10 Most Popular Residential Architectural Styles in the US

Made generally of stone or stucco walls, tiling roofs, iron fixtures, heavy wooden beams, and rustic floors are mainly the traditional materials that categorize them and make them very much in demand today as a recall for the old traditional architecture style.

A characteristic that was in use even before the effervescence of Green Architecture calls for a return to natural resources for a better environment. Also, it makes a sense of historical connection or relativity for a previous period that is very appreciated by the buyers of today and adds some fairy sense to their deal.

A Big Variation in Home Architectural Styles

Good to note and as previously mentioned: All the samples and models that I’ve been discussing in this article concerning the world home styles mainly concern the American house style and related art in general, and especially the Private Residences which are considered to have their global dominance in this industry.

The CRAFTSMAN style emerged at the beginning of the 20th century (the 1900s) and is now back.

Features of this style, such as cobblestones, deep eaves, tapered columns, and wide trim, prioritize the handmade look over the mass-produced. (see the following images Fig.1 and Fig. 2)

Fig.1- The neighborhood, featuring the Craftsman full porch, brick walk, style- Image Source: pinterest.com

Fig.2- Classic, Craftsman large porch balcony, Photo: pinterest.com

Home plans for bungalows often include columns and pedestals mainly made from natural stone, horizontal wood shingle siding, and a lower gable hanging over the porch. The Craftsman is mainly a style of character; which means that it reveals its identity instantly at first sight without labeling itself if we can say.

Additionally, the most commonly well-known characteristics of a Craftsman-style house must include one or more of these:

2. Farmhouses

FARMHOUSES or Country Homes are the proper remodel candidates and prototypes for new homes. 

It features local materials, wood windows, simple floor plans, and warm colors that match nature and earlier times. (See Fig. 3 and 4)

Fig.3- Typical Farmhouse Home Style, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Fig.4- Another charming Farmhouse Home Style, Classic typical, Photo Source: pinterest.com

• Often have clapboard siding as wall cladding on the exterior (see Fig. 5)

Fig.5- Clapboard Wood-Grain Texture Vinyl-Siding

• Usually features a wide porch veranda at the entrance of the house.
• Simple roof structure, often with gabled edges.
• Typically built on larger pieces of land.
• Composed of basic shapes to allow for expansion.
• Gable ends, soffits, and porch columns can be simple or highly detailed with ornaments.
• Typically rectangular in floor layout shape.
• Right-angled (90-degree) outer walls and 45-degree roof pitches make them easy to combine and frame.
• Often accompanied by extension buildings, including barns and car garages.

3. The European

Anything derived from the EUROPEAN continent would be categorized under this section of home styles, including Spanish home plans and French Country, Georgian, and Italianate homes. (see images Fig.6 and Fig.7 below)

Fig.6- European House Style, Photo Source: pinterest.com

At a glance, European styles feature stucco, stone, or brick exterior walls as we have seen in others' styles so far. Different EUROPEAN characteristics may be combined within a single plan to produce a new combined style.

Fig.7- European House Style, Photo Source: pinterest.com

For instance, Italian windows can host vaulted Norman-France arches. Spanish home plans, on the other hand, often feature lower-pitched clay tile roofs and terracotta ornaments.

4. The Ranch and Split Levels

The Ranch styles and Split Levels built in the 1950s of the last century are perfect for smooth remodeling and fit perfectly with fashionable furniture styles too. (as featured in the image Fig.8 below)

Fig.8- The Ranch and Split Levels Style, Photo Source: https://senaterace2012.com

5. The Retro

The RETRO look is fashionable, luxurious, and very elegant. (Fig.9 and Fig.10)

Fig.9- Mediterranean Homes symbol of luxury and elegance, Photo Source: marcenariadosramos.com

Fig.10- Super House Exterior Mediterranean Style, Patio Ideas, Photo Source: pinterest.com

It is in the most demand lately due to its variation of volume used in the conception. Notably, the Spanish and Mediterranean house styles fall under this category that features the single-story plan layout.

6. The Cape Cod

The typical CAPE COD style should include a single-story design, with a central chimney, with a sharp roofing slope, which was intended to make life easier during the severe winter weather in New England. (Fig. 11)

Fig.11- Cape Cod Style house best design. We notice the steep roof at the top, Photo Source: cdn.jhmrad.com

Steep roofs, for instance, allow snow to slide off, reducing the hazard of home crumpling under heavy snowfall weight. Today's architects enhance the CAPE COD style with various contemporary additional elements, such as rear garages and dormer windows.

