Home Trends

True to its name, the Storybook or Fairy Tale House architectural style evokes an air of whimsy, playfulness, and Old World charm. It’s defined not by strict rules, but by an overall atmosphere. The birthplace of the style, however, is far removed from the picturesque villages Storybook homes imitate.  

Rural Romanticism, Hollywood Style

Architects term the style Provincial Revivalism because it draws inspiration from the architecture and folklore found throughout the countryside regions of Europe and, to a lesser extent, the Middle and Far East. With no time period or regional norms to adhere to, it blends elements from medieval Tudor cottages, low German hall houses, Russian country homes, and various modern revival movements as well as folklore imagery.

The style got its start shortly after WWI, when American soldiers returned from Europe enchanted by the romantic architecture of the continent’s countryside. It first took root in Los Angeles, California, a city then emerging as a hub for talented craftspeople and artists seeking their fortune as set designers in the burgeoning film industry. Many of these artisans found work designing for newly wealthy film moguls and stars who were eager to splash out for luxurious homes that displayed their status and reflected their extravagant artistic tastes. The convergence of the two groups lead to an upsurge in opulent homes in a range of revival styles.  

The Storybook style is part of this movement, but it differs in several significant ways. Whereas most revival styles aim to bring back elements of past architectural styles in a largely authentic way, the Storybook style has no pretensions to authenticity. It uses exaggerated forms, artificial aging, and above all, a dreamy and exuberant blend of elements, sometimes verging into the sentimental. In fact, some techniques used in Storybook home building, such as curved surfaces and artificial aging, are straight from the Hollywood set designer’s handbook.

In 1921, Danish-born artist Einar C. Petersen designed the Petersen Studio Court on L.A.’s Beverly Boulevard. Although often considered the pioneering example of the Storybook style, the unassuming bungalow garnered relatively little attention.

That same year, art director Harry Oliver gave the city the much more elaborate Spadena House, also known as the Witch’s House, in Beverly Hills. Thanks to the building’s appearance in a number of silent films in the 1920s, it captured the public’s imagination in a way the Petersen Studio Court hadn’t.

In 1922, Van De Kamp’s Dutch Bakers co-founder Lawrence Frank commissioned Oliver to dream up a building that would bring an equal amount of attention to his bakery. Oliver fulfilled that wish with the quaintly ramshackle Tam O’Shanter Inn, thereby earning his place as the founder of Storybook style.

Designers began calling the style Romance Revival, but soon switched to the more descriptive term Hansel and Gretel-style. Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, homes in the Storybook House architectural style were popping up all over Los Angeles to spreading to Berkeley, Oakland, and elsewhere along the West Coast, and even making appearances as far away as New York and Florida.

The trend was short-lived, though. By the early 1930s, as the Great Depression took its toll on the construction industry and tastes turned toward functional, minimalist architecture, the public largely lost interest in fanciful fairy tale homes. While many original Storybook houses live on as well maintained landmarks, today, the style has only a niche following.

Identifying Storybook House Architecture

The Storybook House architectural style stands out for its sheer capriciousness. Homes in this style are heavily asymmetrical and incorporate a medley of decorative flourishes with plenty of cozy hidden nooks. Their features are artfully mismatched and misshapen, with distressed wood and masonry, all designed to imitate the look of a rustic folk building plucked from an ancient village.

Roof design is where this style really shines. Most Storybook houses are topped with steeply pitched, sometimes swaybacked, cross-gabled roofs adorned with multiple dormers to add irregularity. Clipped gables, reminiscent of Tudor Revival bungalows, are a popular feature. Towers and turrets with conical roofs, spires, and decorative chimneys crowned with chimney pots sprout from these roofs.

On cottage-style Storybook houses, you’ll often find rolled eaves that recall the thatched roofs of rural English cottages. Roofs on these homes are usually covered with wood shingles in undulating or warped patterns that further contribute to the thatched roof look. On the other hand, architects aiming for a Far Eastern look might use pointed eaves and tiles.

