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When early settlers came to the United States, they decided to model their new abodes after their half-timbered homes from England — with a few upgrades to suit their new surroundings. Dating back to New England during the 17th century, this classic style proves that keeping it simple is anything but boring. In fact, it’s not too hard to see how Cape Cod homes have deftly surpassed the test of time. Overall, the calmness and coziness of these homes draw innumerable homeowners each year. The distinctive character of these homes marks as an important style of design in the history that continues to lead for the generations to come. Cape Cod homes have an unfinished or partially opened crawl space underneath the house, more commonly lined with stone, brick or brick veneer, as specified.
Cape Cod-style floor plans and layouts
And if you can’t decide between the two, a three-quarter Cape is for you, with two windows on one side of the door and one window on the other. A Cape Cod-style house with an open-floor plan eliminates most non-structural walls to create an open and airy flow through the kitchen, dining area, and living room. If the homeowner chooses to add a wing or two and still retain the Cape Cod structure, they can extend a single-story off one or both sides of the home. Occasionally, such extensions may not be possible on a narrow lot, and the home can only be built up to add more living space. The interior color palette of a traditional Cape Cod home mirrors the exterior environment, often using pastel colors to mimic the sky, grass, water, and sun to add warmth and charm to the interior. Modern Cape Cod interior design opts for a white color palette to add light to the home and create a larger feel in the space.
What kind of lighting is in a Cape Cod house?
Some of the Cape Cod homes are also large enough to accommodate garages and extended master bedrooms and baths for a larger family. Using natural wood roof shingles and siding on the facade can enhance the look while catching the eye. Also, using a lighter-hued covering can make it look more bigger and brighter. Nowadays, original Capes like those have sometimes been added onto so often that they have a kind of “Russian doll” look, Seifter says. With modest square footage that typically ranges from 1,200 to 1,800 square feet, the Cape Cod is smaller than most homes built today, which average around 2,300 square feet. The style fell out of popularity temporarily but had a resurgence post World War ll, known as the Cape Cod Revival.
History of Cape Cod Houses
Oldest Homes are Treasures in Cape Cod's Oldest Town - CapeCod.com News
Oldest Homes are Treasures in Cape Cod's Oldest Town.
Posted: Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Simple and functional, Saltbox homes are primarily found in the Northeast, where their distinctive rooflines help melt snow to fall off of roofs during cold winters. This style has been updated for more contemporary-looking homes found in beach towns, where simple designs allow the environment to take center stage. 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.
The smaller size can be a positive attribute for Cape Cod homes, making them affordable, practical, and efficient – yet cozy and charming. There’s less space to clean, heat, maintain, or furnish, and many rooms are multi-functional, with built-in shelving and storage features. The exterior commonly features a smaller yard, which means less mowing and shoveling. The steep roofs also prevent heavy snow from accumulating over the winter. Overall, the Cape Cod-style house is an excellent choice for homebuyers searching for a modestly sized home, whether as a starter home or when it’s time to downsize. Cape Cod architecture was named for the Massachusetts coastal region where Puritan carpenters settled at Cape Cod Bay in the 1700s.
Though Cape Cod cottages may, at times, come with the connotation of old money or coastal elite homeowners, they didn’t start like this. “The first settlers came from Plymouth and were just trying to survive,” McDonald explains. Back in the 17th century, when colonists first came to what would become the United States, the rocky terrain and cold winters didn’t make the New England coast an ideal place to live. “It was very cold in the winters, beautiful in the summers, [so] they had to make all their money in the summers and then survive through the winter,” Wright says.
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. Shiplap is a typical exterior siding style that got its name for looking like the wood planking of a ship's siding. Since Cape Cod homes are heavily nautically influenced, try shiplap or beadboard horizontal or vertical panels for interior rooms.
The Samuel Landon house shown here was built in 1750 in Southold, New York on Long Island, a boat-ride from Cape Cod. Small, economical, and practical, the Cape Cod style house was built all across America during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. But Cape Cod architecture began centuries before in colonial New England. This photo gallery shows a variety of Cape Cod houses, from simple colonial Cape Cods to modern-day versions.
The final addition to the stark design of the Cape Cod style house is the front porch, which has become as traditional an element as the weathered shingle siding or the dish antennae. An unusual feature of this home, besides the slate roof and brick exterior, is the small, single window we see to the left of the door. As the symmetry is thrown off by this opening, this one window may be located in a stairway leading to a full second floor. On a grand scale, Victorian houses are instantly recognizable for their multi-colored exteriors, turrets, gables, gingerbread details, and substantial wraparound porches. In contemporary design, Victorians work well with Boho decor since both include lots of details and multiple colors and patterns.
They were popular in the Midwest and West, merging with the Bungalow style in California to create a uniquely West Coast look. Shingle shakes and wood clapboards are additional distinguishing features of Cape Cod-style homes. Wood was a plentiful local material for those just settling on the East Coast. Before pre-milled lumber, cedar shakes were hand-split from blocks of wood using a mallet.
The Pros and Cons of a Cape Cod-Style House - Apartment Therapy
The Pros and Cons of a Cape Cod-Style House.
Posted: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Like many of the style's other characteristics, Cape Cod homes typically feature neutral exterior color schemes. The original shake shingles are often left to weather gray, while other Cape Cod homes sport painted shingles. Most of the color schemes, like those of Colonial-style homes, are very neutral and austere. Historically, Cape Cod houses were modestly-sized homes with one to one-and-a-half stories.
Still, simplicity remains a visual hallmark of this somewhat minimalist but undeniably cozy home style. Patterned brickwork, diamond-paned windows, and a slate roof can give a 20th century Cape Cod the flavor of a Tudor Cottage home. At first glance, you might not think of this house as a Cape Cod—especially because of the brick exterior. Many designers use the Cape Cod as a starting point, embellishing the style with features from other times and places.
The history of Cape Cod architecture continued as the original wave of houses in this style was built from 1690 to 1850. The second wave, Cape Cod Revival, was built from the 1920s to the 1950s and helped popularize the style, spreading across the United States. 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.
Colonial homes are historically considered an offshoot of the original Cape Cod homes and are usually bigger. They feature similar rectangular floor plans, though they often include at least two stories. Aside from the square footage, colonial homes typically employ gambrel roofs—a main feature of Dutch colonials—while Cape Cod houses traditionally make use of gable roofs. Colonial houses may also include more ornamentation, like the use of columns, which is less common on traditional Cape Cod homes.
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