American architecture styles are remarkably diverse. Different house styles are seen across the country, from classic Cape Cod design and ranch homes to Pueblo and Creole design styles of architecture.

Your location and neighborhood, to some extent, limit your choice of house styles. Pueblo designs are unlikely to be seen in East Coast neighborhoods, for instance, and a planned community of contemporary houses is unlikely to welcome a new home built along regency styles. Even so, there are many styles of architecture you can explore with your home architect. Here’s a brief overview of some common American architecture styles.

Art Deco House Styles

Art deco architecture styles were popular in 1925. These house styles are characterized by slender, vertical houses with flat roofs, metal window frames and geometrical patterns. Art deco had a brief revival in American architecture in the 1980s.

Bungalows

Bungalows are so common, that it’s hard to think of them as an architectural style. Bungalows are one story, rectangular buildings. Many bungalows were built before the Great Depression.

Cape Cod House Styles

As one of the oldest house designs in America, a Cape Cod home is instantly recognizable by its steep, gabled roof. Cape cod home styles are perhaps the most famous of the colonial styles of architecture.

Contemporary Architecture Styles

Contemporary house styles were popular between 1950 and 1970. The contemporary style includes both flat and gable roofs, with tall, oddly sized windows and mixtures of brick, wood and stone on the exterior walls.

Creole Architectural Styles

Creole design styles originated in New Orleans in the 1700s, and are a fixture of Southern styles of architecture. Creole house styles are very symmetrical, with full length front porches or balconies, and range from one to three stories in height.

Dutch Colonial

Dutch colonial styles originated in Pennsylvania in the 1600s. Two story homes with roofs that look like barns, Dutch colonial house styles are what many people think of as farmhouses.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Home

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the first Prairie homes in Chicago in the 1890s. Prairie homes include low-pitched roofs, large porch supports and masonry. The style is recognizable to anyone who’s spent time in the Midwest.

Pueblo Architect Styles

Pueblo house designs take their inspiration from colonial Spanish and Native American dwellings. Most common in Arizona and New Mexico, Pueblo design styles have red earth stucco, flat roofs and exposed roof beams.

Ranch Style Architecture

Ranch houses became popular in the 1950s, and have remained popular over the years. These single-story buildings usually feature a built-in garage, sliding doors and pitched roofs.

Split Level House Designs

Split level homes often have a sub basement used as a family room, a mid level for a living room, dining room and kitchen, and bedrooms on the upper level. An attached garage is also common.

Home Architects and House Styles

Different styles of architecture are appropriate to different lifestyles and local weather conditions. A home architect can help you decide which house designs are right for you.