Windows and doors on Storybook houses draw heavily from the medieval Tudor style. Tall, narrow windows are favored and typically arranged in groups of three or positioned to peek out from unexpected places. These are often multi-pane casement windows, particularly in mullioned and diamond-paned leaded styles. Doors are often arched or half-round and adorned with ornate handles and hinges. Some homes feature intricately carved wood trim around the windows and doors, and along the roof line, a nod to traditional Russian architecture.

Decorative half-timbering, inspired by the rural German hall house, is another common feature. Columns and colonnades, while not common, sometimes appear on more streamlined Storybook houses. Siding is most often masonry. Clinker brick, with its appealing rough, mottled surface, is a favorite, as is decorative stone work. Stucco is also popular, with wood shingle and lap siding close behind.

Whatever the finish, the colors are almost universally browns, grays, deep reds, amber, and other earthy shades, rather than bright candy colors. The exterior is dressed up with finishing touches such as carvings, wrought iron, elaborate light fixtures, and other decor in unconventional designs.

The Storybook House architectural style makes for a captivating small home, but building one isn’t cheap. The irregular floorplan and roof make it more labor-intensive to construct than standard homes, and the style’s artful irregularity requires meticulous attention to detail to ensure the building is structurally sound. The hand-crafted embellishments and decor common on these homes further add to the cost.

If you’re considering building a Storybook home, starting with an existing house plan based on this architectural style will help you keep your budget under control. If you’re more interested in recognizing these homes, understanding their influences and common design elements will help you spot them in the neighborhoods of L.A. and elsewhere.

While there are advantages to having a home built to your exact specifications, the long wait to completion isn’t one of them. Spec homes, also called inventory, feature or move-in ready homes, solve that problem. “Spec” is short for “speculative,” meaning the builder builds the house based on market demand speculating that someone will want to buy it when it’s complete. This gives you an alternative to buying an older, pre-owned home or hiring a builder for a custom home.

The Pros and Cons of Choosing a Spec Home

A spec home is ideal if you prefer to buy a newly built home, but you also want to move in as soon as possible. Having a house built based on a customized plan can take six months to completion, while a fully custom-built home can take more than a year from start to finish. With a spec home, there’s no waiting. You can plan your move-in date without worrying it will get pushed back due to construction delays.  

A spec home gives you the chance to physically walk through your prospective new living space to get a feel for it before you commit to ownership. You might discover what you presumed would be the perfect kitchen size actually feels too small once you’re standing in it or realize the sunken living room you wanted isn’t really your thing after all.

Most spec homes go up for sale only when they’re fully complete except for the finishing touches. That means your customization options are largely limited to finishings such as paint and flooring. The architectural style, floor plan, features such as bay windows and fireplaces, and even the lighting and appliances are all chosen by the builder. If you’re not picky, this can be an advantage because it saves you months of research, planning, and decision making.

If you have clear ideas on what you want in your future home, however, this lack of control is the biggest downside of buying a spec home. Not only could you miss out on features you wanted, but you might end up with expensive features you don’t want, and that drive up the price of the house with no real benefit to you. What’s more, your home is unlikely to be anything particularly striking. Most builders stick with the styles and features they believe will sell easily, so your home will look much like other homes built by the same builder.

Spec homes have a reputation for being built with lower quality materials based on the presumption that builders chose whatever they can get at a contractor’s rate. In reality, the quality of the house depends on the builder. Most builders use adequate quality materials, but don’t often splash out for anything high end.

That said, because spec homes let builders use familiar house plans and buy materials at favorable rates, builders can install high-end materials in their spec homes at less than they could for a custom home, then pass those savings to the buyer. You can get luxury appliances, stone countertops, and hardwood flooring for much less than if you bought them for your own custom home.

Financing for a spec home is also simpler than for a custom home, letting you avoid progress payments and other hassles related to financing an on-going project.

What to Know Before You Start Looking

If you’re considering buying a spec home, start researching your area’s spec home builders through your local home builders’ association and by browsing online and in the newspaper real estate listings for new homes.  

