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To give you an idea of the range and diversity of houses, we asked Manus to describe 10 styles
that are most representative of homes in the U.S. See if your own home's style is among them.
1. Prairie School
Some U.S. architectural styles
imitate those from other
countries or reference once-
popular styles. Others, such as
the Prairie School style, were
new and represented a reaction
to existing architectural types.
Spot it: You can spot a Prairie-style home by its clean, horizontal lines and its balance of
ornamentation and simplicity.
Buy a Prairie-style home: Wright's Brandes House, built in 1952 in Sammamish, Wash., is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places. It's for sale for $1.45 million.
2. Victorian/Queen Anne
The Victorian era spans more
than 60 years and includes many
types of architecture. The Queen
Anne style, popularized in the
later part of the Victorian era, is
one of the most distinctive in
this country, Manus says.
Spot it: You can tell a Queen Anne-style home by its flamboyant combination of Victorian
excesses such as turrets, gables, bays and towers.
Buy a Queen Anne-style home: This four-bedroom, two-bath home in Athens, N.Y., is for sale
for $349,000.
3. Cape Cod
When English settlers came to
New England, they built houses
that emulated the stone cottages
they left behind. Lacking stone,
they used a material they found
in abundance there and
elsewhere in the New World:
wood.
Most 20th-century Cape Cod homes are 1.5 stories tall. Although older Cape Cods have a
centrally located chimney, revival Cape Cods offset it to one end of the house. Cape Cods remain
a desired home style today, popular because of their finished basements, detached garages,
finished half-stories and dormer windows.
Spot it: A Cape Cod-style home is notable for its lack of ornamentation, minimal roof overhang
and dormer windows.
Buy a Cape Cod-style home: This three-bedroom, one-bath home in Dennis, Mass., built in 1940,
is listed for $724,900.
4. Art deco
Art deco style started at a 1925 design exposition in Paris,
which championed the innovations of the modern world.
Although the style is a celebration of the future, it often
borrows its decorative, geometric ornamentation from
ancient civilizations, including the zigzag patterns found
in Aztec and Mayan art.
Spot it: You can spot an art deco home by its geometric
ornamentation, streamlined exterior and symmetrical, repeating patterns.
Buy an art deco-style home: Although it was built in 1992, this four-bedroom, four-bath home in
North Miami, Fla., features art deco flourishes throughout. It's listed for $1.69 million.
5. Craftsman bungalow
In the 1880s, the "arts and
crafts" movement was under
way in England. There, artists
and thinkers such as John
Ruskin and William Morris
celebrated handicrafts and
encouraged the use of natural
materials.
Spot it: You can tell a Craftsman bungalow-style home by its wood, stone or stucco siding, as
well as its low-pitched roof and beamed ceilings.
6. Ranch house
The ranch-style house sprang up with the rise of the huge
suburban developments after World War II.
Manus says of the style: "It's easily recognizable with its clay tile roofs, white stucco and bright
Mediterranean colors."
Spot it: Telltale signs of a Spanish Eclectic-style home are its low-pitched roof —often red —
stucco siding and arches.
Buy a Spanish Eclectic-style home: With three bedrooms and three baths, this home in Los
Angeles' Hancock Park area is listed for $1.17 million.
8. Tudor Revival
The Tudor period in Great Britain
was between the late 15th century
and the early 17th century.
Borrowing from that period,
Tudor houses in the U.S. are
modern re-creations and are more
often known as Tudor Revival
homes. Primarily built at the end
of the 1800s and early 1900s,
some refer in style to humble
cottages with thatched roofs.
More expensive houses were
built on a grander scale as vast
mansions.
Spot it: You can tell a Tudor Revival home by its visible timber framing, gables, parapets and
patterned brick or stonework.
Buy a Tudor Revival home: This four-bedroom, three-bath home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, got a
new roof in April. It's listed for $259,900.
9. Colonial Revival
This style became fashionable
after an exhibition marking the
nation's centennial in 1876. Its
popularity grew through the
early 1900s.
Spot it: You can spot a Colonial Revival home by its symmetrical façade, brick or wood siding,
gabled roof and use of pillars or columns.
Buy a Colonial Revival home: A four-bedroom, three-bath home in this style in Plano, Texas, is
listed for $269,000.
10. Contemporary
Many homes built in the early
21st century reference design
elements from a range of
historical periods. They mix
styles to create hybrids that are
idealized, nostalgic and not
rooted in any particular time
period.
Spot it: It's not always easy to distinguish a contemporary-style home. It could look sleek and
modern on the outside, or it may borrow features from other styles.
Buy a contemporary-style home: This new-construction home in Omaha, Neb., has four
bedrooms and three baths. It's listed for $483,000.