30 Popular Types of Houses and Their Defining Characteristics

Known for its symmetry, a duplex is a standard, single-family home that has been split down the middle into two units. Each duplex has two fully equipped single-family homes, each with its own entrance. In urban settings, a duplex can also refer to a single apartment unit that spans two floors.

You can pick out Tudor homes easily thanks to their decorative half-timbering. This exterior accent is essentially a mock frame of thin boards with stucco or stone filling in the spaces between the boards. The rest of the exterior is usually brick. Tudors also tend to have a steeply pitched roof with multiple overlapping, front-facing gables (the triangular portion of the roof) of varying heights.

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Most commonly seen in New York City, but also found in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other urban areas, brownstones are defined not by their look but by their materials. The brown sandstone that was used to coat the exterior of these brick houses built in the early 19th century gives them their name.

Related Story: How Designer James Jenkin Gave This Brooklyn Brownstone a Do-Over

A standout example of both Colonial and Colonial Revival architecture, Cape Cod–style homes dot suburbs across New England. The low, single-story types of houses usually feature a large central chimney and little ornamentation.

True American Colonial architecture dates back to the Colonial era, from the 1720s to the 1780s. European settlers built these historic homes with steep roofs and symmetrical features in simple, rectangular shapes. True American Colonial homes will feature small-paned windows of wavy glass, a sign of the materials used at the time.

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Embraced for its comfortable bridge of modern and traditional, cottage-style homes feature classic elements like small rooms, dormer windows, and porches but often take on contemporary finishes and decorations, like the double gable and mixed-material facade shown here.

Affiliated with the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, these types of houses incorporate gabled roofs, deep eaves, exposed rafters, and special stone or woodwork. The Gamble House in Pasadena (which starred as Doc Brown’s house in Back to the Future) is a perfect example.

Harkening back to the United States’ history as farmland, this style recalls the simple, function-forward architecture of barns and farm structures. Farmhouse homes are characterized by a symmetrical facade, simple gabled roof, and vertical-hung windows.

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As its name suggests, this popular style is a combination of farmhouse elements with modern proportions, furniture, and decor. The marriage of rustic materials and modern lines is a favorite of Joanna Gaines, Leanne Ford, Lauren Leiss, and more.

Related Story: Is the Modern Farmhouse Trend Dead?

Balanced proportion and brick or stone exteriors appear on these francophile homes inspired by 17th-century manors. They typically have steeply pitched and sloping roofs , tall arched windows, symmetrical designs, and at least two stories. It was a common choice in tony suburbs during the post-World War I era.

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Peaking between 1714 and 1830, Georgian architecture replaced ornate Baroque buildings with more pared-back designs. Most often executed in brick or stucco, Georgian homes feature symmetrical facades with large, shuttered sash windows and pedimented doors, gabled roofs with dormers, and over-window ornamentation—all present in this home by M. Lavender Interiors.

The return to this medieval architecture style in the late 19th century materialized in many churches and collegiate buildings, but homes from the period also sport pointed arches and steep gables. The Dibble House in Eldon, Iowa, inspired the famous Grant Wood painting American Gothic.

Related Story: A Design Lover’s Guide to Gothic Architecture

With origins tracing to early 19th century Britain, the Italianate style is a visual ode to the architecture of the Italian Renaissance, though swapping classical materials like marble for the wood and shingles more popular by the 1800s. Notable characteristics of these types of houses include low-pitched roofs, wide eaves with intricate ornamentation, and decorative window details.