How To Recognize the Tudor Style of Architecture

Here's How:

1. Consider the location. Is the building in the United States, Great Britain or northern Europe?
2. Try to determine the date. Was the house built after the late 1800s?
3. Examine the siding. Is it brick, stone or stucco?
4. Notice the decorative detailing on the walls. Do you see "half-timbering" -- Strips of wood framing which form horizontal, vertical and diagonal patterns on the masonry?
5. Look for chimneys. Is there more than one? Are they unusually tall and wide? Are they topped with round decorative "pots"?
6. Study the shape of the roof. Is it steeply pitched? Are there gables?
7. If the roof is not steeply pitched, is it low and sloping or curved? Does the roofing material imitate the appearance of thatch?
8. Look at the windows. Are they tall and narrow? Do they have many small panes? Is the glass leaded?
9. Check the doorway. Does it appear unusually low? Is it arched?
10. Count your yeses. The more times you answered yes, the more Tudor features exist.

Tips:

1. A building may possess features of several different styles. Your house may combine Tudor ideas with other styles such as Craftsman or Queen Anne.
2. Modern siding and other remodeling may cover identifying features of a Tudor building.
3. Some Tudor houses mimic humble Medieval cottages with low thatched roofs. Others resemble late Medieval palaces with steep roofs and patterned brickwork.