Check their public records and their reviews with the Better Business Bureau. Look through their websites and social media to get a feel for their work. Drive by some of their homes currently for sale to see the styles and quality in person. When you’ve found three or four builders whose work you like, set up an interview and ask for references you can call.

Look for a real estate agent who can guide you through the buying process. Their experience will save you a lot of time and trouble, and the cost is on the builder. Likewise, choose your own mortgage lender. While many builders have a preferred real estate agent and lender they can recommend, choosing your own helps ensure you get professionals with the right knowledge and skills for your individual situation.

When you’re ready to start seriously shopping around, keep in mind you probably won’t find a spec home with every feature on your dream list. While you’ll need to compromise in some areas, don’t shy away from asking about possible modifications, even if the home is already complete. Wall and floor coverings, as well as some lighting and plumbing fixtures can often be changed, and some builders will even upgrade appliances.

Builders hesitate to reduce sales prices of their homes because doing so brings down the value of the neighborhood, creating an overall loss for them, their buyers, and the existing residents. Instead, many negotiate by offering upgrades as an alternative to a lower sales price. This way you as the buyer get more value for your money without negatively affecting the neighborhood.

Even though everything in the house is new, you’ll still need a professional home inspection to be sure the building is structurally sound, and its systems and features are in working order before you buy. Choose the inspector yourself, rather than accepting the builder’s recommendation.

Get familiar with what your home’s warranty covers and for how long. Most offer one year of coverage on materials, such as doors and flooring, two to five years of coverage on systems such as plumbing and electrical, and 10 or more years of coverage for major structural defects such as a cracked foundation or collapsing roof. Others offer a 10-year warranty on everything in the house.

A spec home gives you the chance to live in a brand new house without the headache of planning it all and the long wait through the construction process. Because you’ll get to tour the house before you buy, you’re less likely to end up disappointed than if you’d chosen your home based on plans alone. While you probably won’t get every feature you dreamed of, if you’re flexible, you can find a home you’ll love quickly and on highly favorable terms.

Spacious wrap-around porches, intricate ironwork railings, high windows, and French doors lend the French Creole architectural style a characteristic look that’s a fundamental part of Louisiana’s ambiance. As recognizable as it is, the style defies precise definition and is better understood in terms of its evolution.

A Blend of Practicality and Tradition

The exact origins of the French Creole building tradition are a subject of debate, but most historians classify the style as a branch of the American Colonial style that developed during the early 1700s, primarily in Louisiana. Between 1682 and 1762, the area of present-day Louisiana was controlled by the French under the name of New France. Naturally, French culture had a powerful influence on the architecture of the time, but it wasn’t the only source of inspiration.

Many of the French Creole architectural style’s distinctive features arose out of an attempt to stay comfortable in the area’s hot, humid climate. Even these functional features, however, bear the mark of deliberate design influenced by cultural traditions.

Each culture present in the area brought its own ideas on how to adapt to the environment. Some historians believe most Creole building traditions are borrowed from French architecture, particularly that of Normandy, while others define Creole architecture in terms of how it evolved due to Haitian and other West Indian influence. Still, others suggest the style came not directly from France, but rather from the French Canadian settlers who moved into the Louisiana area.

Ultimately, like French Creole cuisine and music, French Creole architecture has been shaped by all the cultures that call the Mississippi Valley home, yet it remains a distinctive tradition unique to French America.

Due to the low population density at the time, French Creole architecture spread little outside of Louisiana. Sadly, many of the original Creole buildings were destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fires of 1788 and 1794. At that time, the area was controlled by the Spanish, who revamped building codes to improve safety and contributed their own architectural conventions during reconstruction, altering the archetypal Creole look.

Even so, the French Creole building tradition flourished until well into the mid-19th century. By the 1830s, builders began incorporating more British colonial features, such as double-hung windows, into Creole style buildings. Today, you’ll find French Creole features on a wide variety of structures around Louisiana.

