The choice of architectural style is a personal decision that will define the design characteristics of your new home. Architectural style is most often a product of national or regional approaches to residential design that developed in response to many factors including climactic conditions, available materials, cultural traditions and relative affluence.

     While some homes are designed to emulate national approaches, like the "French Style," others follow more closely residential design trends that were developed during certain periods of history such as Colonial, Contemporary, Georgian, and Victorian. Other home

styles are more regional in character, examples of which are Mediterranean, American Shingle, Southern Plantation. Since these styles developed over time, there are often distinctive periods within a style.

     This section of our website presents an overview of many of the more prominent styles of residential architecture. Also included is a bibliography with references to available publications that can provide additional information about each style. We hope that this overview will help you select an architectural style for your new home that appropriately reflects your personal design preferences.