7. The Colonial

In America, the COLONIAL period ranges from the 1600s through the 1800s, but many different home themes dropped also within that period. For instance, you may find homes described as Dutch Colonial, Spanish Colonial, German Colonial, or French Colonial. (see Fig.12 and Fig.13 below)

Fig.12- Inside a Serene, Inviting Colonial Style Home in The Midwest, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Fig.13- English Colonial Style, Photo Source: smalldesignsideas.com

Country-specific variations of the Colonial add color to the initial colonial style. Dutch homes, for example, were constructed using brick and stone, so U.S. Dutch Colonials often feature these materials too. On the other hand, Colonial Spanish home plans may feature interior courtyards.

Despite these country-specific variations, all colonial homes share a few basic characteristics, which include an overall rectangular shape, chimneys on both extremities of the house, large square rooms, and barn or gambrel roofs.

The COLONIAL naming may perform the four columns always present on the front covered porch and supporting the terrace on the upper level. Maybe, who knows?

8. Queen Anne Victorian

This is the most famous architectural style ever; America and Britain were captivated by the VICTORIAN style from 1825 to 1900 of the last century.

When you capture accidentally a Victorian house at the corner of the street, you may think of yourself in the presence of a brilliant imaginary dollhouse or even better, a Disney frictional Castle. Although both are essential Victorian-style homes, Victorian engineering points to a time and not a particular style. That period was when Queen Victoria reigned in England, from 1837 to 1901.

VICTORIAN house plans' most noticeable feature is their ornamentation, including bright exterior painted patterns, corbels, and gable trim. Victorian house plans often feature decorative railing, extensive verandas, and a two-story turret (small tower), as well. Even if the Victorian style officially ended in 1901, it still inspires both younger and older. (see Fig.14, 15, and 16)

Fig.14- A typical Victorian home style, Photo Source: hadarguibara.com

Fig.15- An array of Anne Victorian Style in San Fransisco suburbs, Photo Source: Getty Images

Fig.16- Another Anne Victorian Style, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Book and References for the Victorian Architectural Styles

The two volumes here reprinted had no text but they had three unusual features:

1- They were published in an imposing folio format while most pattern books were in the smaller quarto size.

2- They presented hundreds of exterior and interior details drawn to a usefully large scale. Most pattern books provided only ground plans and elevations of the whole house.

3- They included some designs for non-residential buildings. Most pattern books contained only houses. 

These books are aimed at architects, experienced builders, and potential clients. Significantly, these books deal mainly with style and outward show - the social side of architecture. There are no avant-garde masterpieces; Bicknell and Comstock's books show the average standards of their times which makes them all the more valuable historical documents.

9. Prairie School

The Prairie School is not just a style for houses; it is a school of architecture itself, following its rules (mostly American), which respect the environment. The study.com, a well-known website (rated 833 on Alexa global traffic rank) for online courses in all major educational fields says, what it's literally:

The Prairie School was inspired by the American landscape, and their goal became to capture the essence of the prairie within architecture. In so doing, they hoped to create homes and buildings that would become part of the landscape, perfectly complementing the natural space and not standing apart from it.

Fig.17- Prairie School Homestyle, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Here are a few common characteristics of a home designed with the Prairie School architectural style:

10. The Coastal

The beach lifestyle is the power source for coastal home designs. Starting from here comes our final, the COASTAL style. With all the freedom that the coastal life represents and illustrates comes the related house style to add another symbol to this special sort of lifestyle (See Fig.18 below),

Fig.18- Coastal Style with a twist, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Featured by raised foundations, rows of expansive windows, and wraparound porches are the most common in coastal homes. (fig.19 and 20)

Fig.19- Wrap around porches house style, the Coastal Style, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Fig.20- Another Wraparound porches house for the Coastal Style, Photo Source: pinterest.com

Last Thoughts

American Homes borrows styles from across the globe. But we must reveal that certain architectural styles, such as the Cape Cod, Coastal, and Ranch styles, were originally born in the U.S.

Generally speaking, foreign countries have always, and since a long time ago inspired others' styles.  Beneath we have the European, the Mediterranean, and the Victorian (related to Queen Anne of England). Therefore by following this theory, we must believe that America is a mixture of a melting pot of architectural styles. Which is good in the end, isn’t it?