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What makes a Cape style house?

A Cape Cod house is a low, broad, single-story frame building with a moderately steep pitched gabled roof, a large central chimney, and very little ornamentation. The space above the 1st floor was often left unfinished, with or without windows on the gable ends.

Is a Cape Cod house a cottage?

Cape Cod architecture is one of the most instantly recognizable home styles in the U.S. At its core, an original Cape Cod house is a small, rectangular, unadorned one to one-and-a-half-story cottage with a steep pitched roof to keep snow from piling up and side gables.

What is one feature that is specific to the architectural style of a Cape Cod house?

Steep Gabled Roof – The steep roof that is characteristic of Cape Cod homes are designed so to prevent snow and ice from building up: this is one of the design’s most conspicuous characteristics.

Why are Cape Cod houses so popular?

‘The Cape Cod house endures because it is simple, inexpensive to build, directly responsive to its harsh New England environment,’ he explains. ‘It’s also flexible in how it can be configured and beautiful for all of those reasons.

What is a half Cape Cod house?

There are three types of Cape Cod houses: a half-Cape, ¾-Cape and a full-Cape. The half-Cape has two front-facing windows and a door off to the side. Three-quarter-Capes have two windows, a door and a single window on a smaller end of the house.

What is Cape Cod interior design?

Inspired by traditional English cottages, Cape Cod homes feature steep gabled roofs with dormer windows. Other common features include symmetrical designs with clapboard or wood-shingle siding and multi-pane, double-hung windows accented with wood shutters.

Do Cape Cods have basements?

While a modern Cape Cod home is likely to have a basement (depending on where it’s located, of course), older Capes usually have what is known as a “Cape Cod” basement—which is a small, brick or stone enclosure that’s just big enough for essentials like a water heater, boiler, and electrical panel.