An Overview of the Background of Colonial Houses

3 December 2023

Last Updated on 3 December 2023 by mysumptuousness.com

Colonial houses also trace their roots back up to the U.S. Colonial time. Though actual Colonial homes have not been built since the American Revolution, their basic framework is a symmetrical, simple, and about two stories tall. It has eventually remained a popular viewpoint in residential architecture for about more than 200 years.

Introduction

Colonial architecture has an enormous influence over the buildings of Indigenous communities and systems of oppression. As the colonists settled in the U.S.A., these indigenous communities had to displace. And thus, they lost many of their traditions, including their own architecture. They then tended towards old colonial houses.

Colonial Homes

These homes basically have formal entryways, crown molding, and detailed fireplaces. The architecture of the modern Colonial houses has plenty of space for big families to reside in, often having four bedrooms and great basements that offer more space to host guests and enjoyment rooms. Their living areas, like various different homes, are laid out to basically focus around the kitchen and bedroom.

Old Colonial Houses

Old Colonial house apartments are built in a traditional style of architecture that dates back to the U.S. Colonial era. They are popular to comfortably serve as a family home. They typically feature a rectangular shape with gabled roofs, symmetrical windows, neutral color schemes, and flat exterior walls.

What Makes a Colonial Style House?

The Colonial home was modified and reimagined throughout centuries in response to advances in construction methods, materials, and technology. It naturally developed into the “Colonial House Motel” style by the late 1800s.

Exterior

Rectangular shape
Gabled roof
Symmetrical windows
Wood, brick, or modern vinyl siding

Interior

Four-square layout
Central fireplace
Natural hardwood floors

The History of Colonial Style Houses

All of the colonints incorporated the motifs and methods of their homeland into their architecture. Though many styles are still popular in various parts of the U.S., the standard British Colonial style has become the basis of many Colonial-influenced popular home styles.

The Different Types of Colonial Homes

Standard Colonial homes also come in a wide variety of American varieties due to the adaptability of this fundamental design. For many years, home builders have reinvented the conventional style, starting with the early colonists and continuing with contemporary architects.

American Colonial Houses

Early American colonial houses were usually designed with the early British colonial blueprints in mind. Their steep roofs to withstand hard winters, outside wood shingles or plank siding, and enormous center fireplaces were their defining features.

These were the original buildings that people utilize to build the first Saltbox residences. The Cape Cod homes were based on these floor plans. These early American colonial houses frequently had diamond-pane windows and had rustic wood frames.

Georgian Colonial Houses

Georgian Colonial houses have the names of the four British kings, George I through George IV. They basically ruled from 1714 until 1830, and during that time, this architectural style rose to popularity. These homes resemble typical Colonial designs. However, they frequently include columns extending from the main building and a tiny covered front porch over the entryway. Typically, they also have white columns and an outside brick frame.

Above these porches, Georgian Colonial houses also frequently include second-story balconies, which can be narrow and rounded or large and rectangular. In addition, twin chimneys and dormer windows—which resemble the traditional windows on a Cape Cod—are frequently common.

French Colonial Houses

The majority of French Colonial homes are located in the southern United States, and places like New Orleans have some of the best examples of French Colonial architecture. French Colonial houses are distinguished from their plain, modest Northern counterparts by their characteristic two-story front porches and vivid exterior paint jobs.

These homes emphasize having a large outside space in front of the house, much like the rocking-chair porches of the Southeast, but they are even more lavish because of their tiered second floor. Dormer windows on the roof are a common feature of French Colonial Houses.

Dutch Colonial Houses

Even though you’ve probably seen Dutch Colonial Houses before, they might be challenging to recognize if you’re not familiar with the architectural style. This style has a rounded gambrel roof shape that culminates in a central point at the top, dormer windows, and matching chimneys on either end of the house (best viewed from the side of the residence). Though they aren’t always common, circular windows and columns are also common on the front-facing side of some Dutch Colonial Houses.

Colonial Revival

The architectural style of the Colonial Revival eventually created the foundation for the current trend of New Traditional Colonial style houses. Instead of the open-concept living areas of today, this style was famous for a large number of tiny, closed-off rooms, unlike modern residences.

Rooms in conventional Colonials and Colonial Revivals clearly divide by doors or other distinguishing architectural features, such as arches. Despite the fact that Colonial Revival homes were frequently finished with brick or vinyl siding, the exterior of the house hasn’t changed much over time.

Although Colonial Revivals are the most neutral of all the white Colonial house styles, you may give yours a more modern look by painting the exterior in today’s colors, adding contemporary landscaping, and updating your window coverings.

New Traditional Colonials

Open floor plans, with roomy living areas flowing straight into expansive kitchens and dining areas, are becoming increasingly prevalent in contemporary reinterpretations of early American architecture. The upper levels no longer adhere to the rigid symmetry of the old Colonial house interior, favoring spacious primary suites, walk-in closets, private baths, and other contemporary luxuries over small, boxy bedrooms.

New Traditional Colonials can have any number of floor plans or outlines that branch out from the central core of the house. The majority of modern colonial house designs have multi-car connected garages. Additional well-liked additions to homes are mudrooms, office areas, guest rooms, and in-law suites. Modern vinyl siding, masonry, or stone (for more expensive variants) adorn their exteriors.