Housing Characteristics

There are different housing characteristics that can be identified on any particular house. In this post I am going to show you a few of these different characteristics and how you can identify them.

Bay Window
A bay window is two or more windows that project outside of the wall of the house. Being moved away from the wall these windows let more light to enter and a wider view of the scenery outside.

Casement Window
These windows are unconventional as they will open by swinging inward or outward like a door. They usually have a vertical shape but are often grouped in bands or rows of other casement windows. 

Clapboard

This is another name for weatherboard or siding. This is the long narrow boards that are overlapped to cover the outer walls. This is most commonly used in a Colonial style frame house.

Dormer
A dormer is the setting for a vertical window in the roof. There are multiple different kinds of dormers. For insistence, a gable dormer is if it has its own gable or a shed dormer if it is a flat roof. They are most often found in upstairs bedrooms.

Eaves
The eaves are the portion of the roof that projects beyond the wall. They are very prominent in Bungalows.

Fanlight

A fanlight is a semicircular or the arch above a window or door.

Palladian Window
This window is a three part window that features a large arched center and flanking rectangular sidelights.

Pediment
The triangular crown used over doors,windows, or porches. A very classic feature of a house.

Portico

A portico is the large porch the usually is accompanied with a pediment roof supported by classical columns or pillars.

Rafters
A roof beam sloping from the ridge to the wall. In many houses, rafters are visible only in the attic but they can bee seen in the main living spaces if that was the architects intent and design for the house. Usually that would be in a craftsman bungalow and rustic contemporaries.

Sidelights
The windows that are on either side of the front door. This lets in more light and opens the space.

Turret
A turret is a small tower, often in the corner of the building. Common in Queen Anne (Victorian) styles among others. A Turret is a smaller structure while a tower begins at ground level.

There are many more characteristics that a house can have but here are just a few to help you get started in recognizing these details.

Roof Styles

There are a few different types of roofs that a house can have depending on the style that you are going for. There are six most common ones known as; Gable Roof, Gambrel Roof, Hip Roof, Saltbox, Mansard, and Shed.

Gable Roof
This Style of roof is created by two sloping sides, forming a triangle at one or both ends of the house or roof. It is also described as being the triangular section of a wall formed by the end of a this type of roof. This style is shown in Neo-eclectic houses, Ranch, Tudor, as well as Cape Cod styles. These are not however the only styles that gable roofs are seen.

Shed Roof
A Shed roof is a simple , one-slope roof as seen in the picture to the right. This style can also be known as a lean-to roof. It is mostly seen in more modern homes.

Gambrel Roof
This roof that is defined by having two with two slopes on each side. The lower side will have a steeper pitch then the upper side. This roof style is commonly found in Colonial revival houses in more of a Dutch Style.

Saltbox Roof
This odd roof shape is a variation that was discussed above. It was originally created when a house was being added on to so they created a roof by adding a shed roof (lean-to) to the back wall of the house. This is a very unique and interesting style of roof that goes well with an equally unique and original vision for your home.

Hipped Roof
The hipped roof is when all four sides of the roof slope inward to meet at a peak or as a ridge as shown in the photo to the left. The "hips" are the lines formed when the slopes meet at the corners.

Mansard Roof
Lastly, the Mansard style of roof is when all four sides have two slopes, the lower four steeper than the upper four. This is a much older style of roof. It can be seen though in houses in a "Dutch" style of the colonial Revival.







There are many different styles of roofs that a home can have. These six are not all of the possibilities. The hope was that this would help you get more familiar with the different styles as well as learn a bit of the vocabulary when it comes to architecture.

Housing Life Cycle

The life cycle of different houses we live in throughout our lives was the main topic for this past week.
We started out the week with discovering both the physical and psychological needs that a house must fill in order to be healthy home environment.

Physical Needs:

1. Shelter - The house must provide shelter from the elements that rage outside.
2. Sleep - The house must supply a safe place for you and your family to sleep.
3. Food - The house must have a convenient place to prepare food.
4. Storage - The house must be able to store your things in an organized manner.
5. Safety - The house must provide protection from predators, thieves and other unruly characters.

Psychological Needs:

1. Love & Belonging - The home should make you feel as though you are part of a community or at least give you a sense that you belong there.
2. Privacy - The home should be able to be the place you go to in order to get away from all the stress. Having a good sense of privacy and that safe area is very good for your mental health.
3. Identity - The home should reflect your values and lifestyle.
4. Creativity - The home should provide a place for your own self expression. Make your home yours by adding variety/beauty and your own unique spin on it. 

Housing Life Cycle:

         A housing life cycle is the changes over time that depend on your needs and what you need at certain points in time. We worked on what we would want in three stages of our lives. We were asked to identify our needs/wants for when we were 22, 33, and 42 and work within a set budget.

When I am 22, with a set housing budget of $150,000 my main criteria for a home would be simple one bedroom, one bath with a nice kitchen that is big enough for me to cook in without feeling cramped or causing a lot of clutter. The apartment I decided on however is a two bedroom, two bath just in case I have a guest and want them to stay over. It also gives me just a bit more space to grow with me through my life as well. I decided to live in Lakewood, Colorado because I would have just graduated from college which is near there and will wanted to start working on my career. This location would give me a good commute time to any main cities near by in case that is where my job is. With My budget being only $150,000 I chose an apartment that was only 100 off from my max budget because it was one that did not need any renovations.

At the age of 33 I will hopefully have a family of my own. We had the option of randomly choosing another income so that made my housing budget go to $554,000. I wanted to get a house with enough rooms so that my kids can each have their own space. The open space and big kitchen were the real selling points for me. I enjoy the thought of having a big enough area for the whole family to be together. The location was because the Littleton school district is a very well respected one. It also is a good sized suburb not far from the city but far enough so that it is a good place to raise a family. I went under budget when purchasing this house but I feel like this was the best house for me when it came to what I hope for in the future.

For my last house, at the age of 42 and with a budget of $662,000, I chose a big enough house that if I have guests or life happens and for any reason my kids need to come back home for a while they will still be able to have their own space. I loved the front of the house with the patio and open space. I decided to live in the city because I think it would give me good access to things and when I am this age I am pretty sure I will want to be close to everything. I decided to not go up to my full budget because in case the house had a few issues I would have some money set aside so that I can repair what is needed, or rather pay someone to repay it because I won't want to do it myself at that age.



When it comes to the life cycle of a house it is really important to have a basic understanding of what you want out of life but of course there is no way to truly know what is coming until it is happening. The needs you have through out your life change and that is why the houses that you choose to live in change as well. The house you live in at any age should meet your needs as well as reflect yourself in it.