Table Of Content

In other areas of the United States, the Cape Cod-style is often mixed with craftsman elements, ranch, or Tudor design. Originally Cape Cod homes could be heated efficiently because of their small size. In modern versions of the style, the chimney was often positioned just to one side or sited to both ends of the home.
Cape Cod Style House (Design Guide)
Back in the 17th century, when colonists first came to what would become the United States, the rocky terrain and cold winters didn’t make the New England coast an ideal place to live. “It was very cold in the winters, beautiful in the summers, [so] they had to make all their money in the summers and then survive through the winter,” Wright says. Most of the inhabitants were sailors, lobstermen, or fishermen, and their houses were designed to withstand the harsh temperament of the region. “The houses reflected that; it’s a very efficient type of house,” Wright adds.
Traditional, Practical & Elegant Define the Cape Cod Home
Settlers used the materials at hand, which meant one-story houses of white pine and dirt floors. They quickly realized that their own ideal of the English cottage would have to be adapted to the extremes of the New England climate. The house shown here is a five-bay, with shutters on the windows and the doorway—architectural details that define a homeowner's personal style. The side chimney and one-car attached garage are telling details for the age of this home—a time when the middle class flourished and prospered.
Fast Facts: Colonial Cape Characteristics
Photos: Cape Cod house for sale on Wellfleet island with water views - Cape Cod Times
Photos: Cape Cod house for sale on Wellfleet island with water views.
Posted: Fri, 02 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
In 1938 a Midwestern family chose a Wills design for being more functional and affordable than a competing design by the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. Houses for Good Living in 1940 and Better Houses for Budgeteers in 1941 were two of Wills' most popular pattern books written for all the dreaming men and women waiting for the end of World War II. With floor plans, sketches, and "Dollar Savers from an Architect's Handbook," Wills spoke to a generation of dreamers, knowing that the U.S. government was willing to back up that dream with GI Bill benefits. The Cape Cod style house is one of the most recognized and beloved architectural designs in America. When British colonists traveled to the "New World," they brought a housing style so practical that it endured through the ages.
Do all Cape Cods have dormers?
Two Truro houses will take to the highway this week. Here's why, when. - Cape Cod Times
Two Truro houses will take to the highway this week. Here's why, when..
Posted: Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
A temple-like portico (porch) with a steep pediment gives this Cape Cod-style house the appearance of a Tudor Cottage. This old home in Chatham on Cape Cod must have had its share of roof drips over the front door. More formal homeowners may take a Classical approach and install a pediment over the front door—and maybe some pilasters — not this New Englander.
Cape-Cod House Floor Plan
According to HGTV, Cape homes are two stories, with low ceilings, a small attic up top, and a central, narrow staircase. The exterior of older builds often features wooden, single shingle siding, typically in a distressed brown or gray tone. Some newer builds incorporate brick, but in beach towns, shingles are more common. In true New England fashion, these homes were designed to let the warmth of the kitchen filter into the rest of the home because of the harsh winters in the region. In the small, simple design of the original single Capes, the kitchen and family room were located at the center of the home with an open floor plan.
What is a Cape Cod house design?

A half Cape Cod layout has all the windows on one side of the door, and the other consists of "bays" or spaces. With a house plan, one receives the floor plan layout, roof and floor foundation plan, elevations, wall sections and electrical and general notes. With this information you can hire a contractor in your area to build the design. Highly identical to the American Vision of a home, these houses master efficiency and aesthetics. This style of home has continuously succeeded in charming us with its frivolous elements and an old-movie look.
When dormers are added to an existing house, consider the advice of an architect to help choose an appropriate size and optimal placement. An architect's eye for symmetry and proportion will be a huge help when adding dormers. 'The Cape Cod house endures because it is simple, inexpensive to build, directly responsive to its harsh New England environment,' he explains.
Due to lower ceilings, it is essential to use neutrals and brighter shades. Why not try some blacks in doors, window frames, and trims to give your home a modern touch? All Cape Cod homes have shutters to protect the interiors, so you could let your creative juices flow in specifying a particular shade for these coverings. Use a contrasting color to outshine your shutters and make your house stand out. A three-quarters Cape, on the other hand, would have two windows on one side of the door, and a single window on the other.
Original Cape Cod houses were small utilitarian structures like the one seen above. Some use a different naming system and call the full-size version a "double Cape", but this is used more often for an extended duplex structure.
Temperatures in January and February can drop to −20 °F (−30 °C), with snow accumulations often reaching several feet.[3] To fight the chill, they built massive central chimneys and low-ceilinged rooms to conserve heat. Finally, colonists installed shutters on the windows to hold back heavy winds. One of the most beloved home architectural designs in the US is the Cape Cod style house.
Original colonial houses in New England are more often 2 stories than the traditional 1 or 1½ story homes we call Cape Cod. And many of the homes we call Cape Cod style are actually found on Cape Ann, northeast of Boston. According to McDonald, when in their native setting, there are little disadvantages to living in a Cape Cod house. “These houses would be at home in nearly any seasonal resort type area in Southern New England.” However, the small footprint of this type of house—in its most traditional sense—can be disadvantageous for some.
On the other hand, anyone who wants to embrace the style’s coastal roots will find a lot to love about a palette of light blues and soothing, seafoam greens. If you fancy a walk down memory lane, consider pieces and elements that harken back to colonial America. From lantern pendants, to handsome wooden accents, to a stately grandfather clock, antiques and traditional décor will fit nicely with this beloved architecture. When it comes to architecture, Cape Cod house style is as all-American as a fresh slice of apple pie. Perhaps best described as the quintessential American summer house, the homes evoke daydreams of slower days and beachside New England retreats. To learn more about the look, AD spoke with Wright as well as Peter McDonald, an architect based in Cape Cod, about the unique house style.
They were popular in the Midwest and West, merging with the Bungalow style in California to create a uniquely West Coast look. The architectural style of the first houses near and on Massachusetts' Cape Cod, like what you can see at Plimoth Plantation, 404 has long been the starting point for designing the American home. The architecture defines a people and a culture—unadorned, functional, and practical. An unusual feature of this home, besides the slate roof and brick exterior, is the small, single window we see to the left of the door.
Cape Cod homes often have many multi-paned double-hung windows, with ornamental decorations to give them charm. While the original home design was simple, no-frills Americana, as tastes have evolved, so has the number of floor plan options for Cape Cod homes. The cost to build a Cape Cod house ranges from $148,000+ to over $320,000+ and depends on various factors, some of which are in your control and some, unfortunately, are not. Like the 3/4 Cape, a half Cape Cod house refers to the layout of the doors and windows.
No comments:
Post a Comment