The Features That Give French Creole Architecture its Flair

The quintessential French Creole home is a two- or three-story symmetrical building with a large front porch and balconies, called galleries, on every story. These galleries reflect the balconies found on some farmhouses in Normandy. The house’s broad, hipped Norman-style roof extends over the galleries to provide shade and is held up by thin wooden columns known as colonnettes. Ornate ironwork railings trim the galleries’ edges.

The house’s main entrance is typically positioned at the center of the facade and flanked by full-length windows that stretch all the way up to the second-floor balcony. While these are all common elements, not every French Creole building incorporates every one of them. These buildings come in two distinct styles, each with its own distinguishing features.

The Creole Cottage

This is the original Creole-style home. These buildings consist of one to four rooms arranged side by side, parallel to the street and without long hallways. In multi-room houses, a Norman-style salle-et-chambre (parlor-and-bedroom) sits at the center. Chimneys were placed in this room or another central location, rather than on an exterior wall. In other cottages, bedrooms were housed in an additional half-story.

The cottages’ timber frames are often infilled with bousillage, an adobe-like material made from clay mixed with moss, grass, and animal hair, depending on what was available in the local area. Many are faced with clapboard or brick. Both wide, hipped roofs and steeply peaked roofs are common, while gabled roofs are less so. Often, the entire building is elevated on piers to provide ventilation and protection from floods and water-logged soil.

In rural areas, builders took advantage of the plentiful space to construct sprawling front porches and galleries that provide a breezy, shaded refuge from the stuffy interior. These often wrapped all the way around the house, doubled as passages between rooms, and functioned as bedrooms in summer. In fact, these outdoor spaces were so important, they were painted and detailed with the same care as the home’s interior.

The Creole Townhouse

Abundant throughout the New Orleans’s French Quarter, these urban homes sprang up in the wake of the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788. They’re similar to their rural cousins, but with one major difference: their more fire-resistant construction. They’re built not with traditional wood framing, but with thick stucco or brick walls. They’re typically multi-story, L-shaped buildings that stand flush with the street. The ground floor served as shop space, while the upper floors provided more secluded living space for the family. Some homes included an entresol, a low-ceiling storage area between the first and second floor.

Due to limited space in New Orleans, townhouses often lacked galleries, but made up for the loss with spacious rear courtyards and a porte cochere, a passageway leading from the front of the building through to the rear courtyard. Being built later in the Creole period, many display Spanish features, such as tile roofs and dormers.

Not all Creole buildings in New Orleans are townhouses. You’ll also find cottages built at the same time as the townhouses. Unlike rural cottages, urban versions are usually built flush with the street and without galleries. The symmetrical arrangement of two doors and two windows on the facade is one of the most instantly recognizable features of this cottage style.

The Pigeonnier

Creole plantations gave rise to yet another noteworthy structure: the outbuilding known as the pigeonnier, or dovecote in English. In France, only gentry members were allowed to keep pigeons, which were raised for meat, eggs, and dung as fertilizer, so the birds became a status symbol in French-controlled Louisiana. The Creole pigeonnier is a small, one-and-a-half, or two-story square or hexagonal building with nesting boxes inside and holes in the upper section to allow the birds access.

By combining practical climate adaptations with French and Caribbean aesthetics, the French Creole architectural style evolved into one of Louisiana’s most distinctive traditions. Understanding the roots of this style gives you deeper insight into how the region’s culture developed into the complex fusion it is today.

When your aging parent is no longer safe living alone, moving them into a nursing home or a spare room in your house aren’t the only options. With a small, senior-friendly modular home, also known as a granny pod, you can provide housing that’s both safe and convenient for the whole family.

As a completely self-contained living space, a granny pod keeps mom or dad close enough to check in on regularly while still letting them maintain their independence. Given the cost of nursing home care, a granny pod is often the more financially sensible option. These homes take a little more planning than your average guest cottage, though, so get familiar with the requirements before you start clearing land.

