Many people love the look and feel of old and vintage-style homes. However, renovating an old home requires a massive investment of time, money, and resources. One of the latest housing trends is to build contemporary reproductions of period home styles—giving you all of the charm and character of a vintage home, and none of the problems that come with older houses.
What goes into creating a period house?
The biggest difference between building a period home and a contemporary home is the planning and design stage. Designing a period house takes careful planning, and the process can be longer depending on the desired level of detail and authenticity. It’s important to work with a custom home builder who has experience constructing period homes. Some companies have a wide variety of old and vintage house styles to choose from, which can be adapted to suit your tastes and needs.
Popular period home styles
There are a lot of vintage architectural styles, ranging from simple and functional to ornate and expansive. Some have withstood the test of time and remain popular today. A few favorite old styles among today’s homeowners include:
Georgian: An early arrival from England, the Colonial Georgian style first appeared in the U.S. around 1700, and flourished through 1780. This highly symmetrical style is characterized by a central front door with multi-paned windows balanced evenly on each side, and a chimney on each end of the house. Georgian homes are typically made from brick or wood, often featuring gabled dormers and a roof with a moderate pitch. The White House is a well-known example of Georgian architecture.
Victorian: This elaborate period style home reached fashionable heights in the United States from 1890 through 1910. A style with a highly distinctive look, Victorian homes have high pitched roof lines and asymmetrical exteriors that create characteristic,
irregularly shaped rooms—such as the “round rooms” formed by towers. Ornamental details like moldings, trimmings, and porch posts add to the distinctiveness of Victorians. These homes also typically have bay windows and wrap-around porches.
Farmhouse: Simple, yet spacious and functional, the farmhouse enjoyed peak popularity in the United States through the 18th and early 19th centuries. This style typically had from one to two stories (some were built with one and a half stories), with gabled roofs and a chimney either on the end or at the center. They also featured a front porch or wraparound porch. Farmhouses are usually built with wood siding, and ornamentation is usually limited to the porch moldings and corner boards of the home. These versatile structures can be modified or adapted in several ways.
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