About the Dutch Colonial House Style

Dutch colonial house style – The Dutch Colonial was a style house built by Dutch and English settlers in the United States between the late 1600s and early 1800s. This style of the house can still be found primarily in the northeastern part of the United States, from Maine to Georgia. They are informally called “barn houses,” because their characteristic roofs that make them look a bit like barns.

Dutch colonial house style using a gambrel style roof. This was the roof with two rectangular surfaces on each side, each with a different pitch. There was a relatively flat course on top of the roof and a steep increase in the base. The top surface was less than the lower surface. Hanging iron roof allowed settlers to fit stables directly under the roof, providing a more efficient use of space and building materials. It is the same solution to the problem of limited space as barns use.

Aspects of dutch colonial house style except the roof vary quite widely. They could be built of brick, wood or stone. Inputs may be positioned off to one side or centered in the front part of the housing. Chimneys can be either internal or external. Dutch Colonial houses could have either a simple rectangular shape or in the form of an asymmetric cluster of additions.