Most popular home styles in the country

Mission Revival? Craftsman Bungalow? Mediterranean-style? Knowing a home’s architecture or style can easily help you zone in on your dream home. Let’s see if you can find these homes in and around Smith Mountain Lake!

Tudor

Tudors are easily identifiable because of their distinct looks and architectural components. Asymmetrical exteriors play an important part in the overall look, as well as stucco walls and wood accents. Seeing a Tudor-style home can easily transport you to the era of the England’s Tudor dynasty.

Colonial

If Tudors are all about asymmetry, Colonial-style homes are all about symmetry. Evenly-spaced dormers, columns, and shuttered windows are the norm, whether it’s Georgian Colonial, Dutch Colonial, or Federal Colonial. All this symmetry creates a rather regal effect, making it one of the most popular home styles in the United States.

Mediterranean

Mediterranean-style homes are all over the country, especially between 1918 and 1940. Common design elements include porticoes, heavy wood doors, colorful tiles in different designs, and iron railings with embellishments. It’s most distinguishable feature, however, is its red-tile roof.

Contemporary

If it’s clean, modern, and almost futuristic, then it’s most probably a Contemporary-style home. Materials such as steel, wood, glass, and stone are often incorporated with each other. Common features include flat roofs and simple lines. Expect the use of big windows as well, as Contemporary homes like to let in plenty of natural light.

Craftsman Bungalow

If it’s simple, with a wide front porch and a low-pitched roof, then it may be a Craftsman Bungalow. Another common style throughout the country, this home style features exteriors made of brick, stone, or wood.

Victorian

Like a Tudor-style home, Victorian homes give off an appeal thanks to their ornate exteriors. You can tell that a home is Victorian-style if it has ornate trims, wraparound porches, bay windows, gables, and overhangs. Over the years, the Victorian style gave birth to other styles, including Italianate, Queen Anne, and Romanesque.

Cape Cod

Reminiscent of English thatched cottages, Cape Cod sprung in the real estate scene in the 1600s. Such homes usually have large chimneys, steep roofs, and dormer windows (for which they are easily recognizable).