House styles
Morris Digital Works Wire Service

There are many styles of houses, below is a list of the most common styles.

A-Frame: A contemporary, triangular-shaped house with a roof line that extends to the ground on two sides. A-frames have many large windows but are usually small in living space. This design is often used for vacation cottages.

Bungalow: A compact 1 1/2-story house that usually contains small rooms and a front porch (often enclosed). Bay windows are a common accent.

Cape Cod: This simple 1 1/2-story design, with its distinctive peaked roof, shutters and central front door, is an American classic. Usually a frame structure, the basic design comes in many variations featuring dormers, bay windows, decorative trim, etc.

Colonial: The colonial home features a rectangular design often distinguished by sash windows with small panes and shutters, an overhanging upper story and fireplaces. Accents vary widely and include pillars, fanlight windows, dormers and paneled doors.

Cotswold Cottage: A quaint English country-style house that incorporates a pseudo-thatched roof (usually made of shingles), prominent chimneys, a rolling roof line and low doors. The windows usually have small panes.

Dutch Colonial: A popular style two-story house featuring a sloping gambrel roof line with flared eaves and a simple, compact layout. Shutters are a common accent.

Federal: Usually made of brick, these elegant two-story houses stress symmetry. Distinctive features include an elaborate central doorway with fanlight transom and sidelights, matching windows across the front and sides, and tall, matching chimneys extending from the side walls at either end of the house.

Four-square: This solid, two-story design -- essentially a large, no-frills square box of frame construction -- became extremely popular in the early decades of the 20th century, especially in urban areas. A porch (enclosed or open) often spans the front.

Georgian: A classical, formal design. Usually large, Georgian houses are rectangular with a hipped roof. Common accents include dormers, decorative brick quoins at the corners (in a contrasting color of brick), elaborate entrances and crown moldings.

Gothic Revival: This fanciful design features a steeply peaked roof line, often with many pointed gables, highly detailed gingerbread trim and distinctive vertical siding. Elaborate examples feature parapets that make them resemble tiny castles. They are typically frame constructions, and size varies widely.

Greek Revival: In simplified form, these houses imitate the design of a Greek temple. Usually of frame construction, they generally have a front roof line and recessed entrance. They may feature pillars across the front, or, more frequently, only pilasters to give a hint of columns. This style is most common in the Midwest.

Italianate: Usually two-story, this square, flat-roofed house has wide eaves with elaborate decorative brackets underneath. Windows and doors are arched. An elaborately decorated cupola on the roof is a popular accent.

Mansard: This home style is named for its mansard roof, which appears to extend down over the entire second story of the house, broken up by small windows. Mansard houses are usually square.

Normandy: These elegant brick houses resemble small French castles, with the entry through a two-story tower complete with a tiny balcony. A steeply pitched roof is common, often accented with flared eaves.

Prairie Style: Especially popular in the Midwest, this Frank Lloyd Wright design stresses horizontal lines. It features a flat or shallow-pitched roof with broad overhangs, bands of casement windows and decorative banding along the exterior walls. Stained glass is a popular accent, often with a simple, geometric pattern.

Pueblo: Most popular in the Southwest desert, these distinctive adobe and stucco houses resemble Indian pueblos. Common accents include rounded edges on exterior walls, a flat roof and rustic support beams that extend through the walls. The homes are typically earth-colored.

Queen Anne: The Queen Anne house is less elaborate than a Victorian, but still has many architectural accents. Common features include a round turret, wraparound porch with gazebo, bay window and gables. The exterior emphasis is on horizontal bands of varying textures and materials.

Ranch: All rooms are on a single level in a ranch house, which usually has a rectangular or L-shaped design. Room layout is usually simple, with an emphasis on openness and efficient use of space.

Romanesque: Usually imposing in stature, Romanesque houses are filled with rippling curves, rounded turrets and arched entryways. They are usually built of solid brick or stone.

Salt Box: This simple but distinctive design, seen most often in New England where it originated, features a flat front and steeply sloped rear roof line. Usually of frame construction, saltbox houses come in many colors and sizes, and commonly feature a fireplace.

Shingle Style: Especially prevalent on the East Coast, these houses are completely sheathed with wooden shingles, usually of a single, dark color. Home designs vary widely but commonly feature steeply pitched roofs and porches.

Split Level: A suburban favorite, these houses are designed to make efficient use of space. Typically, the living area leads up a few steps to the bedrooms and down a few steps to utility and rec rooms slightly below ground level.

Tidewater: These houses feature a wide porch on three or four sides, supported by narrow posts or pillars and railings, sometimes elaborately carved. A hipped roof is common. Most often seen in Southern states, Tidewater houses have many doors and windows for cross ventilation.

Tudor: Gables and half-timbered exterior walls are typical of this picturesque "Olde English" design. They often incorporate brick and stucco. Tall, diamond-paned windows, arched windows and doorways are popular features. Size and room layout vary widely.

Victorian: These lavishly ornamented houses combine an eclectic mix of style elements, from elaborate gingerbread trim to towers, many-tiered roof lines, stained glass windows, even an occasional widow's walk on the roof. High ceilings, hardwood floors, porches and dramatic stairways are common. Several colors of paint may be used on exterior walls and trim.