April 12, 2012
Cape Cod Home Design
Cape Cod in Washington, Baugh!
…or
…YES?
Well, just for argument’s sake, let’s compare the two regions:
Cape Cod Pacific Northwest
Local Climate: Coastal Local Climate: Coastal
Ocean: Atlantic Ocean: Pacific
Seafood: Lobstah Seafood: Salmon
Originated: New England, 17th Century Popular: Seattle, around the 1940’s
Okay, so the last one, not so much, but the overall aesthetic of building a Traditional Cape Cod Home in the Pacific Northwest Region is not new and very fitting with our climate and landscape.
The Cape Cod home originated with colonists who came from England to New England in the late 1700’s through the 1800’s. The Reverend Timothy Dwight, president of Yale University from 1795 – 1817, coined the term “Cape Cod House” after a visit to the Cape in 1800. Pilgrims occupied most of the regions along Cape Cod during the 1700’s and 1800’s.
Cape Cod building materials were influenced by local and available resources. Traditional, Classic, and Modern Cape Cod Homes have shingle or lap cedar siding, made out of cedar trees, while using pine and oak for hardwood flooring. Glass in New England ran a premium price during the height of Cape Cod Home construction, so most often New Englanders used small pansies of glass arranged in patterns to form larger windows. Not only were the small window panes less expensive, they were also less likely to break during New England coastal storms.
Classic Cape Cod homes were and are designed to withstand stormy weather along the coast, be it the Massachusetts or Washington shores. Modern Cape Cod home design is inspired by Traditional Cape Cod Style Homes, which have wooden shutters with clapboard or shingle siding, plenty of windows, usually with multi and small paned windows, and little to no exterior ornamentation.
This Classic Cape Cod Home incorporates the architectural features mentioned above including small paned windows, clapboard siding, and symmetry.
Front Elevation
RDS Classic Cape Cod Home
Modern Cape Cod Homes draw from colonial styles, but do not have to be perfectly symmetrical and can still have the traditional feel and charm of a classic Cape Cod Home. Here is a sneak peak of a home slated for construction in 2012.
RDS Modern Cape Cod Home
Stay tuned for updates with photos as the project goes under construction in the very near future.