Victorian. Modern. Colonial. What's Your Architectural Style?

You are attracted to a home for more than its number of bedrooms and square footage. Whether consciously or subconsciously, you are drawn to the individual character of a home. Part of what makes up that character is its architecture style.

During various periods of our history, different architectural styles were prevalent with builders. If you were to take a home tour around town, you can get a feel for when different neighborhoods were built based on the architecture of the homes. Today, many new homes incorporate different aspects of these styles on the exterior and interior.

The Queen Anne, Gothic Revival and Empire homes are all variations of the Victorian style. Popularized after the Civil War, these homes were most popular in the South and West. With its intricate shapes, elaborate trimming, and fish-scale shingles, these homes truly reflect the Victorian age. Inside, the homes are finely detailed with stained glass windows, elaborate trim and molding, and side-by-side entry doors. Other common elements are wraparound porches and bay windows.

Greek Revival-style homes were built during 1820-1850. Many of its elements represent the style of Greek Temples with columns, gable or double-sloping roofs, and pediments over windows and doors. The windows are usually square and rectangular with fan windows over the entryways. The interiors are symmetrical as well, with detailed woodwork and baseboards.

Colonial homes take on the simplistic style of the original homes of settlers to the United States. Common to this style are the steep roofs with gable ends, clapboard siding and small windows on the outside and wainscoting and chair rails on the inside. A popular variation of the Colonial-style is the Cape Cod, which is usually 1