Modernizing a Traditional Cape Cod-Style Home

Table Of Content

• Reasons to Move to San Marcos, CA, and Why You’ll Love Living There
• Atwood-Higgins House: A famous example of this Cape Cod architecture
• Cape Cod House Style – The Ultimate Guide To What It Is And How To Get The Look
• Connect With A Redfin Agent
• Three-quarter Cape Cod house style
• What kind of lighting is in a Cape Cod house?

Craftsman houses are known for detailed interior woodwork, large front porches, and earthy colors. They were popular in the Midwest and West, merging with the Bungalow style in California to create a uniquely West Coast look. Many Cape Cod–style homes include decks or porches to make outdoor living more accessible. Though Cape Cod houses had humble beginnings, they’ve evolved into coveted, beloved structures. According to Wright, it’s the “cultural knowledge” of what the homes represent that keep them so popular.

Reasons to Move to San Marcos, CA, and Why You’ll Love Living There

The houses were designed to withstand the strong winds, harsh winters, and salt air prevalent in the region. The steep roof pitch, known as a “pitched” or “steep gable” roof, helped to shed snow and rain easily, while the symmetrical facade and minimal ornamentation added to the practicality and efficiency of the design. Depending on the position of the front doors and multi-pane glass windows on the facade, Cape Cod homes further segregate their design styles into single, three-quarters, and full cape. However, there are a few common design characteristics in each that unite into one strong architectural design style called the ‘Cape Cod Style’. The most modern of adaptations for the 20th century would be the garage facing front so the neighbors knew you owned an automobile.

Atwood-Higgins House: A famous example of this Cape Cod architecture

Like many beach towns throughout the northern coast, plenty of the homes are only used 12 weeks out of the year—and even those that are used year-round get the most action in the summer months. “Seasonal homes like many of these are designed for outdoor and beach living. As such, people want houses connected to the outdoors, to porches and decks and to views,” McDonald explains, noting that you’ll often find these indoor-outdoor living spaces in this style of home design.

Cape Cod House Style – The Ultimate Guide To What It Is And How To Get The Look

On one side is one window, and on the other is two — it's quite literally the equivalent of adding another window onto the half Cape. These homes are certainly more modest, but no less special — and they're definitely more popular than a beachside mansion. Whether you're thinking of buying one of these beauties or just toying with the idea of a late summer rental, there's plenty to learn about the classic Cape style home. On a grand scale, Victorian houses are instantly recognizable for their multi-colored exteriors, turrets, gables, gingerbread details, and substantial wraparound porches.

Cape Cod-Style Entrance

And John Lautner’s 1960 “Chemosphere” house, which I have visited, is a miracle of invisible engineering and visible imagination. One home style that’s flourished on the architectural evolutionary tree is the Craftsman bungalow, as identifiably Southern California as the Hollywood sign. The most sublime and costly of these is the gem-perfect Gamble House in Pasadena, but thousands of California bungalows fill neighborhoods and towns like South Pasadena. At their best, the bungalows appear to arise from the landscape, in hunkered-down lines with deep, cool porches and stone and wood materials whose own superb construction is ornament enough. The Mission Revival style in particular lasted only maybe a quarter-century, until World War I. To my way of thinking, it is not attractive, with that arched roofline like a dromedary’s hump.

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.

The Cape’s steeply pitched, side-gabled roof was designed to shed ice and snow. In the 19th century, dormer windows appeared on the second floor to add light and space. Historical Capes were clad in long-lasting cedar shingles, sometimes with clapboards on the facade.

“It’s got either shingle siding or white clabbered siding, a single story in the front, a central front door, and a big roof sometimes with dormers,” Wright says. Often built around simple, rectangular floor plans, their shape is nearly identical to the silhouette a child might come up with if prompted to draw a house. Using local materials—cedar for roofing and siding shingles, oak and pine for framing and flooring[2]—settlers built houses locally adapted to New England's extreme winter climate.

Many 20th century Cape cod homes opt for a different exterior paint color palette than those built earlier. Nowadays, Cape cod homes use exterior paint colors that lean conservative in style. To maintain a traditional Cape Cod Style trim colors are often kept a light color or white. Why not try some blacks in doors, window frames, and trims to give your home a modern touch? All Cape Cod homes have shutters to protect the interiors, so you could let your creative juices flow in specifying a particular shade for these coverings.

This Is the Second-Most Expensive Home for Sale on Cape Cod - Boston magazine

This Is the Second-Most Expensive Home for Sale on Cape Cod.

Posted: Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Shingle shakes and wood clapboards are additional distinguishing features of Cape Cod-style homes. Wood was a plentiful local material for those just settling on the East Coast. Before pre-milled lumber, cedar shakes were hand-split from blocks of wood using a mallet. Like many of the style's other characteristics, Cape Cod homes typically feature neutral exterior color schemes.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw variations in design, including the addition of Greek Revival and Colonial Revival elements. The Mid-20th Century Cape Cod Revival revitalized the style, making it appealing for first-time home buyers and those looking for modest-sized, manageable starter homes. A Cape Cod style house is a timeless and recognizable symbol of American architecture. Embodying simplicity, elegance, and functionality, this architectural style has roots traced back to the 17th century.

As Americans migrated from east to west, the Cape Cod design and construction moved with them. This is why Cape Cod houses are more often found in colder, snowier climates throughout New England in cities like Manchester, NH, Boston, MA, Cranston, RI, and Stamford, CT. In other areas of the United States, the Cape Cod-style is often mixed with craftsman elements, ranch, or Tudor design. Homenish broke down the downsides of owning a Cape house, and they're as minimal as the decor you'd find in one. The rooms are small and a bit boxy, which makes it easy to grow out of for young families. Adding on rooms isn't all that easy, either, since it's so catered to a specific flow and symmetrical feel.

When restoring a Cape Cod house, collaboration with professionals who understand the Cape Cod revival nuances is essential. Historic home restoration is a complex task, and only experienced professionals can preserve the house’s 18th-century charm or the snow load-bearing steep-roof characteristic. Outdoor areas like porches and decks are essential to the Cape Cod lifestyle. These spaces serve as an extension of the home, allowing residents to enjoy the fresh salt air and scenic beauty of coastal living.

These homes are common in many cities up and down the state, from Malibu to Vacaville. Contemporary homes typically have sleek and streamlined designs, with plenty of natural light and an emphasis on functionality, perfect for the sunny California days. Expect to see a mix of materials and textures, such as wood, metal, and glass to complete the home. A Cape Cod house is typically single- or two-story, wide and rectangular-shaped, and features symmetrical windows on either side of the central front door. Cape Cods are often defined by their practical gabled roofs with dorm windows, which are composed of two sloping sections that meet in a roof ridge at the top.

The Cape Cod style house originates in the 17th century, influenced by the construction of English cottages. Puritan settlers arriving in New England adapted the English Hall and Parlor house, blending practicality with the region’s harsh weather conditions. Cedar shingles, central chimneys, and steep roofs became defining characteristics of this early American architecture style. If you’re looking for a home that’s got modern and chic elements consider a contemporary style house.