The most noticeable feature of a colonial home is its symmetry. Colonial-style houses are often square or rectangular in design, with the door in the precise middle and the equal number of windows perfectly reflected on either side. They are typically two to three storeys tall, with comparable, traditional room layouts. The upper floors usually have larger windows for light and airiness, while the ground floor often has an open porch or balcony.
Colonists built their homes from locally available materials such as wood, brick, and mud. Sometimes they used stones from older buildings in the area as well. The location of each house was chosen by its builder as well as his family. Often these homes were placed close together in order to provide security for their owners. There are many examples of colonial-era houses across the United States.
In time, colonies became cities. As cities grew, so did their need for housing. One response to this need was the development of suburban neighborhoods. These areas were usually located away from city centers, near enough to be able to go into town for supplies and goods, but also with space left over for farming. Suburban neighborhoods often include single-family homes, apartment complexes, townhouses, and even small villages. They can be found in every state in the Union.
Another response to the need for housing was the construction of low-cost housing projects.
Throughout the colonies, Georgian and Colonial mansions were constructed. They were symmetrical rectangle-shaped houses. They often featured windows that were positioned both vertically and horizontally across the front. The interior of the house was decorated in a style called "Georgian." This meant that the walls were painted a bright color like red or yellow and the ceilings were made of wood with many small holes through which to view the sky. Windowpanes and doors were made of glass.
The colonies were settled by people who wanted to have a fresh start away from everything they knew back in England. There were no shops to go to, no doctors to see if you had health problems, and no schools for their children. So these colonists created homes for themselves and their families. They built large houses with an area of land around them so they could grow vegetables and fruits for food instead of buying it off of the market like most people did at the time. They also used their free time to work on their farms or in their businesses which gave them more money to spend on other things.
These colonies were very important because there were many people who came over to America looking for a new life. Many of them ended up living in these colonies. There were also many military officers sent out to help settle the colonies. They too, lived in these big houses with their families.
Furthermore, colonial homes have high-peaked roofs with little to no roof overhang, according to Zillow. Typically, they are made of wood, with some brick or stone used for decoration.
There are several types of colonial houses. Coloniais a term used by historians to describe the first generation of American colonists. It can be applied to any house built before 1765, but it is most commonly used to describe the simple one-and-a-half story dwellings built in the colonies before they became states. These were the only kinds of houses available during England's Georgian period (1714-1830). After 1765, when money began to flow freely into the colonies from Britain and other countries, more elaborate houses started to appear.
The first colonials built their homes using materials available in America at that time. They often used timber from fallen trees since there were no other suitable building materials available. The floors of most early colonials were not covered with carpet but instead had dirt or sand underfoot. There were no such things as toilets, so people took their privacy where they could find it. Most colonials lived in small cramped rooms with little separation between them. They usually had a kitchen downstairs and a living room upstairs.
While colonial-style residences in New England were frequently constructed of wood, those on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley were built of brick and stone. As a result, the Colonial design is exceedingly adaptable, making it a popular choice for many Americans looking for their ideal house.
The appealing simplicity of the Colonial style has made it popular again after a hiatus during the New Modern movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Also known as "mid-century modern," this style combines the functionality of the modern house with aesthetically pleasing details taken from the American colonial tradition.
Colonial houses are generally two or three stories high with flat roofs. They are usually set back from the street with an open front yard and large windows. There is usually only one door, which is typically located at the center top of the front façade. The door opens into a small vestibule or hall that leads to the rest of the house. Inside, the central hallway divides into two equal branches, which lead to separate rooms. Beds are usually arranged in bedrooms along the side walls, while sitting areas with chairs and sofas are found in front of fireplaces or other heat sources in the wintertime.
People love colonial houses for a variety of reasons. They are easy to maintain because there are no old wiring systems or plumbing fixtures to replace. Everything in the house is new and therefore does not need to be repaired or replaced.
Regions. Because wood siding was readily available in New England, it was used to build the bulk of colonial dwellings. Because clay was available, colonial dwellings in Virginia, which are considered part of the New England family, were made mostly of brick. As far west as Ohio and Illinois, the style may be found. It usually consists of logs or wooden posts with boards or shingles attached.
Colonial homes had few windows and even fewer doors. They relied on their thick walls for insulation from the elements and protection from intruders. The only way in or out was through a hole cut in the roof for pipes and cables or by climbing in from the ground.
There are two main types of siding: clapboard and shingle. Both are forms of wood paneling but they use different kinds of wood for the frame and the face sheets. Clapboards are thin strips of wood that are nailed or glued to the studs inside the house wall. A special machine cuts them into smooth, even boards. Shaving brushes roll over the faces of the boards to leave a smooth surface. Nails or screws attach the boards to the framing. Modern replicas of colonial-style houses often feature clapboarding as siding because it is easy to maintain and durable. However, if you want to restore an older home, consider using other materials instead.
Colonial houses in New England typically had central chimneys with several flues, allowing fires to be lighted in two or more rooms on each story. A centrally situated front entrance, regularly spaced double-hung windows, and a basic side-gabled roof are common features of these dwellings. The typical New England house did not have a basement, but some larger buildings had cellars for storage purposes. Roofs were usually made of wood, although some colonial structures used stone or clay tiles as well.
New England colonists built their homes from locally available materials such as wood, brick, and stone. They often modified these structures over time by adding rooms or replacing damaged parts. For example, after the British army burned down his home town of Boston during the French and Indian War, young Daniel Shays constructed a new house using bricks that he made himself. When Shays died, he left his wife and five children behind in poverty. His son said about his father: "He was a good workman, and knew how to make things easy for himself."
Many colonial families lived together upstairs in large apartments called "rooms" or "tenements". Each room had access to a common area called a "passage", which was usually about 20 feet long and five feet wide. Doors led off the passage to other rooms or outside. Fireplaces were placed in these common areas to provide heat in cold weather and smoke damage protection for wooden floors.