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In the 1930s, the Depression and Colonial Revival combined to make Cape Cod-style homes regain popularity as an economical building style. In the 1940s and 1950s, Cape Cod homes were a widespread answer to the post-war housing boom. In the 1920s, people began inserting dormer windows into the roofs to increase light and ventilation and create extra bedrooms. Cape Cod revival houses from the mid-20th century are often more embellished than the austere early models.
History of Cape Cod Houses
"Primary Bedroom" is now widely used among the real estate community and better reflects the room's purpose.Read more about our Diversity and Inclusion Pledge to make The Spruce a site where all feel welcome. Original Cape Cod houses were small utilitarian structures like the one seen above. From matching Adirondack chair to a pristine picket fence, you can easily bring that Cape Cod charm to your backyard.
Materials Used in Cape Cod Architecture
This home may have a picket fence in the front yard, but don't be fooled when calculating the age of this structure. The recessed entryway is an architectural solution to the rain-dripping and snow-melting problems of traditional Cape Cod designs. That's not to say that some pilgrim didn't think of this solution first. Cape Cod house plans for 1950s America was a marketing scheme for a booming housing market. Just like the dream we have of the seaside cottage, the soldiers coming back from World War II had the dream of families and home ownership. Everyone knew Cape Cod, nobody had heard of Cape Ann, so developers invented the Cape Cod style, loosely based on reality.
Modest Mid-Century Style

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. Meanwhile, its rich history enriches the design of this style and commemorates its century-long existence. But these houses built by the early American settlers were not named after their locale, at least not initially. Homenish broke down the downsides of owning a Cape house, and they're as minimal as the decor you'd find in one.
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. Pilasters, sidelights, fanlights and other Georgian and Federal or Adam style refinements decorate this historic Cape Cod home in Sandwich, New Hampshire. The American Cape Cod house style is often considered the first American independent style. Most Cape Cod exteriors have a similar look and feel, making them easy to spot in your neighborhood.
Property of week: More than a classic Cape Cod style home, much more - Hartford Courant
Property of week: More than a classic Cape Cod style home, much more.
Posted: Sun, 13 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
When did Cape Cod house style originate?
The full Cape is the most accurate representation of the original architecture. The home is symmetrical, with a centered door, windows on each side, and a large central chimney. The interior of traditional Cape Cod houses are constructed from durable materials like cedar, oak, and pine. Original Cape Cod homes also had hardwood floors, which remain popular today.
Cape Cod House: Everything You Need to Know About These Quintessential New England Homes - Architectural Digest
Cape Cod House: Everything You Need to Know About These Quintessential New England Homes.
Posted: Thu, 13 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
According to Barry Goralnick, a New York-based designer who grew up surrounded by Cape Cod houses in Massachusetts, these smaller iterations have their perks. When it comes to architecture, Cape Cod house style is as all-American as a fresh slice of apple pie. Originating in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the 17th CE, these houses are a stereotype for the perfect American Cottage that you have envisioned. Despite having a timeless style, Capes have evolved over the years to a few different subcategories, says My Move. Many real estate associations and the Real Estate Standards Organization have classified the term "Master Bedroom" as potentially discriminatory.
Adding Dormers
And, as it turns out, their interiors are just as streamlined as their facades. 'Thanks to its enduring versatility, Cape Cod houses are suitable for an array of regions, types of families, and, of course, materials. 'The Cape Cod house endures because it is simple, inexpensive to build, directly responsive to its harsh New England environment,' he explains. 'It’s also flexible in how it can be configured and beautiful for all of those reasons.
Colonial Cape Cod Homes
These pop-out windows allow some breathing room for the half-floor on the second level, making it suitable for bedrooms and bonus spaces. Depending on the position of the front doors and multi-pane glass windows on the facade, Cape Cod homes further segregate their design styles into single, three-quarters, and full cape. However, there are a few common design characteristics in each that unite into one strong architectural design style called the ‘Cape Cod Style’. The first style, which was the popular pick among early settlers, is the half Cape. It strays a bit from what we consider a common Cape style home today because it isn't as perfectly symmetrical — instead, it features the front door on one side, with two traditional windows to the other side. These were often the jumping off point for new, middle class homeowners to add on to as their families grew.
Adding nooks and cranny for storage purposes can really add a serious charm to the house. On a Cape Cod house with side gables, the metal border on the roof looks anything but "colonial." A temple-like portico (porch) with a steep pediment gives this Cape Cod-style house the appearance of a Tudor Cottage. If you fancy a walk down memory lane, consider pieces and elements that harken back to colonial America.
When kids are asked to draw a picture of a house in elementary school, they invariably respond with a rectangular shape that features a door in the center, with a window on each side. This simple – but timeless and charming – architectural depiction is a quintessential “Cape Cod” home. Admired for its simple, timeless, clean-lined rectangular silhouette, steep roof, and central door, a Cape Cod house is likely what a child would draw if you asked them to draw a house.
With roots in the 17th century, this classic American style remains popular today. These Cape Cod-style homes showcase several key elements that distinguish this casual, traditional style. Meanwhile, if there is a bedroom on the upper floor, adding dormers for natural lighting is a good way to enhance the charming beauty of a Cape Cod house.
Not only do neutral colors pair nicely with Cape Cod’s simple structure, but they can also act as a blank canvas, ready to evolve as your style does. 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. But just because Cape Cod house style has been around for nearly 400 years doesn’t mean it's lost its luster. While it fell out of trend in the 1850s, the style had a major resurgence between 1925 and 1955. According to the United States’ Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, this style was the last type of colonial-era homes to be revived to modern times. While Cape Cod house style is typically synonymous with American architecture, it actually dates back to the Puritan colonists back in the 17th century.
The steeply pitched roofs, for example, are designed to allow heavy snow to slide off more easily in the winter. “Cape Cod is a seasonal destination where the summer population increases by at least 5–10 times than that of the year-round population,” McDonald adds. Like many beach towns throughout the northern coast, plenty of the homes are only used 12 weeks out of the year—and even those that are used year-round get the most action in the summer months. “Seasonal homes like many of these are designed for outdoor and beach living.
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