Granny Pods Offer Freedom and Security

At its simplest, a granny pod is just a small pre-fabricated modular home or “tiny house” of between 400 and 500 square feet. It offers just enough space for one person or a couple. Most include a sleeping area, living room, bathroom, and kitchenette to allow the resident to take care of all their needs independently. Alternatively, a smaller version of 12 to 24 sq. ft. can be designed for an individual who spends most of their time in bed.

The granny pod is placed near the main house, usually in the backyard, to allow an elderly family member to enjoy the freedom of living alone, yet still get help quickly when they need it.

What makes a granny pod different from an ordinary tiny house are the modifications included to adapt the space to the needs of an elderly adult. Wide doorways, floor lighting, and hand rails are common. The most elaborate models resemble hospital rooms kitted out with home medical equipment such as monitors and assistive devices.

Because these little houses are mobile, you can bring the whole thing along if you ever decide to move.

Home Design with the Elderly in Mind

Senior-friendly design in a small space takes planning and creativity. Many space-saving tricks common in tiny houses, such as lofts accessible by narrow staircases, don’t work for elderly people with limited mobility and vision.

To make sure your granny pod will be comfortable for your family member, whatever the state of their health, start by planning for wheelchair accessibility. Pre-fabricated wheelchair-friendly tiny houses are out there, and many other modular home companies can modify their existing models for accessibility. For good accessibility, you’ll need at least 400 sq. ft., which is on the large side for a tiny house. The exception is for those who are no longer mobile and whose granny pod will contain only a bedroom and bathroom.

Ground level entrances and French doors make it easy to get in and out of the building. Inside, sliding barn doors are more convenient for elderly adults to use and save space, too. In the bathroom, plan for enough space around the toilet, bath/shower, and cabinets for a wheelchair user to maneuver freely. Choose a walk-in tub or roll-in shower and install grab bars near the toilet and in the bath/shower. In the kitchen, a roll-under sink and adjustable-height counters will make meal preparation and clean-up easier. If you’ll be including a laundry area, go with a front load washer and dryer.

Make sure light switches, door knobs, and work surfaces are low enough to reach. Choose built-in storage with adjustable or varied-height shelving and pull-down closet rods. Overhead and underfloor storage are still options, but they’re best used for seasonal items you can get out for mom or dad when they need them. To expand your storage options and lend a more spacious feeling to the home, consider including a vaulted ceiling.

Lighting is another concern for older adults with low vision, but adding large windows to let in plenty of natural light is the only major modification you might need. Beyond this, install floor lighting, task lighting in the living room and kitchen, and lighting in storage areas, including closets.

To make sure you and your elderly family member can reach each other easily, connect the granny pod to the main house with a path made from concrete, pavers, or another smooth material. For wheelchair accessibility, choose a width of at least 3 1/2 ft. and a gradient of no more than 1:15.

Managing Legalities and Financing

Before you set your heart on building the perfect granny pod, look into your city’s zoning laws on accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. Local regulations might address the amount of land the new structure can cover as well as who can live there, stipulating that only immediate family or dependents can occupy the space. If you’re close to a historic district, biosphere reserve or another protected area, you might need a variance or exemption to build at all.

Just like plans for any inhabited structure, plans for a granny pod must be approved for structural and fire safety, so you’ll need to obtain building permits and have the building inspected by the proper local authorities. Most granny pods are hooked up to the main house’s power, water, and sewer lines, so you’ll also need to get the building approved by your utilities suppliers. Expect to spend around three months on the whole process of getting your permits in order.

The cost of a tiny house averages around $35,000, but for more elaborate, custom-built models, the cost can rise to $200,000 or higher. Because a granny pod requires a relatively large space and senior-friendly modifications, you can expect your costs to be somewhat above average.  

Considering the cost of residential care facilities, though, investing in a granny pod could still pay off financially. A year in an assisted living facility can easily cost over $40,000, while nursing homes are even pricier.
 
Designing a granny pod on a budget is possible, but it takes a little creativity to manage your costs without sacrificing safety or comfort. To estimate the budget you’ll need, start by making a list of the features you want. This way you can you easily add, subtract, and modify features to suit your needs. Building the granny pod you can afford now, then making modifications as the need arises is another way to keep your costs in line.

