4.3 Architecture

CHAPTER 4

4.3 Architecture

Architectural styles of homes run the gamut and often are misnamed in VRP communities. It is not important that you actually become an expert in this topic. However, it is important that you understand and can recognize the architectural infl uences within your community and your VRP specifi cally. This is your product at its core, and as a business owner, you should understand it and be able to describe it. This is an interactive process. When reading this section of the book, please Google these basic architectural styles, look at a variety of images, and observe the characteristics within each style.

Here, I will review the basic architectural styles prevalent in North America. Of course, there is overlap in design characteristics from one style to another. Think of this is an interesting and fun learning experience. As you become familiar with these styles, you will no doubt begin seeing them in your day-to-day movements. It will give you an entirely new perspective on the homes you see each day, even in your own neighborhood.

Pay special attention to the predominant style in the area where you are considering investing in VRP. The style of the home within the styles in the area will impact your business from marketing to retention of renters in subsequent years.

WEALTH AS A VACATION

Adobe Revival Adobe is also known as mud brick, which is a building material made from organic materials like mud and is among the earliest building materials used around the world. Adobe homes and buildings are popular in the Middle East, North and West Africa, West Asia, South and Southwestern America, Spain and Eastern Europe.

Thousands of years ago, adobe had been used by the indigenous tribes of America, specifi cally in the Southwestern part of what is now the United States, Mesoamerica and South America, especially in the Andean region. Before the introduction by the Spanish of making the bricks, Pueblo people used to build their adobe houses with handfuls of clay. Adobe bricks vary in size from the dimension of an ordinary baked brick today to sizes of one to two yards. The rooms in these traditional structures measured eight to 10 feet and the structures were terraced and multistory.22

Keep in mind that in hot and arid climates, stucco-clad adobe walls tend to be fairly long-lasting. However, when located in colder, wetter climates, adobe bricks can shrink and swell. This can cause the protective stucco to crack or pull away from the interior wall. Plan to do minor patches or a complete resurfacing to prevent serious moisture issues if you purchase this style of VRP. Also, cracked stucco can be a sign of foundation problems.

Beach or Tidewater Houses Beach, seaside, or tidewater houses are often raised up on stilts and are built specifi cally for oceanfront or marshy locations that sometimes fl ood. This style of home is perfect when you are enjoying a vacation and want to have a place near water or even in highland areas. Tidewater houses are found all over American Southeastern coasts and are ideal for hot and wet weather.

The wide porches typical of this style are constructed of wood

22. https://www.homestratosphere.com/home-architecture-styles/ Accessed June 27, 2019.

CHAPTER 4

and are the perfect spot for hanging up a hammock. The main living area is generally raised in one level and features a lot of light and an airy feel. This style also features wide eaves and waterfront space.

Bungalow Bungalows originated in India. Traditionally, bungalows are long, low buildings with wide verandas and attics. Early on, roofi ng was made of thatch and was changed into fi reproof tile later on. It was secured with an insulating air space to prevent tropical heat.

In the 1870s, builders of English seacoast vacation houses built in this style. 1880 saw the rise of bungalows in America, specifi cally in New England. Southern California also embraced this popular style, which has some overlap with the Craftsman style.23 Look for big fi replaces, exposed beams, and built-in furniture.

Cape Cod The Cape Cod style was created after colonists from England arrived in New England and modifi ed an English House hall and parlor house to withstand often stormy weather. These featured steep roofs and big chimneys. After a few generations, several versions of the Cape Cod style were created. One- and two-story Cape Cod homes were made with wooden clapboards, shutters, or shingle exteriors. Dormer windows and cedar shingles are commonly seen on Cape Cod homes. Moderately priced housing developments built after World War II favored the Cape Cod style.

Colonial Borrowing from European infl uences, the Colonial style began in 1600. Several European immigrants brought these infl uences to America and made the Colonial style distinctive.

Colonial houses were further developed during the Colonial period

23. https://www.homestratosphere.com/home-architecture-styles/ Accessed June 27, 2019.

WEALTH AS A VACATION

in U.S. history and were marked by a love of geometry and symmetry. The fi rst design consisted of two-story homes with only one room on each fl oor. This style later grew into four-over-four two-story homes, meaning there are four rooms on each fl oor of the house. This layout characterizes the Colonial style today, with many variations.

