There are so many tough choices you will inevitably need to make over the course of building your new home. Among them is choosing only one from the many house styles available. It is hard to make that decision when you can see how gorgeous the individual styles are.
You also must consider your neighborhood. If you are moving into a new neighborhood, you may not necessarily want to disrupt the area by building a home that stands out in a bad way. The disparate architectural design of your home may cause it to draw the ire of your new neighbors.
Allow us to help you choose a house style that is more in line with your neighborhood. In this article, we will highlight some of the most popular house styles on the East Coast. Peruse the available options and see if one catches your eye.
Hopefully, you will find an East Coast home design that you love. That way, you can build the home you have always wanted without disrupting the aesthetic of your new neighborhood.
The Selection of East Coast House Styles
You do not have to worry about the selection of East Coast house styles being limited or dull. As you will soon see, there is more than enough variety for you to choose from.
We have highlighted the most popular East Coast home designs below. We also talk about their features in detail, so you can evaluate the qualities of each design fully.
Cape Cod House Style
The Cape Cod House Style is probably the first thing most people think of when envisioning what a home built along the East Coast looks like. This architectural design has been around for a long time.
The ancestors of Cape Cod houses originally came about in England several centuries ago. Back then, they closely resembled cottage-style homes.
As immigrants from England came to the United States and settled along the Northeastern part of the country, they found that their approach to home building was not working as intended. They needed to firm the home’s foundation and introduce new elements to combat the cold climate.
Design elements such as the steep roof, the central chimney, and the cedar shingles helped the interior remain comfortable. It made dealing with the cold winters in that part of the country significantly easier for residents.
These cedar shingles complete the siding for the home since they provide protection not only against the cold climate but also the salty air that may blow past homes along the East Coast.
Cedar shingles are classic Cape Cod home elements, but they now use some alternatives often as well. Per this article from HGTV, you may now also see brick, stone, and even stucco used to make the shingles for the siding.
The introduction of those new shingle options should open more design possibilities for you. Play around with the available options until you find one you like.
Colonial House Style
Colonial style homes started to emerge right around the same time that Cape Cod homes did. To be more specific, both home designs became more popular during the 17th century.
While looking through numerous examples of colonial style homes, you will likely notice a theme.
The first thing you will probably notice is that these homes almost always have dormers. Those small structures that protrude from the pitched roof add some visual impact to the overall design.
You can even play around quite a bit with those dormers. Change up the framing if you want to turn them into more exciting elements of your home.
Come Halloween time, having those dormers around is also going to come in handy. They serve as great spots to hang your favorite spooky decorations.
Along with the dormers, you may also notice how clean and symmetrical colonial style homes tend to be. You get the same number of windows and rooms on both sides, and they line up carefully to maintain that desired look. It is a classical approach to home design that some people adore.
One more thing to note here is that there are different sub-types of colonial style homes. You can find Dutch, French, German, and Spanish colonial homes. Along the East Coast, the ones you will see most often are the Dutch and German colonial designs.
Federal House Style
The federal, or sometimes also referred to as federalist, house style came along a bit later than the other options we have already discussed. It specifically became more popular around the late 1700s.
Federal style homes became incredibly popular because they gave people a chance to display their patriotic spirit. Even though the federalist design featured some pricier design elements, people still wanted to follow it as much as they could.
Homeowners often had to pay a premium if they wanted a house built in the federalist style. They often incorporated brass and iron accents into the federal design scheme, which led to the costs spiking. The intricate designs also added to the final price tag.
To this day, you will still see those elements featured in federal style homes. You may even see them put on display in a grander way.
One notable drawback to the federalist style of home is the size of its interior. Their interiors often turn out smaller compared to other East Coast house styles.
Due to the lack of space inside, federal style houses do not work well as multifamily properties. They may not even suffice if you want to accommodate your extended family.
Georgian House Style
The Georgian House Style is considered by some to be an offshoot of the colonial design. You will not have a hard time figuring out why.
Upon seeing examples of colonial and Georgian style houses, you will quickly see the similarities between them. For instance, they both feature those dormers up top.
The most striking similarity between the two architectural styles is the prevalence of symmetry. Every element of the home design is symmetrical and neat.
Between those two, though, Georgian homes follow the concept of symmetry more rigidly. It is practically a necessity with this home design.
