The American Traditional Folk House’s Exteriors and Styles and its History

The evolution of the house exteriors as well as their designs are grouped and categorized into different time periods, which were mostly influenced by the historical, economic conditions as well as the geographic location in the period in which these houses were built. It is noteworthy to know that from these designs emerged the exterior styles we know today, and which our housing services including interior designing, CA roofing services, etc. have based their styles and services they provide.

To understand the housing styles, it is important to consider the overlapping of the periods that also influenced the probability of the overlapping of the designs. On the one hand, one design can exist in different regions of the country within the given period. On the other hand, house exterior designs might also be varied in a specific region at the given time.

Traditional Folk Houses

The designs and styles of each traditional folk house vary from region to region. For instance, houses from the Southeast need to be as cool as possible as the climate in the region is too hot. The houses in the Midwest need to be durable for snow as the region has heavy snowfalls. Aside from the climate, the house’s styles also depend on the inhabitants’ lifestyle and the resources available in the environment.

The Native American

It is characterized by eight-sided mud and long hogans wood frame hogans. In the New Mexico, they have Pueblo that resembles an apartment with adobe dwellings. It has a box shape interior, flat roofs, and projecting roof beams.

The Early English House

The early settlers used the mud-and-stud method of construction. In this method, the house frame is constructed from the upright forked logs with cross beams. The roof is made from leaves, tree barks, or with some bundles and reeds, while the walls were filled with clay and mud. Later on, it was developed and refined and later became half-timbered houses, which use plaster or brick to fill the spaces between the beams.

The Tidewater South House

The settlements continued in the low-level coastal areas called Tidewater. The house resembles a room made of wood with a wooden or a stone chimney. When its evolution continued, people started adding another room and covered porches.

The New England House

The second successful settlement of the Englishmen in America was in Massachusetts. These people usually created a two-story house and are made of heavy timber frames. The houses were usually made of wood as America was abundant in woods. Another example was the cape cod which is a small house with a gable roof and some side gables. The other two examples are garrison and a saltbox. The saltbox is one sub-variation of the Cape Cod and got its name from a wooden box served as a container for salt. The garrison was among the latest construction in this period. It is a two-story house which has strongly supported the second floor. It is symmetrical, has windows with small panes of glass and a steep gable roof.