For our Key Features tool, we have created 6 galleries with up to 12 images each:
- Façade – Regarding the elements of the face of a house style;
- Roofing – Exploring the major elements of a roof;
- Roof Forms – Referring to the styles of roofs in our heritage house styles;
- Dormers – Openings in the roof space;
- Windows;
- Entryways – Porches as well!
To explore these features you can click the Camera icon at the bottom of each image for their definition, and links to the Heritage House Styles that include that feature!
Symmetry: correspondence in size, shape, and relative position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or median plane or about a center or axis. (Merriam Webster)
Symmetrical Styles: Colonial Revival Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival
Asymmetrical Styles: Victorian Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook Moderne Rancher
Half-Storey: a Storey under a gable, hip, or gambrel roof, the wall plates of which, on at least two opposite walls, are not more than 0.66 m above the floor of such Storey (Edmonton Zoning Bylaw)
Masonry Cladding: Also referred to as siding, cladding is the outermost layer of the wall system, providing resistance to the natural elements and acting as a control device for drainage. In this case masonry is used.
Clapboard Siding: Overlapping horizontal boards used as siding on wood-framed houses. Often wedge shaped with the narrower edge on the top.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Mid-Century Builder West Coast Modern
Belt Course: A horizontal band on the façade of a building, usually indicating the floor level behind it. Also called a belt line or stringcourse.
Corbelled Chimney: A chimney in which the upper portion consists of projecting courses of masonry, each one higher than the other. This kind of chimney is seen in houses built pre-1930.
Victorian Pioneer Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Queen Anne Revival Edwardian Arts and Crafts Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Mission Revival Tudor Georgian Revival Interwar Norman Revival Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook
Picturesque Aesthetic: A philosophical movement based on a reaction to formal Classical Revival style architecture, embracing more romantic styles such as Italianate and Queen Anne Revival.
Arts and Crafts Craftsman Mission Revival Tudor French Storybook English Storybook
Symmetry: correspondence in size, shape, and relative position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or median plane or about a center or axis. (Merriam Webster)
Symmetrical Styles: Colonial Revival Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival
Asymmetrical Styles: Victorian Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook Moderne Rancher
Half-Storey: a Storey under a gable, hip, or gambrel roof, the wall plates of which, on at least two opposite walls, are not more than 0.66 m above the floor of such Storey (Edmonton Zoning Bylaw)
Masonry Cladding: Also referred to as siding, cladding is the outermost layer of the wall system, providing resistance to the natural elements and acting as a control device for drainage. In this case masonry is used.
Clapboard Siding: Overlapping horizontal boards used as siding on wood-framed houses. Often wedge shaped with the narrower edge on the top.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Mid-Century Builder West Coast Modern
Belt Course: A horizontal band on the façade of a building, usually indicating the floor level behind it. Also called a belt line or stringcourse.
Corbelled Chimney: A chimney in which the upper portion consists of projecting courses of masonry, each one higher than the other. This kind of chimney is seen in houses built pre-1930.
Victorian Pioneer Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Queen Anne Revival Edwardian Arts and Crafts Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Mission Revival Tudor Georgian Revival Interwar Norman Revival Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook
Picturesque Aesthetic: A philosophical movement based on a reaction to formal Classical Revival style architecture, embracing more romantic styles such as Italianate and Queen Anne Revival.
Arts and Crafts Craftsman Mission Revival Tudor French Storybook English Storybook
Gable: The triangular portion of a wall defined by the sloping edges of the roof and a horizontal line between the eave line.
Gingerbread: A variant of fretwork. Elaborate or showy ornamental detailing around rooflines, windows and porches with perforated and/or turned wood elements.
Eaves: The lower edge of a roof that projects beyond the face of a wall.
Rolled Eaves: A characteristic of storybook homes, eaves (usually shingles) rolled over edges to mimic thatching.
Bellcast Eave: An eave that curves, or flares, outward like the flanges of a bell.
Roof Skirt: Small section of roofing between the stories of a building.
Pediment: The triangular end of a gable, or a triangular ornamental element resembling it. A similar feature is found above doors and windows.
Soffits: The underside of an eave, beam, or other component.
Purlins: A piece of timber laid horizontally on roof’s primary rafters to support common rafters on which roof covering is laid.
Gable: The triangular portion of a wall defined by the sloping edges of the roof and a horizontal line between the eave line.
Gingerbread: A variant of fretwork. Elaborate or showy ornamental detailing around rooflines, windows and porches with perforated and/or turned wood elements.
Eaves: The lower edge of a roof that projects beyond the face of a wall.
Rolled Eaves: A characteristic of storybook homes, eaves (usually shingles) rolled over edges to mimic thatching.
Bellcast Eave: An eave that curves, or flares, outward like the flanges of a bell.
Roof Skirt: Small section of roofing between the stories of a building.
Pediment: The triangular end of a gable, or a triangular ornamental element resembling it. A similar feature is found above doors and windows.
