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Though the style gets its name from the region where it’s most popular, a home doesn’t need to be in Cape Cod to be considered within the architectural vernacular. Likewise, just because a house is in Cape Cod, that doesn’t necessarily mean it falls within the style. Generally, any home that makes use of the architectural elements outlined above could be called a Cape Cod house.

Decorative details
According to ThoughtCo, modern-day Cape Cod spaces are often mixed with other architectural styles like Tudor, Ranch, Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman. Unzipping through the interiors, hardwood flooring is a must specification in the Cape Cod homes. While choosing a color palette, it is always a smart move to go for a chic, subtle design shade that lets the light bounce away while making enough room for you to relax. Due to lower ceilings, it is essential to use neutrals and brighter shades. Why not try some blacks in doors, window frames, and trims to give your home a modern touch?
Pros and cons of Cape Cod-style architecture
Before you dive into all of the nuances and rich history surrounding Cape Cod house style, it’s important to understand how it is defined. Meanwhile, in the interiors, the low-heightened ceilings and bold shutters account for heat conservation and blocking of harsh winter winds. Homeowners can also create a backyard living area without interfering with the Cape Cod home’s quaint, historic charm. You can find patios and decks in many Cape Cod backyards with comfortable furniture for entertaining friends and family. Winters can get cold in New England, so a fire pit would be a nice addition to enjoy the fall and winter seasons.

Design + Decorate
A Cape house may start to feel closed off with harsh lights or grandiose fixtures because of its smaller, boxed rooms and low ceilings, so lighting is key to complimenting the space. Given the fact that they're called Cape Cods, it's no secret that these homes have a breezy, beachy feel through and through. Even if one is further inland in a suburban town, you can expect a nautical vibe with touches of traditional, rustic elements peppered throughout the interior and exterior.
MassHousing is Providing $19.2M in Financing for 62 New Affordable and Workforce Rental Homes on Cape Cod - Yield PRO magazine
MassHousing is Providing $19.2M in Financing for 62 New Affordable and Workforce Rental Homes on Cape Cod.
Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Original colonial houses in New England are more often 2 stories than the traditional 1 or 1½ story homes we call Cape Cod. And many of the homes we call Cape Cod style are actually found on Cape Ann, northeast of Boston. Originally Cape Cod homes could be heated efficiently because of their small size. In modern versions of the style, the chimney was often positioned just to one side or sited to both ends of the home.
Cape Cod House Floor Plan
As such, people want houses connected to the outdoors, to porches and decks and to views,” McDonald explains, noting that you’ll often find these indoor-outdoor living spaces in this style of home design. 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.
Cape Cod House Siding
Cape Cod architecture is one of the most instantly recognizable home styles in the United States. At its core, an original Cape Cod house is a small, rectangular, unadorned one to one-and-a-half-story cottage with side gables and a steeply pitched roof to keep snow from piling up. A traditional Cape Cod floor plan includes a living room, kitchen, and bath downstairs with two small bedrooms upstairs. The origins of Cape Cod houses date back to the 1600s when the first Puritan settlers arrived in America. The humble architecture is similar to an English cottage, but a few features were adapted to withstand the harsh New England climate better.
After World War II, Capes began to get a little bit bigger and families and their needs grew, too. Nowadays, newer, bigger builds of this timeless, budget-friendly option are still popping up along the shores and in the suburbs, it's safe to say this style isn't going anywhere. These homes are certainly more modest, but no less special — and they're definitely more popular than a beachside mansion. Whether you're thinking of buying one of these beauties or just toying with the idea of a late summer rental, there's plenty to learn about the classic Cape style home.
However, some modern Cape Cod homes no longer include the traditional cabinetry and have smooth-slab doors for a sleek and contemporary look. 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. They offer practical drainage and height for the half-story typically included in a Cape Cod home.
The Cape Cod Houses are designed around a large, open living plan with a symmetrical patterned design. You don’t need a complicated color palette when decorating a Cape Cod – staying simple is the best compliment to this home. Neutrals like white, grey, and black create a blank canvas on the exterior; if you’re looking to stand out, consider a nod to nature with light blues, light yellows, and seafoam greens. To give your exterior new life, add pops of color with decorative shutters.
With a house plan, one receives the floor plan layout, roof and floor foundation plan, elevations, wall sections and electrical and general notes. With this information you can hire a contractor in your area to build the design. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are low-height, supplemented with a dormer or a gable window projecting out of the façade to let it ample of natural light.
According to McDonald, when in their native setting, there are little disadvantages to living in a Cape Cod house. “These houses would be at home in nearly any seasonal resort type area in Southern New England.” However, the small footprint of this type of house—in its most traditional sense—can be disadvantageous for some. Many 20th century Cape cod homes opt for a different exterior paint color palette than those built earlier. Nowadays, Cape cod homes use exterior paint colors that lean conservative in style. To maintain a traditional Cape Cod Style trim colors are often kept a light color or white. However, you can easily personalize this home style by adding window boxes for flowers, painting your chimney a bold color, putting up a picket fence in color other than white, or adding colored shutters.
When dormers are added to an existing house, consider the advice of an architect to help choose an appropriate size and optimal placement. An architect's eye for symmetry and proportion will be a huge help when adding dormers. 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. The style of picturesque summer homes has remained popular for the connection to warm months and seaside escapes.
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