If we talk about home styles, colonial house styles are the best. Colonial houses were built before the American Revolution. These houses are simple and stylish. It is a basic framework—simple, symmetrical, and at least two stories tall. It has remained an extremely popular influence in residential architecture. It has been over 200 years. Colonial housebuilders made an enormous impact on Indigenous communities and systems of oppression. When the colonists resettled in the U.S., many Indigenous communities were displaced, and their traditions, which included architecture, Many colonial housebuilders destroyed their homes to make room for colonial homes.
These homes feature upscale crown molding, detailed fireplaces, and formal entryways. The modern Colonial homes’ layouts provide plenty of space for large families to reside in, with four upstairs bedrooms and finished basements. It also offers additional space for hosting guests and recreational rooms. The main area of the house, for example, the living areas, are like other homes from the era, and they are laid out to largely focus on the kitchen and den.
What Makes a House Colonial-Style?
Colonial house styles were adapted over many centuries. Now, it is reinvented around new materials, technologies, and building techniques. Now it has organically evolved into a style By the late 1800s. Colonial house is called “Colonial Revival.”.
A colonial-style home is the defining aspect. It is immediately evident at the front door. Most of the houses are designed like this. It is located smack-dab in the center of the house and flanked with windows. You will see a central staircase with access to large ground-floor rooms on either side at entry.
The second-floor Colonial House Styles
You will find a staircase that opens into a hallway in the middle of the floor. It will connect the bedrooms and at least one bathroom.
There are many designs of Colonial homes, but the original designs of traditional Colonial homes are always as simple as they can be. This thing makes it a perfect starting point for additions, alterations, and reinvention. It contains a centrally positioned front door, and it is crowned with a small pediment or columned portico with tall windows positioned on either side.
It has double-hung sash windows, which are arranged around the house symmetrically and are installed in pairs. Colonial homes also have sloping, medium-pitched gabled roofs with shingles and gutters. If you go in the early days, you will find will a pair of chimneys in the center of the roof leading down to twin first-floor fireplaces at older homes. In Modern Colonials, you will find these things which are mentioned below.
Exterior
- Rectangular shape
- Gabled roof
- Symmetrical windows
- Wood, brick, or modern vinyl siding
Interior
- Four-square layout
- Central fireplace (now moved to exterior walls)
- Natural hardwood floors
What is the history of colonial-style homes?
At the time of the Colonial Era, America was home to Spanish, French, Dutch, and British colonists. All of them incorporated the motifs and methods of their homeland into their architecture. Many designs are still very popular in the United States. If we talk about the standard British Colonial style, it has become the basis of many Colonial-influenced popular home styles, for example, the Cape Cod and Saltbox styles.
The History and Characteristics of This Simple, Charming Home
Colonial house styles have been changing in every era. The first design of the colonial house starts with two simple rooms, one downstairs. it also has a central fireplace, which keeps the home warm. It warms during harsh winters. It was used before the invention of electricity. In the early era, homes used to be built in a simplified British Colonial style.
If you go in the brief history of the United States, Colonial homes used to be built significantly less when the Queen Anne style became popular (with Victorian-influenced architecture that featured wrap-around front porches, ornamental colors, conical roof towers, and detailed, patterned trim).
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It is credited to the Philadelphia Centennial of 1876 and the World’s Fair, which was held in America and was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Do you want to purchase a newly constructed Colonial home in America today? It would help if you kept in mind that the style should be the new traditional style. New-style homes should have open-concept layouts with large primary bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, and roomy kitchen and living spaces
The Different Types of Colonial Homes
There are thousands of styles in colonial homes, but we will give those trending and most attractive ideas among them.
Nowadays, many people adopt simple designs. The new generation is selecting the latest design. But you will find most of the houses in the old style in America.
Early American Colonial
This style is very old. It was the first design when Americans made the first colonial house. British used to follow the Colonial floor plan. It used to be characterized by a large central fireplace (and it has a central chimney on the roof), steep roofs to weather harsh winters, and exterior wood shingles or plank siding.
It is the first and original structure that was used to create the first Saltbox homes, and their layouts also used Cape Cod’s foundation. This style is constructed with rustic wood frames and has diamond-pane windows.
Georgian Colonial
The Georgian Colonial home name was taken after British monarchs King George I-IV. This design was most popular during their reign. It was from 1714 to 1830.
These houses are like other Colonial styles. This included a small, covered front porch over the door with columns extending from the main structure. They are usually framed in brick on the exterior with white columns.
It also has a second-story balcony above these porches. It can either be small and round or wide and rectangular. You will also find common twin chimneys and dormer windows. These are built into Georgian styles (it is similar to the classic windows on Cape Cod).