Contemporary Contemporary homes are popular modern-era houses built during the 1960s to 1970s. The hallmark of this style is its large plate glass windows and either metal or concrete building materials. Contemporary homes are generally decorated with the natural look of wood or stones and some geometrical shapes like rounds and rectangles throughout.

Contemporary designs are generally asymmetrical in form. Natural lighting is key and comes in through large windows and sliding doors. This style rejects ornamentation; instead, it features clean and smooth textures and lines, within the home itself and in terms of landscaping and furnishing. Look for large doorways and open plan interiors. You many also notice industrial touches, from steel fi nishes to creative and streamlined modern furnishings. This style can be very eye-catching in online VRP listings.

Craftsman and Contemporary Craftsman Many homes built between 1905 and early 1930 were dubbed Craftsman, which is the American version of the Arts and Crafts movement from England, which was a reaction to the alleged soullessness of the Industrial Revolution. This movement place high value on handmade crafts as well as raw and natural materials, off ering a contrast to what the Industrial Revolution stood for.

Exposed beams and rafters are present. There is also generally a dynamic connection between the interior and exterior spaces of the home via porches and terraces. The Craftsman faded in popularity, then made its trendy comeback in mid 1980s.

CHAPTER 4

Today, many homeowners want a mixture of Craftsman style with other styles. This combination is now called “Contemporary Craftsman” and embraces simplicity. Natural materials will always play an important role in this style. Contemporary Craftsman homes generally feature shingled siding, stone details, overhanging beams, cozy living spaces, built-ins, rafters present in open porches with projecting eaves, and a deep gable roof.24

English Cottage This is typically a small old-fashioned house and consisted of a simple space with a ground fl oor and bedrooms that fi t inside a roof space. In today’s present era, a cottage refers to a modest and cozy property, typically built in either rural or semi-rural areas, often on a lake. In the United Kingdom, the word cottage signifi es a traditionally built small dwelling, though it may still be incorporated with modern projects resembling traditional styles, known as mock cottages. In the United States, the term cottage is frequently used to refer to a small holiday home.

Farmhouse A farmhouse is a building or structure which serves as the main residence in agricultural or rural areas. Historically, this type of house was commonly mingled with animal space known as a housebarn. There are farmhouses that are connected with more than one barn to form a courtyard.

Today, farmhouses are enjoying new popularity among vacationers. Style characteristics include horizontal siding, shutter, and a wide porch that stretches along the house’s front area and wraps around either side. The roof of the house is typically steeply pitched and runs along the house’s length. It is sometimes decorated with gables and dormers.

24. https://www.homestratosphere.com/home-architecture-styles/ Accessed June 27, 2019.

WEALTH AS A VACATION

Federal Colonial Federal Colonial, also known as Federal or Adam, dominated the American architectural landscape from 1780 to 1840, then evolved into the Georgian style. This style commonly uses plain surfaces with tempered detail such as isolated panels, friezes, and tablets. Also, fl atter and smoother facades are common. This style sometimes features pilasters or pillars.25

Florida Florida architecture is a wooden frame style house widely built around 19th century in the state of Florida, in the United States. Common characteristics found in a Florida home are metal roofs, large porch areas that wrap around the house, raised fl oors, and straight or conventional central hallways from the anterior to the rear portion of the house. These hallways are sometimes referred to as shotgun or dog trot hallways.

The Florida style is popular for VRP as northerners fl ock toward the sun in winter. Some of the popular examples of the Florida house are the Bensen House in Grant, Florida, Plumb House in Clearwater, Florida, and the Winchester Symphony House in Eau Gallie, Florida.

Log A log house, or log home, is structurally the same as a log cabin made of unmilled logs. The reason why “log cabin” is not typically used as a term by contemporary builders is because it would generally mean a smaller or extra rustic log house, like the summer cottage or the hunting cabin with only one to three rooms. Traditionally, log homes were built with no nails.

In large regions of Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Baltic states, and Russia, the most common building technique is log construction. In these areas, straight and tall coniferous trees like pine and spruce are abundant. This building style is widely used in the Alps,

25. https://www.homestratosphere.com/home-architecture-styles/ Accessed June 27, 2019.

