colonial Revival homes are detached two-story houses with a center hall and simple gabled roof. Another one-quarter or so feature hip roofs that slope on four sides. The larger Colonial Revival house often has an asymmetrical façade in order to accommodate a garage or porch.
What are the characteristics of a Cape Cod house?
Defining features of a Cape Cod
- Symmetrical appearance with a centered front entry.
- Steep roofs with side gables and an overhang.
- Shingle siding.
- Gabled dormers.
- Double-hung windows with shutters.
- Centralized chimneys.
- Simple exterior ornamentation.
Is Cape Cod a colonial style?
The simple Cape Cod Revival style was one of the last house types of the American colonial era to be revived as a building form. Utilized exclusively for dwellings, the model for the style came from dwellings in Massachusetts and New York fishing villages.
What traditional features were revived in the Colonial Revival style?
Generally, the Colonial Revival style took certain design elements – front façade symmetry, front entrance fanlights and sidelights, pedimented doorways, porches and dormers – and applied them to larger scale buildings.
Where are Colonial Revival houses found?
colonial-style homes are most often found in the Northeastern part of the United States, though you may see similarly inspired homes anywhere. In addition to the traditional British colonial style, there are also Dutch colonial, French colonial, and Spanish colonial homes in the United States.
What is colonial interior design?
Colonial interiors are characterized by grand entrance halls, polished wood floors, simplified paint and wallpaper palettes, and light approach to millwork and wainscoting. Striped wallpaper was used in both “colonial” and French rooms.
What is the difference between Colonial Revival and Cape Cod houses?
The Colonial Revival houses are quite similar to Colonial Cape Cod homes, but some have fitted a chimney at one end of the living hall onto the side of the structure. More elaborate structures were made for the wealthy while some architects preferred to modernize the Cape to fit middle-income people.
When did Cape Cod houses start being built?
A true colonial type widely copied to this day, the Cape Cod says “home.” The Two Styles of Capes There are two Cape Cod styles, really: the originals, modest and practical houses built from 1690 until 1850 or so; and the homey Colonial Revival Capes of the 20th century.
What is Cape Cod style architecture?
Cape Cod architecture is one of the most instantly recognizable home styles in the U.S. At its core, an original Cape Cod house is a small, rectangular, unadorned one to one-and-a-half-story cottage with a steep pitched roof to keep snow from piling up and side gables. A big central chimney and low ceilings helped keep the house warm.
What is a Cape Cod cottage?
The severe climate in New England had tested the natives’ ingenuity; by pulling the house to fit a square footprint and lowering it, they were able to transport the Cape Cod cottage as it is known today. This style has since survived and emerged progressively as a 1 to a 1.5 story building with clapboard or shingle exterior and wooden shutters.
