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A lack of resources, time, and money were some of the factors that originally made the intimate size of Cape Cod-style houses so popular. The style has since been adapted to today's tastes and lifestyles, but many of its simplistic charms remain. Like the homes at Plimoth Plantation, the landscape of the traditional Cape Cod home often includes the picket fence or gate. Many of the homes of the past have been modified through architectural details or building additions. Exploring the meaning of architectural style can be challenging in a country like the United States with a population of diverse backgrounds. Small, economical, and practical, the Cape Cod style house was built all across America during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
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What Is A Cape Cod Style House And What Does One Look Like?
The building type enjoyed a boom in popularity and adaptation to modern needs in the 1930s–1950s, particularly with Colonial Revival embellishments. The exterior of a Cape Cod house is in stark contrast from what you might find in a Contemporary style home. Initially, the features of a Cape Cod home were borne out of necessity with a strong eye towards functionality. Most concrete block (CMU) homes have 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 exterior walls on the 2nd story. But the simple, small rooms lend themselves especially well to the cottage-style decor that we're simply wild about.
Plan: #196-1266
Add a white picket fence and you've got the American Dream starter pack. Cape Cod-style homes continued to be a popular architectural style after World War II, especially in some of the country's first housing developments intended for returning soldiers to buy their first homes. A Cape Cod house is a low, broad, single or double-story frame building with a moderately-steep-pitched gabled roof, a large central chimney, and very little ornamentation. Originating in New England in the 17th century, the simple symmetrical design was constructed of local materials to withstand the stormy weather of Cape Cod. The space above the first floor was often left as unfinished attic space, with or without windows on the gable ends.
Plan: #196-1252
The relatively low ceilings made it easier to heat the buildings during the winter. Today, the house style's sturdy, practical appearance maintains its simple appeal. A close relative of the Colonial-style homes scattered across the East Coast and the South, Cape Cod houses were an economical answer to Americans' desires to be homeowners. With roots in the 17th century, this classic American style remains popular today. These Cape Cod-style homes showcase several key elements that distinguish this casual, traditional style.
And, thus, the Cape Cod architectural style was born, which has remained popular for roughly 400 years. They quickly realized they needed to make some practical changes to this style in order to survive the harsh winters of the Northeast. If you would like to have a builder construct your own Cape Cod style home one of the ways to do this is by purchasing a house plan. Opening into the living room is an eye-catchy fireplace with a large chimney design located as a focal point. These warm and cozy living rooms open out to a pilastered porch overlooking the lush English garden.
These floor plans provide generous floor space, an open layout, and a versatile layout situated beyond its modest façade. The first style, which was the popular pick among early settlers, is the half Cape. It strays a bit from what we consider a common Cape style home today because it isn't as perfectly symmetrical — instead, it features the front door on one side, with two traditional windows to the other side. These were often the jumping off point for new, middle class homeowners to add on to as their families grew.
Different types of Cape Cod-style architecture
Of course, different iterations of the Cape Cod home will feature varying layouts. Most Cape Cod exteriors have a similar look and feel, making them easy to spot in your neighborhood. And, as it turns out, their interiors are just as streamlined as their facades.
The exterior siding was originally left unpainted, but then white-with-black-shutters became the standard later on. Cape Cod architecture was named for the Massachusetts coastal region where Puritan carpenters settled at Cape Cod Bay in the 1700s. These craftsmen built simple, one-story homes designed to withstand the harsh, windy climate, using easy-to-find building materials like oak, pine, and cedar. The original rectangular footprint had low ceilings and a large central fireplace and chimney to provide warmth for the whole structure over the long, cold winters. Closely related to the Colonial-style home, the Cape Cod house was designed to be as practical and functional as possible.
Meanwhile, its rich history enriches the design of this style and commemorates its century-long existence. If, as Orson Welles said, “the enemy of art is the absence of limitations,” the Cape Cod house grew up in a very art-friendly environment. Faced with harsh weather, modest means, and the pressing need to scratch out a living, New England’s coastal colonists put together structures with nary a false note or extraneous brush stroke.
From big Victorian fixer-uppers to tiny colonials to mid-century modern masterpieces, Elizabeth believes that the best homes show the charm of having been loved over time. She chronicles it all on her website CIRCA Old Houses, which showcases beautiful old houses for sale across the country. Many quarter- and half-Cape styles are no longer common in modern times. If you're in the market for a Cape Cod home, a full Cape is the largest (and most functional) variation to serve as a family home. You don’t need a complicated color palette when decorating a Cape Cod – staying simple is the best compliment to this home. Neutrals like white, grey, and black create a blank canvas on the exterior; if you’re looking to stand out, consider a nod to nature with light blues, light yellows, and seafoam greens.
After World War II, Capes began to get a little bit bigger and families and their needs grew, too. They quickly became a staple starter home for middle class couples and families looking to get their foot in the real estate market door, thanks to their simple style (which translated directly into a cheaper cost). Nowadays, newer, bigger builds of this timeless, budget-friendly option are still popping up along the shores and in the suburbs, it's safe to say this style isn't going anywhere. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are low-height, supplemented with a dormer or a gable window projecting out of the façade to let it ample of natural light.
Full Capes are the most common version of these homes to see in modern neighborhoods today, though many of the homes have been maintained since they were built in the early 20th century. It features a door on one side of the home and two windows on the other, which would then be expanded as the family (and their wealth) grew. Inside, the external symmetry is kept up with a "center hall" design similar to Colonial styles, but usually with a more modest footprint. The second floor was historically accessible by a steep staircase and was sometimes left unfinished, with the only light coming in through windows at the side of the house. Later styles of Cape Cod homes remedied the issue of having little upstairs light by cutting into the roofline to create dormer windows. The design is usually very symmetrical and simple, with shuttered windows flanking a front door and a chimney accenting the roof.
Some smaller variations of the houses were called "single Capes" or "three-quarter Capes," and that size was dictated by the number of family members and available finances—yep, even colonists had starter homes! No matter the size, the classic Cape Cod cottage had a central front door with two windows on each side of it. A full Cape (also sometimes confusingly referred to as a double-Cape) is completely symmetrical. It features two windows on each side of the front door, which is centered on the home and on the single chimney.
But, when you mix it with another architecture style, you can create a home that feels authentic to your neck of the woods. As its name suggests, Cape Cod house style is most common in Massachusetts and the greater New England region. While these types of residences are still be found in the Midwest and along the west coast, they might look different from their traditional, New England counterparts. According to ThoughtCo, modern-day Cape Cod spaces are often mixed with other architectural styles like Tudor, Ranch, Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman.
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The style is so ubiquitous, in fact, that if you ask an American child to draw a house, chances are pretty high you’ll get a crayoned image of a Cape. Other architectural styles may look very "of their time," but Capes seem to age gracefully without ever appearing dated. The most timeless of all styles, the Cape has managed to remain popular ever since the style first emerged in America centuries ago."This style can sport different architectural flourishes," says Hassler. Indeed, over the years, Capes have effortlessly adapted to architectural trends without sacrificing their underlying charm. Capes can sport any number of layouts, but they're all variations on the one-and-a-half-story theme.
As the symmetry is thrown off by this opening, this one window may be located in a stairway leading to a full second floor. But just because Cape Cod house style has been around for nearly 400 years doesn’t mean it's lost its luster. While it fell out of trend in the 1850s, the style had a major resurgence between 1925 and 1955. According to the United States’ Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, this style was the last type of colonial-era homes to be revived to modern times.
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