Home loans and personal loans are the most common methods of financing a granny pod, but some banks offer loans specifically developed for small modular houses like these. While you can use your home’s equity as collateral for a new loan, you’ll still need to demonstrate you have enough income to meet the monthly payments. You might also need to have your home revalued, so dig out your house plans and get ready to talk with an appraiser.

If you’re looking for a way to keep an aging parent close while still letting everyone enjoy their own space, a granny pod could be the answer. While the extra space and disability-friendly modifications these homes typically include make them somewhat more expensive than the average small modular home, they’re often less costly than a year or two in an assisted living facility. Best of all, you’ll gain the peace of mind of knowing you’re just a few steps away whenever mom or dad needs you.

Affordable, durable, and distinctive, Quonset hut homes have been gaining popularity among the eco-friendly and DIY crowds. Despite their origins as drab, drafty military structures, these buildings can provide first-rate comfort once fit with modern amenities and creatively decorated.

Although they’re cheaper to build than most traditional houses, the costs tend to add up quickly once you start work. If you’re considering one of these homes, understanding all the steps involved in construction will help you establish your budget.

How the Quonset Hut Home Began

A Quonset hut is a semi-cylindrical structure made of corrugated galvanized steel. The design is based on the British Nissen hut, developed in 1916 by Major Peter Norman Nissen for use as barracks and other military structures during WWI. Nissen himself took his invention on the road and eventually patented it in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa.

The American version came into being in 1941 when the United States Navy needed lightweight, easy-to-assemble buildings that could be shipped anywhere. The first of these buildings were manufactured at Quonset Point at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island, which lent its name to the huts. Fittingly, the word Quonset is derived from an Algonquian word used to indicate a “small, long place.”

During WWII, around 160,000 of these huts were constructed, ranging in size from 16 by 36 ft to 40 by 100 ft. After the war, they were sold off to the public, and many were turned into storage buildings, shops, and homes. These buildings had the benefit of being economical to produce and easy to construct, but comfort wasn’t one of their strong points. Even among military users, they gained a reputation as chilly and drafty in cold weather and stuffy in hot weather.

While some original Quonset huts are still in use today, most of the Quonset hut homes being built now come from kits designed for long-term residential use. Improvements in insulation and ventilation make it possible to get the classic Quonset hut look while still living in comfort. These homes still aren’t widely known, but they’re gradually gaining popularity as part of the alternative living trend that includes tiny homes, shipping container homes, and bus homes.

Four Styles for a Variety of Needs

Quonset hut home kits are available in four different shapes to meet the needs of different climate demands and aesthetic preferences.

Q model – As the traditional full arch, military-style building, this model is designed to maximize structural integrity. Its simple geometric appearance provides a relatively blank slate for modifications. It’s also the cheapest style of Quonset homes.

S model – This model combines high, straight sidewalls with an arched roof. The roof lets heavy rain and snow slide off easily, making this model a good choice where those conditions are common. The high sidewalls increase vertical space, allowing you to use more of the interior compared to a Q model. Its combination of durability and maximum space has made it highly popular with Quonset hut home builders.

P model – With its high sidewalls and peaked roof, this model comes closest to looking like a traditional house. The roof is still arched enough to shed rain and snow effectively, but it offers the aesthetic appeal of a gable roof. On the downside, the P model is slightly more expensive than the Q and S models.

A model – Because this model looks so similar to the P model, the two are often grouped together. In fact, some kit companies offer A/P model Quonset homes. In the A model, the roof is arched, but with a slight peak just like in the P model. The walls, however, make the difference. Although they’re largely straight, they’re angled slightly inward. This creates an arching shape somewhere between the shape of the Q and the S model.

If durability and weather-resistance are priorities, but you want something with more structure than a simple half-cylinder, this might be the model for you. Prices are comparable with the P model.

