Cape Cod House PlansCape Cod house plans represent the style originated in New England in the late 17th century. Today, Cape Cod style refers to one-and-a-half story homes which were popular in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. The Cape Cod is one of America's oldest and most popular styles for family homes. Fine Homebuilding magazine describes these features as typical of the Cape Cod home: Small in scale and low to the ground. Roof pitched at about 8" to 12" to keep the weather out. Small roof overhang so strong winds can do less damage. Large chimney centered over the front door. Roofs and walls covered in wooden shingles or clapboards. Multi-paned, double-hung windows, shutters, a formal, center-hall floor plan, hardwood floors and little exterior ornamentation. The stormy weather of Massachusetts' Cape Cod region was the inspiration for this house style. According to This Old House Online, 17th-century settlers "drew on a shipwright's skills to build a tight house that was almost a ship upon land, able to withstand the fiercest Nor'easter." Cape Cod house plans were popular through the 1840s, after which European influences dominated home building in the U.S. In the early part of the 20th century, the Cape Cod experienced a revival when mass production techniques were applied to housing for the first time. Developers filled the suburbs that sprang up across America after World War II with Cape Cod homes. If you're interested in modern interpretations of the Cape Cod style home, these companies offer Cape Cod house plans so you can build your own:
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