I recently had a gentleman call me about two lots I have listed for sale for a client. There are some restrictions on the type of home that can be built. As the man was talking about what he wanted to build, I stated "that sounds like a Cape Cod style home." Unfortunately, he did not know what that was and so I started to try and describe the features to him.
Cape Cod styles homes were built by English Colonists who arrived in America in the late 1600's. They were modeled after homes in England, but had to be modified for the storms of New England. What emerged is what we refer to as Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Homes have the following features:
- A steep pitch roof (8-12) that has side gables. When you look at this roof, you think "I need to hire someone to blow my leaves off. I'm NOT getting on that." When that thought jumps into your head you are looking at an 8-12 slope roof.
- The homes are 1 to 1 ½ stories. When you walk into an upstairs that has lower, angled roofs that feels cozy, you might be in a cape cod.
- They originally had a large CENTRAL chimney for more effective heating, but revival homes tend to have the chimney on the end.
- They have symmetrical appearance to the exterior. Windows are evenly spaced. The door is in the center.
- They were originally made of clapboard siding or shingles.
- The windows have grids/multi-paned glass.
- They have shutters which were originally used to protect the glass during storms. In revival homes they are strictly decorative.
- Very basic with little ornamentation.
Salem is fortunate to have some of these examples here locally. They are especially stunning when homeowners have been able to preserve the original hardwood floors. You can't help but walk into one of these homes and feel like curling up with a good book.
For examples of the Cape Cod style, you can walk around the Bush Park neighborhood, Englewood, and Fairmount Hills for some wonderfully maintained homes.
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