CHAPTER 4

the Balkans, Eastern Central Europe, some parts of North America, and some parts of Asia.

Log homes are most often found in rural or remote settings and climate impacts the kind of wood that can be used to build them. This is a popular VRP style in ski resort areas.

Mediterranean The Mediterranean style home is infl uenced by the sunny countries found on the Mediterranean Sea. The major contributors to the Mediterranean style house classic design are the Italian and Greek styles. This style also borrows some concepts from Spain and is sometimes labelled Spanish Modern. The features that defi ne a Mediterranean house include arches, porticos, heavy wooden doors, landscaping and decorations in the interior as well as exterior, and walls that are often constructed with stucco. Sloping red roofs are usually covered with tiles. Walls are white or painted in sunny neutrals such as salmon, peach or yellow.

Modern Modern architecture arose after World War II and became the dominant architectural style during the postwar period. It has now been popular for many decades. This style developed from the Industrial Revolution and new technologies and materials. Modern architecture can be seen as a reaction to the Victorian era and Art Nouveau’s details.

Early Modern architecture examples include Paxton’s Crystal Palace in London, which made use of iron, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Chicago, which made use of concrete. Function is paramount to this style, which is popular in today’s VRP.

Mountain This style features a rugged outer surface such as wood siding, shingles, or even logs. There are also wide levels and outsized windows for nicer views. Inside, open layouts and lofts are common. An example is

WEALTH AS A VACATION

the Greystone Inn, which has operated since 1985. It was built to look like a Swiss mountain chalet that was completed in 1915. The original structure features a kitchen, free standing library, and pools.

Ranch Ranch-style homes are referred to as American ranch, California ranch, rancher or rambler. It is a local architectural style that originated in the U.S. and is known for its lengthy, dense ground profi le and minimalistic character. A ranch-style home uses few interior or exterior decors. These houses fuse modernist concepts with working ranches to create casual and easy-going living spaces, often with attached garages.

Ranch style was a very famous building style for post-war middleclass families from the 1940s to the 1970s, thought it developed years before, in the 1920s. Its popularity faded in the late 20th century as the neo-eclectic house style became more popular.26

Shingle Many of the homes of this design can be found in popular vacation locations including Martha’s Vineyard, East Hampton, Nantucket, Rhode Island, Cannon Beach and parts of New Jersey. There are diff erent types of shakes. In North America, they generally will use California Redwood, Atlantic White Cedar and Western Red Cedar. Shakes are split while other types of shingles are not.

Spanish Spanish architecture, just like other styles, is not just about the structure itself. This style is also a means of communication and connection with a particular environment or landscape. Community values are mirrored within the Spanish style of architecture, which is common in houses of worship.

26. https://www.homestratosphere.com/home-architecture-styles/ Accessed June 27, 2019.

CHAPTER 4

Spanish-style homes frequently feature thick stucco walls, red tile roofs, and enclosed courtyards that extend occupants’ living space. It’s also common to see small, open windows, exposed beams, and tile fl ooring with this style.

Southern Southern architecture is best known for its antebellum period, which mean pre-Civil War. This neoclassical architectural style found throughout the Deep South in the Southern United States rose from the birth of the American Revolution and was common until the outbreak of the American Civil War.

Georgian, Greek Revival, and Neo-classical elements such as large pillars and porticos characterized this style in homes and mansions. The people of British descent who resided in the Southern states throughout the colonial period and in U.S. regions after the Louisiana Purchase introduced the features associated with antebellum architecture.

Traditional and Tudor Both of these styles have the same front gable and large chimney. However, traditional style homes are scaled back, typically featuring a lower roof pitch and less elaborate detailing. It was popular in the 1940s and early 1950s. Common throughout the U.S., traditional homes are combinations of other styles, yet there are basic features traditional styles always have, like a hipped roof and stucco exteriors. Single-level fl oor plans are common in traditional styles and these usually come with a steeper roof pitch, lofts, covered porches, and open foyers.

The Tudor architectural style was medieval architecture’s fi nal development during the period of Tudor reign in 1485 to 1603. What we typically refer to as a Tudor style home is technically Tudor Revival architecture that developed during the 19th century in England. In today’s time, Tudor homes are made from brick and/or stucco with