Cape Cod or Ranch Style?

Clues • Cape Cod Style • Ranch Style • House Paint Colors

"We live in a large area of vintage homes ranging from the late 1800's-1950's. We bought our 1942 home about a year ago and have been scratching our heads about several things.

"One is, we're not completely sure about the style of it. It's unlike anything in our whole area. We were told it's a Cape Cod, but it doesn't completely fit the traditional definition of one. It has the steep pitched roof and classic rectangular floor plan of a Cape Cod, plus coved ceilings and full-sized attic we're turning into true living space. However, the house is pushed out in the front with a gable, and there's a smaller one in back too. It has big picture windows rather than the classic doublehung multi-paned ones. Plus it doesn't even have a fireplace! This is understandable, though, since the war was on and many houses in this area were built without them due to blackouts. (The chimney you see in the picture was for a decrepit wood stove in the basement--we took both out.)

"Recently I ran across some info about ranch style homes, and learned they first came on the scene in the 1930's. Some of the pictures I found display homes with a front gable (or two) and the more streamlined look of our house. However, they didn't have the steep pitch or full-sized attic. I'm tempted to say that our house is a combination of both styles, but I'd like to hear what you think.

"My next quandry is what to paint it and how to make it more interesting and inviting (e.g., adding a front deck, landscaping, window grids, etc.). What you see in the picture is the first day we bought the house. Since then, we have taken out most of the bushes crowding the front and it really opened things up. It seems much bigger and taller now, especially since it perches high above the street. We have also added a 14 ft shed dormer on the left side of the roof that sits back several feet. It makes the house seem much more balanced, as well as opening up a pretty view of the bay.

"When it comes to painting, my first choice was a warm dark blue w/ white trim. We've only seen it on a couple Tudor houses that vaguely resemble ours and it's very striking. Although I prefer colors that are more subtle and understated, I think this blue could be a good choice. Since we sit between two huge 4-square houses, I think we can afford to stand out a bit. Plus, they are pale yellow and medium gray, and we think this blue could be a nice contrast. I wondered about a dark paint making our place look smaller, but our exterior is so simple with such big expanses of siding, I think it would help not hinder.

"Obviously we've become big fans of this blue, and even contacted one owner to get the exact brand. However, we are still open to other options. I'm especially interested in finding out what types of colors they used to use in the 40's besides white! Thanks very much for your suggestions." ~Lizzy

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