Soffits: The underside of an eave, beam, or other component.
Purlins: A piece of timber laid horizontally on roof’s primary rafters to support common rafters on which roof covering is laid.
Front-Gabled Roof: A pitched roof that ends in a street-facing gable.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Edwardian Craftsman Tudor Vancouver Special
Side-Gabled Roof: A pitched roof that ends in a gable facing the side of the house.
Victorian Pioneer Colonial Revival Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Tudor Georgian Revival Interwar Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook West Coast Modern Rancher Split-Level
Hipped Roof: A hip (or hipped) roof slopes down to the eaves on all four sides. Although a hip roof has no gable ends, it may have dormers or connecting wings with gables. When the building is square, the hip roof is pointed at the top like a pyramid. When the building is rectangular, the hipped roof forms a ridge at the top.
Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Arts and Crafts Tudor Georgian Revival Norman Revival French Storybook English Storybook Mid-Century Builder Split-Level
Centered Gable: A front-gable usually above the doorway at the center of a side-gabled roof’s eave line.
Pioneer Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Arts and Crafts Craftsman Georgian Revival Interwar
Cross-Gabled Roof: A roof type in which the major gables intersect at the ridgeline, with a major open gable projecting from the façade.
Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Craftsman Tudor Interwar Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook Mid-Century Builder West Coast Modern Rancher Split-Level Vancouver Special
Gambrel Roof: A ridged roof having two slopes on each side where the lower slope is steeper than the upper (also called a “barn” roof).
Turret: A circular or polygonal projecting bay or structure, usually with a steep pointed roof.
Catslide Roof: A roof that slopes very low, often nearly to the ground.
Jerkinhead Roof: A ridged roof with “clipped” edges over a gable often found in Tudor Revival and Interwar Arts and Crafts houses. Also known as clipped gable or half-hipped.
Spanish Tile Roofing: Terra cotta or concrete semi-circular tiles with an overlapping edge.
Flat Roof: Roof which is level to the house structure. There is no, or near to no slope.
Front-Gabled Roof: A pitched roof that ends in a street-facing gable.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Edwardian Craftsman Tudor Vancouver Special
Side-Gabled Roof: A pitched roof that ends in a gable facing the side of the house.
Victorian Pioneer Colonial Revival Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Tudor Georgian Revival Interwar Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook West Coast Modern Rancher Split-Level
Hipped Roof: A hip (or hipped) roof slopes down to the eaves on all four sides. Although a hip roof has no gable ends, it may have dormers or connecting wings with gables. When the building is square, the hip roof is pointed at the top like a pyramid. When the building is rectangular, the hipped roof forms a ridge at the top.
Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Arts and Crafts Tudor Georgian Revival Norman Revival French Storybook English Storybook Mid-Century Builder Split-Level
Centered Gable: A front-gable usually above the doorway at the center of a side-gabled roof’s eave line.
Pioneer Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Arts and Crafts Craftsman Georgian Revival Interwar
Cross-Gabled Roof: A roof type in which the major gables intersect at the ridgeline, with a major open gable projecting from the façade.
Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Arts and Crafts Craftsman Tudor Interwar Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook Mid-Century Builder West Coast Modern Rancher Split-Level Vancouver Special
Gambrel Roof: A ridged roof having two slopes on each side where the lower slope is steeper than the upper (also called a “barn” roof).
Turret: A circular or polygonal projecting bay or structure, usually with a steep pointed roof.
Catslide Roof: A roof that slopes very low, often nearly to the ground.
Jerkinhead Roof: A ridged roof with “clipped” edges over a gable often found in Tudor Revival and Interwar Arts and Crafts houses. Also known as clipped gable or half-hipped.
Spanish Tile Roofing: Terra cotta or concrete semi-circular tiles with an overlapping edge.
Flat Roof: Roof which is level to the house structure. There is no, or near to no slope.
Gabled Dormer: A dormer that has an open triangular façade covered by a two-sided roof form.
Colonial Revival Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Tudor Georgian Revival French Storybook English Storybook
Hipped Dormer: A dormer that has an open rectangular façade covered by a hipped roof form.
Shed Dormer: A dormer with a single plane sloping roof.
Eyebrow Dormer: An arched roof dormer with no side walls; the roof simply curves to follow the arch of the window.
Flamboyant Parapet Dormer: Using molded stucco trim, the parapet wall ends up in a baroque or convoluted top trim (flamboyant is a gothic term meaning flame-like).
Gabled Dormer: A dormer that has an open triangular façade covered by a two-sided roof form.
Colonial Revival Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Tudor Georgian Revival French Storybook English Storybook
Hipped Dormer: A dormer that has an open rectangular façade covered by a hipped roof form.
Shed Dormer: A dormer with a single plane sloping roof.
Eyebrow Dormer: An arched roof dormer with no side walls; the roof simply curves to follow the arch of the window.
