28 American House Styles You Need To Know
Consider this your official house-hunting guide.
As a large country built by immigrants from all over the world, diverse perspectives have shaped American cuisine, fashion trends, and art styles. So it's no wonder that American architecture was also influenced by America's worldly population. Depending on where you live in the United States, the types of houses can run the gamut when it comes to shape, size, contraction, and architectural style. Ranch style homes are popular in the midwest, while Colonial Revival styles of houses can be found along the East Coast and Spanish Colonials reign in California. Because of the varying geographical influences on these design styles, it can be difficult to distinguish each type of home from the one next to it—what is actually the difference between a Victorian home and a Queen Anne anyway?
Not to be confused with the categories of homes—single-family, multi-family, condo, apartment, and co-op—we're strictly talking about a home's architectural type. That means looking at features like the trim, roofline, number of floors, building materials, and the windows' and doors' shape, size, and placement, as well as exterior features like porches.
Regardless of where you live, it's helpful to identify what style of home you love (and hate), since it can help you decide where to move and which homes to consider. To teach you how to spot your favorites, we've rounded up a list of the most common types of houses in the country and their key identifying details. Here's your list from A to Z—er, V.
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