Sunday, April 28, 2024

Cape Cod Style House Design Guide

cape cod house

As the home's style progressed through the years, Cape Cod floor plans began to offer more space on the upper level for bedrooms so that heat could rise into the sleeping areas during cold New England winters. Architectural styles similar to the Cape Cod include cottage house plans and New England style home plans. Capes also showcase symmetry, with large, peaked windows — known as dormers — coming out of its staple sloped roof.

Lots of people bought second homes on the Cape during the pandemic. That means more short-term rentals this summer. - Boston.com

Lots of people bought second homes on the Cape during the pandemic. That means more short-term rentals this summer..

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Cape Cod Architecture Elements

Much like a-frame house plans or chalet house plans, the steep roofline of a Cape Cod house plan lends itself well to shedding snow during bitter winters. As Wright explains, Cape Cod houses are often imagined as the classic American beach house. Traditionally, they’re small, single- or one-and-a-half-story homes with steeply pitched, side-gabled roofs, central chimneys, dormer windows, and clad in shingles. “It’s got either shingle siding or white clabbered siding, a single story in the front, a central front door, and a big roof sometimes with dormers,” Wright says. Often built around simple, rectangular floor plans, their shape is nearly identical to the silhouette a child might come up with if prompted to draw a house. Best known for its characteristic symmetrical design, the Cape Cod has a steep roof featuring pitched triangular areas toward the front and back and a large central chimney.

Their Cape Cod Home Isn't Small, but Its Carbon Footprint Is - The New York Times

Their Cape Cod Home Isn't Small, but Its Carbon Footprint Is.

Posted: Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Plan: #196-1183

Today, we're still just as charmed by the small footprint of a historic Cape Cod home. Their unique character, homey feel, and shabby-chic aesthetic make them an appealing antidote to the cookie-cutter tract homes in subdivisions that first became popular in the 1950s. The most successful marketeer who promoted the Cape Cod style is considered to be the architect Royal Barry Wills, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-educated marine engineer. "Although Wills's designs do indeed breathe sentiment, charm, and even sentimentality, their dominant characteristics are reticence, modesty of scale, and traditional proportions," writes art historian David Gebhard.

Cape Cod Home Windows

They often feature plush sofas and accent chairs with deep-buttoned cushions. Pine or oak solid wood also gives the home a rustic feel while looking clean and refined. The traditional decor and construction materials give tribute to durability and function. If you’re looking to update your home or give it a complete facelift, here are a few fresh design ideas that can breathe new life into a Cape Cod house. While the traditional layout had rooms separated by walls and doorways to create a closed floor plan, the flow in a modern Cape can be similar to the traditional layout, where all rooms flow toward the kitchen. Craftsman houses are known for detailed interior woodwork, large front porches, and earthy colors.

cape cod house

And that’s exactly what Cape Cod homes did in the pre-war and post-war eras. These modest and practical homes have been around for more than 3 centuries without having lost their appeal. Share your thoughts about how you’ve overcome the drawbacks in the comments box below.

While the style of home known as Cape Cod was built as early as the 17th century, the name "Cape Cod house" wasn't used until the 1800s by the president of Yale University during a visit to Cape Cod. While the term itself doesn't have much history, the house's design dates back centuries. Homenish broke down the downsides of owning a Cape house, and they're as minimal as the decor you'd find in one. The rooms are small and a bit boxy, which makes it easy to grow out of for young families. Adding on rooms isn't all that easy, either, since it's so catered to a specific flow and symmetrical feel. Get ready for a hot summer — Cape Cod homes are notorious for poor airflow, so window air conditioner units are a must (and nothing ruins that gorgeous curb appeal more than an AC hanging out front).

Here you’ll learn all about this style home, its defining characteristics, advantages and drawbacks as well as the most common types of Cape Cod style Houses. Cost factors you can control include home size, house features and amenities, and finishes. Cost factors that are typically out of your control are things such as labor and materials availability, code requirements, and seasonality. By balancing these two, you can build a beautiful home that fits within your budget.

Although the style faded a bit in popularity, it found a resurgence in the early to mid-1900s when it was called Cape Cod Revival. Even though the styles were separated by about a century, they still share several commonalities, including a conspicuous lack of exterior details. Historically, Cape Cod houses were modestly-sized homes with one to one-and-a-half stories.

cape cod house

In these cases, homeowners have the option to extend the back of the home or add another story for additional space. Most Cape Cod-style homes have a plain front entry with little to no trim or details. Later versions became more decorative, sometimes featuring a small portico. Some also have painted pilasters or, in the case of very elaborate setups, porch columns.

The style is a simple one — some may call it primitive with a rectangular footprint and gable pitched roof. You will rarely see a porch or decorative embellishments on a traditional Cape Cod home. Low ceilings and a central chimney kept rooms comfortable during cold winters in the northern colonies. The rectangular design made additions and expansions an easy task for growing families.

Pattern books and catalogs flourished and publications held design competitions for practical, affordable dwellings to be bought by a burgeoning American middle class. Other room decor choices include early American handmade furniture like Windsor chairs, ladder back chairs, and wicker furniture. Ocean-inspired colors like sage green, aquamarine, and buttery beige tones give these homes a beachy, comfy vibe. Julia is a part of the content marketing team and enjoys writing about real estate and design trends. The owners of this traditional 20th century Cape Cod house gave it a brand new look by adding mock stone facing.

Though traditionally built as a single-story house, today’s Cape Cod-style homes can have multiple floors and additional wings. This home style also features a center-placed front door and shuttered windows on either side. The exterior of the Cape Cod house is commonly clad in cedar shingles but newer homes are also built of brick, stucco, and stone. Window boxes and shutters serve as the primary sources of ornamentation, and black is often used as a popular accent color for doors, shutters, and trims in modern Cape Cod homes. The Cape Cod originated in the early 18th century as early settlers used half-timbered English houses with a hall and parlor as a model, and adapted it to New England's stormy weather and natural resources. Cape house plans are generally one to one-and-a-half story dormered homes featuring steep roofs with side gables and a small overhang.

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