Benefits for Your Budget, Your Safety, and the Environment

As you’d expect from a military structure, practicality is one of the Quonset hut’s main strengths. A big part of that comes from their low cost compared to traditional wood frame or masonry houses. Cost varies greatly depending on the size of the home and any extras such as dormer windows, as well as the type of accessories, such as doors and windows, you choose.

The cost of the kit isn’t the total cost, either. In addition to delivery costs, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of a concrete foundation at around $5 to $10 per sq. ft., as well as wiring, plumbing, and insulation at between $5 to $12 per sq. ft. Not keen on the idea of erecting the house yourself? Hiring a contractor is an option, but it will cost you between $5 to $10 per sq. ft. All told, it’s possible to build a comfortable home for around $35,000 if you go easy on the extras, and you’re willing to do most of the work yourself.

Ease of construction is another thing that makes these houses so pragmatic. They’re ideal DIY homes, requiring only bolting the parts together. A team of four people with basic construction experience can have a Quonset hut home put together in just a few days. Kits provide all the parts for the walls, but you’ll need to arrange for the foundation, insulation, and utilities yourself.

Quonset huts were designed to withstand extreme weather conditions. The arched form provides structural integrity that holds up against heavy snow, hail, and gale force winds. The galvanized steel exterior resists rust and corrosion.

The huts are among the most fire-resistant buildings around. The exterior can prevent an interior fire from spreading to nearby buildings and will come through minor fires with little more than a layer of soot. If a wildfire sweeps through your property, a Quonset hut home will do a much better job of protecting your belongings than a wood frame house, although such extreme temperatures can weaken the metal walls. The walls of these homes are usually guaranteed up to 40 years, but a Quonset home’s average life expectancy is around 80 years.

For innovative would-be owners, the design freedom a Quonset hut offers is a big draw. With no interior structural supports to get in the way, a Quonset hut gives you the freedom to design the interior layout exactly as you want without being forced to work around load-bearing walls or beams.

Among the eco-conscious, Quonset homes are favored for their relatively low environmental impact. When properly insulated, these homes are highly energy efficient, maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature without much additional help from the heating and cooling system. Windows can be sized and oriented to take advantage of sunlight and shade, depending on the requirements in your climate. It’s possible to find Quonset hut home kits in which the exterior walls are made primarily from recycled steel. Once the home is no longer needed, the steel walls can be recycled.

From their modest military origins, Quonset huts have evolved into a practical option for eco-friendly, hands-on homebuilding. If the simple arched form appeals to you, a Quonset hut home might be one of your best choices for homeownership on a budget. Just remember to include the cost of the foundation, insulation, and utilities installation when you’re deciding how much to spend.

The stately yet practical homes of the American Colonial period owe a lot to Dutch building traditions. The Dutch settlers’ skill in brickwork and their inventive adaptations such as split doors and flared roof eaves gave Dutch Colonial architecture a distinctive appearance that was widely popular throughout the northeast. Today, Dutch customs still influence home design in the region.

Dutch Traditions Thrive Abroad

In the early 17th century, Dutch traders and settlers established a colony in North America they called New Netherlands. Although the British annexed the settlement in 1664 and renamed it New York, the Dutch had already left their mark on the region’s architectural scene.

The style they built in, now known as Dutch Colonial, was most prevalent in today’s New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania regions, but also appeared in Delaware and Connecticut. Whether New York or Pennsylvania is the original home of the style, however, is up for debate.

The term “Dutch” wasn’t used as it is today, but rather as a catch-all term for non-British settlers. Many so-called Dutch settlers did come from the then Dutch Republic, but others were French-Belgian Huguenots, Flemish or German. As a result, Dutch Colonial architecture shows influence from all these groups, and not every feature can be traced back to the modern-day Netherlands.

To complicate matters, few original 17th-century Dutch buildings remain today. Most existing Dutch Colonial-style buildings were built in the 20th century and are more accurately called Dutch Colonial Revival, a sub-type of Colonial Revival. This style emerged from the nostalgic and often patriotic romanticizing of the Colonial Period. It wasn’t intended to precisely replicate Dutch colonial construction methods, but to evoke the mood of the old Dutch colonial farmhouses and period. Because of this, modern Dutch Colonials vary widely in terms of which original Dutch-style features they include.