The roof of a Georgian home must also be designed in a specific way to maintain that symmetry. You will almost always see something like a hip roof resting atop a Georgian home to preserve that neat and orderly design style.
Georgian and colonial style homes also vary in terms of how they are decorated.
Colonial style homes feature decorative elements, but they are not integral to the scheme. Meanwhile, Georgian style homes are known for including those intricate elements.
The entryway into a Georgian home also receives a good amount of attention during the construction phase. They add all kinds of decorations to that part of the home, with ogee molding and pediments included among the most popular choices.
Italianate House Style
Homes built in the Italianate style are popular along the East Coast. They are reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance in terms of the design concepts they feature.
The Italianate style of the home building certainly does not shy away from being bold.
Perhaps the most striking element in Italianate style homes is the belvedere. Often built on top of the home, the belvedere provides homeowners with a way to peer out into the distance and enjoy the fantastic views.
Other prominent features include eaves and brackets along the sides of the structure. They add a textural dimension to the façade of the home that other elements will struggle to replicate.
You can also recognize an Italianate home from its windows. Italianate style houses will often feature tall and narrow windows.
Also, expect to see intricate design elements carved into the Italianate home.
Considering the designs, it probably comes as no surprise that they are often expensive to build. You may need to take out a loan if your heart is set on building an Italianate style home.
Queen Anne House Style
If you are interested in building a Queen Anne style home, you need to be more specific. There are different incarnations of that building style that have emerged over the years. You have the British Queen Anne homes, the Australian Queen Anne homes, and the American Queen Anne Homes.
Since we are talking about building along the East Coast in this article, we will focus on American Queen Anne homes.
It is easy to tell if you are looking at a Queen Anne home by checking out its profile. American Queen Anne homes are known for featuring an asymmetrical façade.
The roofs of most American Queen Anne homes feature multiple angles, slopes, and designs. The asymmetry is visible there.
Overhanging eaves also surround the walls of Queen Anne homes. Those eaves do not need to be symmetrical as well.
American Queen Anne homes are known for featuring oversized porches. It is not unusual for the porch to span the complete forward-facing portion of the first floor. Some may even wrap around the home completely, per BobVila.com.
Homeowners do not have to deal with numerous limitations if they want to add decorations to their Queen Anne home.
Add a balcony to the second floor of your home. Include brackets along the exposed parts of your home to frame them better. Top off your home with a decorative or functional design element if you prefer.
American Queen Anne homes are not timid when it comes to design. Feel free to include whichever design elements you have always liked.
Saltbox House Style
After discussing some elaborate house styles, let’s change things up by shining the spotlight on one of the simpler options. Saltbox houses do not offer a lot of flash, but they still possess a distinctive charm that people find irresistible.
One of the most distinguishing elements of a saltbox house is its roof. They have pitched roofs that slope significantly toward the back. They support the sloped portion of that roof with timber posts.
In case you are wondering that kind of roof is known as a catslide roof.
Apart from the roof, you may also observe asymmetry in other parts of a saltbox house.
The structure of the home itself may be asymmetrical. The part covered by the sloped roof is limited to one story. Meanwhile, the other half of the home usually goes up to two floors.
As for decorative elements, you will not see much of those on saltbox houses. The front portion of a saltbox house often sports a minimalist look. All you may find are the door and windows.
Saltbox houses may also come with a central chimney, but that is more of a functional addition rather a decorative one.
Tidewater House Style
Last up, we have the tidewater house style. Tidewater style homes are more prevalent in the Southeastern part of the United States. That is because they provide comfort and protection against the climate in that part of the country.
Tidewater homes come with hipped roofs. Those hipped roofs can remain in place even as they are enduring the force brought by powerful hurricanes. The specific dimensions of your hip roof may need to be changed depending on where you live.
You will also find that tidewater homes come with wraparound porches. Those wraparound porches are supposed to provide residents with different spots to cool down. They can rest along whichever portion of the porch is not directly exposed to sunlight.
Some larger examples of tidewater houses may also feature wraparound porches along the perimeter of the second floor.
Hopefully, learning about the wide selection of East Coast house styles has helped you with what kind of home you want to build. Feel free to go over the different options available once more so you can pinpoint your favorite.
Also feel free to contact us at RI Home Store if you are interested in buying a new home. Allow us to make the home buying process as simple as it can be.
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