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Quick Answer: What Is A Colonial House

What is considered a colonial house?

Colonial-style houses usually have two or three stories, fireplaces, and brick or wood facades. The classic Colonial-style house floor plan has the kitchen and family room on the first floor and the bedrooms on the second floor. Colonial homes are easy to add on to at the side or the back.

Why is it called colonial house?

Evolved from the simple log cabin, these homes rose up in the days of the 13 original American colonies (hence the name) because they were “simple to build, efficient to use, and easy on the eyes,” Riordan says.

How do you know if a house is a colonial?

Colonial homes are generally square or rectangular in shape, with the front door placed in the middle of the house’s front. It’s a very symmetrical look. The homes are almost always two-story structures with four rooms on each level. Frequently the house will have a chimney on one end.

What are the characteristics of a colonial-style house?

Key Characteristics of American Colonial-Style Homes Simple, traditional design. Plain exteriors with minimal embellishments. Built with wood, brick or stone according to the region and time period. Rectangular and symmetrical in shape. Central door. Often features symmetrical front entrance columns.

Do colonial houses have porches?

Colonial Architecture (1650-1850) The Georgian house did not usually have any form of porch. The porch of the Spanish Colonial House usually overhung the ground floor, such as a balcony porch, providing shade and coolness to the house.

What are colonial houses made of?

Traditionally built with wood and sometimes stone (AKA the materials available), these homes were only one room deep and two or three rooms wide, with either one massive, central fireplace or fireplaces at both ends of the house.

What type of roof does a colonial house have?

Clay tiles were commonly used as roofing material on Spanish Colonial homes, and they’re extremely heavy, so they require additional roof framing to ensure the structure can support their weight. Clay-tiled roofs are noncombustible and durable and typically last more than 50 years.

Are colonial homes good?

Appealing Architectural Features Colonial-style homes are detailed, aesthetic and well-proportioned. The front door is usually located in the center of the home with even numbers of windows and columns on either side, creating a uniform and symmetric appeal.

Who built Colonial Houses?

English colonial homes, primarily located in Northeast United States (the original 13 colonies), were designed by the first settlers in 1600 New England. The main feature of this type of home is the wood-frame construction. According to Thought Co., this was similar to the style of homes in their home country.

What is the difference between a Federal and a colonial house?

The key features of Federal homes are they’re symmetrical and with the same layout as what you’d find with colonial homes. However, Federal architecture is more ornate. You’d also find that these homes tend to be taller and narrower than colonial homes and may have oval or circular shaped rooms.

What is considered a colonial?

Colonialism is defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people.” It occurs when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while forcing its own language and cultural values upon its people.

How tall is a colonial house?

As previously mentioned, colonial homes are usually two or three stories tall. The common spaces—living room, kitchen, dining room, and family room—are traditionally located on the first floor, with bedrooms on the second and third floors.

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 colonial decor?

Colonial Defined Colonial-style decorating reflects the styles of that era, varying from rustic to refined. Early American furniture was sturdy yet simple, but it evolved into the distinctive, formal style of furniture of designers such as Chippendale and Hepplewhite.

What is colonial-style buildings?

Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations.

What is modern colonial style?

This style has an asymmetrical façade, small windows, and rectangular shutters and is built on one floor of wood. source: homelight.com. Colonial-style houses are famous for their classic architecture where we can find some common features such as it has brick or wood facades, a fireplace and has two to three stories.

What is a farmers porch?

Farmers Porch: A farmer’s porch (sometimes referred to as an open porch) is a style that is traditional to old New England homes. These open-air porches can wrap around the sides of your home, or just run along the front of your house. They can be spotted by the sturdy beams that support the porch.

Did colonial houses have windows?

Traditional colonial homes often feature two windows evenly spaced on each side of the door and three on the second level, with one centered above the door. Dormer windows are then proportionately centered above the second level.

When were colonial homes built?

These styles are associated with the houses, churches and government buildings of the period from about 1600 through the 19th century. Several relatively distinct regional styles of colonial architecture are recognized in the United States.

What is the average size of a colonial house?

The square footage of our collection of Colonial house plans vary from slightly over 1,100 square feet to in excess of 11,000 with the vast majority falling within the 2,500 – 3,500 range making the selection of Colonial house plans easily accessible and straightforward when searching our website.

What is a farmhouse colonial?

The earliest homes that we can call ‘true’ farmhouses were those built by early colonial families and owners who would likely have built the homes themselves. The commonality was this: The farmhouse was unpretentious, straightforward and functional.

What is the difference between a cape and a colonial?

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.