Our Real Estate 101: House Style Series covers a variety of architectural styles that can be found in the Chicagoland area, including Tudors, Cape Cods, Craftsman-style homes, and more. Find definitions of terms like "pitch" and "hipped" in our June 2023 Real Estate 101: Gable or Gambrel? Dormer or Bay? blog post. Subscribe to our e-news to catch the next post in our house-style series.
The Colonial
The Colonial architectural style encompasses several styles of homes, including Georgian, Cape Cod, French Colonial, and Dutch Colonial. Traditional Colonials, sometimes called American, British, or English Colonial, feature a generally simple symmetrical design with a central door, two or three levels, and a rectangular shape.
Examples
Example 1
LW Reedy's listing at 521 S Poplar in Elmhurst shows the classic Colonial symmetrical design with central entry and the same number of the same size of shuttered, multi-pane windows placed consistently on both sides of the front door.
Example 2
151 S Kenmore, Elmhurst
LW Reedy's listing at 151 S Kenmore shows a more modern take on the Colonial-style house, still exhibiting the symmetrical design with central entry and the same number of the same size of windows on both sides of the front door but without shutters or multi-paned windows. This design also shows how the addition of a garage to the design impacts the typical symmetry of a classic Colonial-style home.
Classic Colonial Staircases
Both homes demonstrate the classic wood, central staircase at the entry of the home found in most classic Colonials.
Other styles of Colonial houses, like Georgians, Cape Cods, and Dutch Colonials, vary somewhat from the traditional Colonial in various ways. For example, Georgian-style homes boast more decorative exteriors, Cape Cods usually have a smaller footprint, and Dutch Colonials feature a gambrel or barn-like roof.
Learn more about different house styles in the next post in our Real Estate 101: House Styles Series.
Get in touch with your LW Reedy real estate agent today for answers to your questions about house styles, buying or selling a house, the real estate market, or Elmhurst and surrounding communities.
