While browsing listings, you may not understand the difference between a ranch, Tudor, or a Craftsman style in the property description. The following list of the eight most common architectural styles describes the basics of each one:

  • Arts and Crafts or Craftsman houses became popular in the 1930s. Known by their low-pitched roof, and front porch with tapered columns, the interiors of this type of home feature lots of woodwork and built-ins.
  • Cape Cod-style homes are rectangular in shape, usually with the front door in the center of the front of the home, shuttered windows on either side of the front door, and gable ends. Traditional structures are one and a half stories, with living, sleeping, and dining rooms divided by walls.
  • Colonial houses are the predecessor of the Cape Cod, and they are similar in shape, style, and interior. The biggest difference between the two? A Colonial’s second story is a full story, and the Cape Cod’s is a half-story.
  • A home that is described as Contemporary should be just that--a house of “now.” Think of a contemporary home as having Colonial, Ranch, or other architectural characteristics, just with an updated look.
  • As times changed during the 1930s-60s, Mid-Century Modern-style houses began to make an impression using sleek straight lines, asymmetrical form, and basic materials like glass, concrete, and metal.
  • Ranch-style homes were a popular architectural style in the US in the housing boom of the post-World War II years through the 1970s. The one-story form is usually low on the ground, with mixed exterior siding and an attached garage.
  • Looking like something from a fairy tale, Tudor homes feature curved roof lines and doorways, timbered or half-timbered gables filled with masonwork or shingles, decorated windows, and cross-gables on the front exterior.
  • The Victorian era brought romance and frills, and the homes of that period are no different. A Victorian-style home will normally have a steeped-pitch roof, gabled windows, decorative woodwork, bay windows, and a wide front porch.

Check out this guide to many other house styles from REALTOR® Magazine, complete with images of the basic look of each type and a brief description. Once you are familiar with these terms and the houses they describe, you will feel more confident as you search for your new home.

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtor Tucker Robbins.