After its 17th-century debut, the popularity of Dutch Colonial architecture rose again starting in 1890 and really took off between 1925 and 1940. The homes built earlier in this revival period showed more variation and decorative flourishes, while later homes returned to classical simplicity. The style hit another peak in the 1950 and ’60s. Today, Dutch Colonial architecture is a favorite among luxury home designers because it offers the flexibility to incorporate custom features and distinctive ornamentation.

Practicality with Style

Unlike most architectural styles, which were used as much for public buildings as for residential ones, Dutch Colonial style was used only for homes. Original Dutch Colonial homes were typically made of brick or stone, rather than wood as many British Colonial homes were. At the time, the Dutch were well known for their brick masonry skills.

The facades of Dutch Colonials are most often symmetrical with a central front door and orderly rows of windows, but the interior layouts vary. Many were based on open layouts two or three rooms across with fireplaces on each end. The roofs were then topped with gable-end chimneys, and the fireplaces’ stone back walls were left visible on the house’s exterior.

The most distinctive feature of Dutch Colonial architecture is the broad gambrel roof. This barn-style double-pitched roof has two slopes on each side, with the upper slopes lying almost flat and the lower slopes falling almost straight down. In the 18th century, this roof was so strongly associated with Dutch-style homes it was known simply as the “Dutch roof.”

Despite their prominence on Dutch Colonial houses, these roofs originated from English, French, and Flemish construction traditions. The Dutch themselves first built their houses with inverted V roofs. They didn’t fully embrace the gambrel roof until around 1775.

Before then, gambrel roofs had been popular on barns, but their use on residential buildings was a Dutch Colonial adaptation. The goal, however, was the same: maximizing space on the upper floors. A gambrel roof allows for a fully usable second and sometimes even third floor.

They were also cheaper and easier to build than standard two-story gable-roofed houses, and they helped their owners save on taxes. The Federal Direct Tax records of 1798, which levied the nation’s first property taxes, classified houses with gambrel roofs as one story and taxed them at a lower rate than two-story houses.

These spacious roofs were often further expanded using dormers, which raise the ceiling on the second floor while making room for more windows. Gable and hipped dormers were the most common, but shed dormers that take up much of the roofline were also popular.

The dormers almost always included windows that let in light and fresh air. These might be the double-hung 8-over-8 windows characteristic of Dutch Colonial homes or something smaller. Eyebrow dormer windows on the top floor were another way builders let in light. On some more ornate houses, decorative round wheel windows accent the gable ends.

Adding to the standout look of Dutch Colonial roofs are the flared eaves, or “Dutch kick,” with one side that extends partly or completely over the porch. The porches themselves are almost always covered, their roofs supported by simple columns. Balconies are rare.

Many older Dutch Colonial homes feature split or double-hung doors of the type often installed on barns. Used on homes, they let in fresh air while keeping children inside and livestock or wildlife out. These doors were used so often by Dutch home builders they were eventually dubbed “Dutch doors.” The combination of the gambrel roof and split doors is a big part of how Dutch Colonial houses earned the nickname “barn houses.”

Brick facing is the traditional preference for Dutch Colonial style homes, although after 1920, brick veneer was often used. For modern Dutch Colonials, clapboard and shingle siding are usually the go-to option. Owners of these homes often choose muted paint colors such as brown, gray, steel blue, and moss green to complement the uncluttered architecture.

Unlike most Victorian-era architectural styles, the Dutch Colonial style favors practicality and keeps embellishments to a minimum. It’s exactly this pragmatic approach and judicious use of decorative touches that became distinctive of the style.

Drawing inspiration from the building traditions of the Dutch and the cultures around them, Dutch Colonial architecture offers a glimpse into how Colonial-era settlers established their lives. It’s a perfect example of New World cultural mingling and resourcefulness.