If you've done even a little house hunting in the Mile High City, you've likely heard an agent use different terms to describe the style of a home. (Denver even has it's own house name.)
As you start your search for a home or investment property, it's helpful to learn the language so you can make well-informed decisions. Here's a list of some of the more common home styles you might see in Denver from earliest to most modern.
Victorian
A Victorian house is so named for many of the houses built during the reign of Queen Victoria between 1830 and 1910. They're easy to recognize by their steep roofs, their asymmetric shapes and often bright colors and ornate trims.
Think gingerbread house.
While they're beautiful, their designs are fairly complicated and can be difficult to renovate.
Denver Square
This is actually a regional colloquialism referring to what other areas of the country call a "foursquare." It's efficient design rose to popularity between the 1890s and 1930s as a reaction to the ornate decoration of Victorian homes.
The Denver square's most common elements include a boxy - or square - design, two and a half stories, four large boxy rooms per floor, a wide front porch and a center dormer window up top.
It's simplicity allows for easy renovations.
Bungalow
Sometimes called a craftsman bungalow, these simply designed homes are usually one to one and a half stories and feature an open floor plan. Traditional styles enter directly into the living room, which flows into a dining room, followed by the kitchen.
They were prominent between roughly 1900 and 1950.
Ranch
It's close-to-the-ground profile and minimal use of exterior or interior decoration were popular in the post-war housing boom between 1940 and 1970. It is typically a single long floor.
Because its popularity coincided with the rise of the automobile and the interstate highway system, the ranch is one of the first designs to incorporate an attached garage.
Contemporary
If you've been anywhere in LoHi or Rino, you can't miss this styling. Clean vertical lines, a full face of windows, and often using mixed materials such as raw metals and natural woods.
Interiors are often open and continue the clean lines of the exterior.
Whatever your style preference, I will help you find your place in Denver. Contact me today.