The Cape Cod Style House in the New World

cape cod house

On a Cape Cod house with side gables, the metal border on the roof looks anything but "colonial." The American Cape Cod house style is often considered the first American independent style. Its design is simple, compact, expandable, and, for mid-20th-century developers, the Cape Cod could be prefabricated. Most of the Cape Cod houses we see today are not from the Colonial era, so they are technically revivals. Not only do neutral colors pair nicely with Cape Cod’s simple structure, but they can also act as a blank canvas, ready to evolve as your style does.

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Top Styles

Their small size and scale exuded "puritanical simplicity" on the outside and "tightly organized spaces" on the inside — a combination that Gebhard likens to the inner workings of a marine vessel. Shiplap is a typical exterior siding style that got its name for looking like the wood planking of a ship's siding. Since Cape Cod homes are heavily nautically influenced, try shiplap or beadboard horizontal or vertical panels for interior rooms. This wall paneling adds rustic warmth, giving any room a cottage-like feel. The full Cape is the most accurate representation of the original architecture. The home is symmetrical, with a centered door, windows on each side, and a large central chimney.

Plan: #106-1315

Pilasters, sidelights, fanlights and other Georgian and Federal or Adam style refinements decorate this historic Cape Cod home in Sandwich, New Hampshire. From matching Adirondack chair to a pristine picket fence, you can easily bring that Cape Cod charm to your backyard. 'Once the full Cape is achieved with four windows in the front, it can grow in the back with an extension or a connection to the barn or today to the garage,' Lichten says.

Plan: #142-1252

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Its application (or misapplication) can drastically affect the curb appeal and charm of any home. When looking for a Cape Cod house, the façade is usually the first that will come to mind. Though most residences often feature unpainted side shingles and a clapboard or cedar shake roof, its symmetry will likely catch your eye. 'Thanks to its enduring versatility, Cape Cod houses are suitable for an array of regions, types of families, and, of course, materials.

Plan: #200-1057

Shingle shakes and wood clapboards are additional distinguishing features of Cape Cod-style homes. Wood was a plentiful local material for those just settling on the East Coast. Before pre-milled lumber, cedar shakes were hand-split from blocks of wood using a mallet.

Cape Cod Style House (Design Guide)

cape cod house

Modern Cape Cod homes also feature beadboard or board-and-batten elements, along with functional built-ins to add storage. Because many Cape Cods are only 1,200-1,800 square feet, it’s essential to make good use of every square inch. These homes often include built-in bookshelves, china cabinets, beds, reading nooks, and decorative shelves, with beadboard paneling commonly found on kitchen cabinets and ceilings. However, some modern Cape Cod homes no longer include the traditional cabinetry and have smooth-slab doors for a sleek and contemporary look. In addition to Cape Cod houses, American architectural styles include Colonial, which derived its details, including simple color palettes and a symmetrical facade, from Georgian and Federalist styles, among others.

Quarter-Capes have only a single window and door on the front-facing side of the home. In the earliest designs, many of these homes featured windows that extended to the top of the ceiling because the ceiling height was lower than in today's standard architectural designs. The first Cape Cod style homes were built by Puritan colonists who came to America in the late 17th century. They modeled their homes after the half-timbered houses of their English homeland, but adapted the style to the stormy New England weather. Over a few generations, a modest, one- to one-and-a-half-story house with wooden shutters emerged.

Eventually there may have been a center hall in a floor plan of four rooms, with a kitchen addition in the back, separated for fire safety. Certainly a Cape Cod house had hardwood floors that replaced original dirt floors, and what interior trim there was would be painted white — for purity. American Colonial architecture is an umbrella term encompassing Cape Cod homes. A traditional Cape Cod floor plan includes a living room, kitchen, and bath downstairs with two small bedrooms upstairs. Originating around the same period, Cape Cod and Colonial-style homes share many notable characteristics. The historical tie between the two styles is apparent on the pitched roofs of many of these houses.

cape cod house

Similarly of its time is the slant-roofed “saltbox,” a Cape home expanded in the back to increase living or storage space. It is not unusual to find hybrid houses that combine Cape Cod features with Tudor cottage, Ranch styles, Arts and Crafts or Craftsman bungalow. A "bungalow" is a small home, but its use is often reserved for a more Arts and Crafts design. A "cottage" is used more often to amplify the house style described here.

You may have seen hundreds of Cape Cod homes dotted around seaside towns of New England and Massachusetts. The style is a very simple one; a rectangular shaped house with gable pitched roof. Cape Cod homes rarely have decorative features or a porch as they were designed for practical reasons rather than appearance. These homes have low ceilings and a huge central chimney to keep the occupants warm during the cold winters of the north.

This gives them an inherently intimate feeling."The upstairs bedrooms are deliciously cozy with their sloping eaves and quirky little gable end windows, " Hassler says. "Older Capes have a central hearth that begs family and friends to pull up a chair and chat." Hardie® fiber cement siding products are a perfect choice for Cape Cod exteriors. Our HardieShingle siding and HardiePlank lap siding profiles maintain the traditional look, but with a modern, low-maintenance material.

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