A Craftsman house is a popular home style that emerged from the American Craftsman movement of the turn of the 20th century. It is a classic type of house characterized by bungalow-inspired layouts and quaint, charming designs. A Craftsman house typically features detailed wood trim, large covered front porches, and columns supporting the front portion of the roof. Craftsman homes are typically between one and two stories tall with some featuring split-level layouts.
Mydomaine.com has a guide to Craftsman-Style Homes: The History and Simplicity Behind Their Classic Character which offers more details, characteristics, features, and style variety. However, your home does not need to be a Craftsman-style home to incorporate these elements. Because there are so many distinctive Arts and Crafts design details, just about any existing home, whether it is a ranch, bungalow, or even split-level, can be updated with elements of Craftsman style.
Color Pallet
Traditional Craftsman color palettes can be defined by their adherence to the traditional values of the style. Often referred to as an autumn palette, it includes earthy browns, muted greens, and warm golds. Because the Craftsman style is so versatile, you do not need to limit yourself to a traditional color pallet. You can just as easily move to navy blue and white, bold red and yellow, or mint green and gray.
If you want a traditional pallet, Sherwin Williams has a Historic Paint Colors collection that will assist you in finding the perfect shade for the exterior or interior of your home. If you want to step outside of the box, thespruce.com has 11 Craftsman House Colors with a twist.
Siding Type
Craftsman homes are associated with horizontal lap siding, which has historically been painted wood siding. However, manufactured siding now comes in a variety of options. Products like fiber cement siding that feature authentic-looking wood grain are favored over the smooth surfaces of vinyl siding. You have the opportunity to Replace Aluminum Siding With Eco-Friendly Wood Siding like Jeff Wilson did in this hgtv.com article.
Cedar shaker shingles can also be added as accents, but are rarely used as the main siding material. This is because the amount of detail would clash with the traditional roof style of a visually busy wood shake or similarly styled asphalt shingle. Lap siding is a better main siding material because it has clean, horizontal lines that offset the busyness of the roof.
Shingle Type
Craftsman homes have historically had red or white cedar wood shingle roofing. However, asphalt composition shingle roofing is an acceptable replacement material and comes in a variety of options that mimic wood shingles. The roof shingles should overlap. Typical Craftsman roof colors are natural brown, green and red. With a brown roof, ideas for traditional body colors are olive, dark green and russet or the lighter bungalow colors of the 1920s such as yellow, orange and sage green.
Add interest to your roof with roof peak decorations or custom roof gutters of formed aluminum or copper. Houzz.com has Craftsman Gable Roof Ideas if you are considering adding roof peak decorations to your home.
Delve in to Details
Windows present the perfect opportunity to add traditional Craftsman details. Standard double hung windows can be customized with a 4-over-1 or 6-over-1 design that mimics the style of historic windows. Consider adding a large bay or picture window or leaded glasswork that is reminiscent of the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright leaded glasswork featured in many Craftsman homes.
Do you love the Craftsman style?
The experts at Dynasty Restoration and Roofing are ready to restore your Craftsman home to its perfect condition or incorporate Craftsman elements in to your current home.
Contact us today for a free estimate!