Flamboyant Parapet Dormer: Using molded stucco trim, the parapet wall ends up in a baroque or convoluted top trim (flamboyant is a gothic term meaning flame-like).
Mullion: A vertical post, frame, or double jamb dividing two window sashes or large panes of glass. Not to be confused with muntin.
Picture Window: A large horizontal single light window placed on the front wall of the living room.
Fanlight: A window above a door or another window – rectangular, semi-circular, or semi-elliptical, usually with glazing bars radiating out like a fan.
Bay Window: Distinguished through an outward projection from the façade, bay windows are characteristic of Victorian, Edwardian and Queen Anne Revival houses. Each of these bays may have one or more sash windows, which are traditionally built with a wood frame. Smaller panes of glass divided by glazing bars are generally found within the top sash, while the bottom sash may only have one sheet of glass.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Queen Anne Revival Edwardian Craftsman
Double-Hung Window: A pair of superimposed wooden sashes that are offset so as to slide up nd down within the same frame.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Interwar
Shutters: Shutters that are usually mounted on door or window trim so that they close completely over the door or window opening.
Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Norman Revival Mid-Century Builder
Clerestory: A row of windows located near the top of the wall or touching the ceiling. A distinguishing feature of mid-century architecture.
Mullion: A vertical post, frame, or double jamb dividing two window sashes or large panes of glass. Not to be confused with muntin.
Picture Window: A large horizontal single light window placed on the front wall of the living room.
Fanlight: A window above a door or another window – rectangular, semi-circular, or semi-elliptical, usually with glazing bars radiating out like a fan.
Bay Window: Distinguished through an outward projection from the façade, bay windows are characteristic of Victorian, Edwardian and Queen Anne Revival houses. Each of these bays may have one or more sash windows, which are traditionally built with a wood frame. Smaller panes of glass divided by glazing bars are generally found within the top sash, while the bottom sash may only have one sheet of glass.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Early Cottage Queen Anne Revival Edwardian Craftsman
Double-Hung Window: A pair of superimposed wooden sashes that are offset so as to slide up nd down within the same frame.
Victorian Colonial Revival Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Interwar
Shutters: Shutters that are usually mounted on door or window trim so that they close completely over the door or window opening.
Dutch Colonial Revival Georgian Revival Norman Revival Mid-Century Builder
Clerestory: A row of windows located near the top of the wall or touching the ceiling. A distinguishing feature of mid-century architecture.
Portico: A roofed entrance porch supported on at least one side by columns.
Victorian Pioneer Arts and Crafts Dutch Colonial Revival Tudor Georgian Revival Interwar Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook
French Doors: A pair of glazed doors that open out in the middle and are hinged to the doorjambs.
Spanish Colonial Revival West Coast Modern Vancouver Special
Sidelights: One or more vertically framed windows that flank a door, often divided into several lights.
Colonial Revival Edwardian Georgian Revival West Coast Modern Vancouver Special
Integral Porch: A porch that is set under the main roof of a house, rather than projecting out from the house.
Tuscan Posts: A style of simple column with plain shafts and smooth, round capitals.
Pier: A square, sometimes tapered (as opposed to round) column.
Column: A supporting post, generally round. In classical orders, the column consists of a base, shaft, and capital.
Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Mission Revival Georgian Revival
Capital: The decorative head of a column, pilaster, pier, or other vertical support.
Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Mission Revival Georgian Revival
Portico: A roofed entrance porch supported on at least one side by columns.
Victorian Pioneer Arts and Crafts Dutch Colonial Revival Tudor Georgian Revival Interwar Spanish Colonial Revival French Storybook English Storybook
French Doors: A pair of glazed doors that open out in the middle and are hinged to the doorjambs.
Spanish Colonial Revival West Coast Modern Vancouver Special
Sidelights: One or more vertically framed windows that flank a door, often divided into several lights.
Colonial Revival Edwardian Georgian Revival West Coast Modern Vancouver Special
Integral Porch: A porch that is set under the main roof of a house, rather than projecting out from the house.
Tuscan Posts: A style of simple column with plain shafts and smooth, round capitals.
Pier: A square, sometimes tapered (as opposed to round) column.
Column: A supporting post, generally round. In classical orders, the column consists of a base, shaft, and capital.
Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Mission Revival Georgian Revival
Capital: The decorative head of a column, pilaster, pier, or other vertical support.
Gabled Vernacular Queen Anne Revival Craftsman Mission Revival Georgian Revival
"A Pictorial Glossary"
Inspired by the book A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia McAlester, this tool is both an introduction to the language used to see and describe houses, and a field guide to identify homes through the many key features that often times pertain to particular House Styles.
This Glossary is divided in sections of a house, such as Roofs or Façades, and each presents a carrousel of images highlighting a key feature. These images can be clicked to enlarge and to browse through the key terms, definitions, and which styles commonly showcase the features portrayed.
The asterisk (*) marks the House Style showcased in the image.