American House Styles: A Concise Guide

I love old houses but know nothing about architecture, so I found this book. It's a terrific description of dozens of home styles. Another reviewer complained about no photos which is silly. The author made drawings himself! I really appreciate that the author gave enough information to be able to identify a type of house, but didn't go into pages and pages of detail I don't need. I'm glad I found it.

Really well-written by a master architect, this is a totally enjoyable read. Bonus: after reading, I started to see my town with new eyes and richer understanding!

While no one was looking, this book has dug in and become a classic. AMERICAN HOUSE STYLES: A CONCISE GUIDE does not have the number of drawings found in the best-contented architectural guides, but what it has are good, and with the best-contented guides retailing at upwards of $35, this used version (1994) of a book still in print is a reasonable and useful way to add to your visual library of American house styles. Experts will argue about whether expending technology or the cultural effects of historical changes such as war are the more determinative in shaping up our changing historical house styles; this one tends to the latter but it's the descriptions and the accurate drawings that commend this book most to me.

Very good price and very prompt delivery. Needed this (and other books) for test prep. C ame earlier than anticpated and gave me a little more lead time. Very pleased. Could have been packaged better. Box was sad but books (fortunately) were okay.

In the beginning of this book the author points out that a culture is reflected in its buildings. Then he goes on to identify the events that caused the various styles--the War of 1812 that stopped our imitation of English architecture, the change to stud framing and the effects of industrialization that mark the Victorian era, the nationalistic spirit of the 1876 Centennial that spawned the revival in Colonial archictecture at the end of the 19th century, etc.--in such a professional style of writing you'd never suspect he was also an architect. A history professor maybe. All of which explains the subject better than the usual bare chronological sequence.What helps in a book like this are the odd bits of information casually thrown out that show mastery of the subject.Colonial homes were never white; Greek Revival were never anything but. A particular cornice is usually done incorrectly, compared to the true Classical version.He also make the sensible point that you can only compare styles within limits, that at some point you're really discussing altogether different building types, as in ranches, bungalows, and certainly octagon houses. And early on he boasts he can design a modern four bedroom house in any style. Then he proceeds to do it, providing a front elevation and a repeating ground floor plan (front: LR, center hall, DR. rear: family room, kitchen, mud room) with added porch, tower, fireplace, chimney, as needed. Not so much to explain the architectural features, I think, but to give the prospective homebuilder something that actually could be built today.Where most authors stop around WWII, he continues up to the present. His next-to-last chapter shows the recent builder's styles which will be familiar to anyone who's driven through any of those "Vinyl Village" developments with the Olde English names: the Townes, Pointes, Glenns, and Harbours. Here he doesn't hesitate to criticize the tastless examples, and continues his tirade into last chapter, where he argues against the Post-Modern assault on tradition in favor of a return to order and careful design.

Great read about various styles of houses. Very thorough discussion of how and why each style came about.

I'm a real estate appraiser, and this book is a great field book for residential appraising for design and style purposes.

Very helpful info on all American house styles.