March Madness: Cape Cod vs. Dutch Colonial

Last week’s poll for the March Madness: Home Edition was a real squeaker, with 60% of the votes going to the Cape Cod style home.

This home style, as the name implies, was popular in Cape Cod, designed to stand up to New England’s harsh weather conditions. Known for being simple and functional, with a rectangular footprint, symmetrical design, one-story low façade with massive steep roof; they were efficient at keeping a family warm and comfortable through the tough winter. The interior allowed for family-oriented common spaces with a central chimney that made it easier to keep the entire house warm. The main level would usually have the master bedroom, while children’s bedrooms were typically in the ½-story above.

The runner-up in this week’s poll is the Dutch Colonial. The name for this style originated from the American settlers who came from the Netherlands in the early-to-mid 1600s and built this style through the mid-1800s. They are very common in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania where the majority of these people settled. The most noticeable feature of this style is the gambrel roof, that has a fairly low-pitched roof at the top, and then changes to a very steep roof on the lower portion and often includes dormers. This roof style allowed for living space in the attic. This style had a revival across the US in the early 1900s and those are the homes that we commonly see in our area.

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Norwalk IA Real Estate – Jon Niemeyer, Broker/Owner/REALTOR® at EXIT Realty North Star. I list and sell real estate in Central Iowa including Norwalk, Des Moines, West Des Moines, Cumming, Indianola, Carlisle, Waukee, Urbandale, Grimes, Clive, Johnston, Ankeny, Altoona, and Pleasant Hill in the Counties of Warren, Polk, Dallas, and Madison. Call Jon Niemeyer at 515-490-4675.