Challenge

With elements from Spanish, Dutch, Georgian, French and New England architecture, it can be hard to perfect your colonial home. With all of your options in mind, how do you actually pinpoint what will bring you the highest quality and the best style?

Let’s talk about some suggestions.

But first, we should list some of the characteristics we have nailed down on colonial homes. What are some of those key features you’ll see across the board?

Typically, a colonial home will be squared off and divided into four sections. You can usually notice a lot of symmetry. The front door placed in the middle, with windows on both sides and a centrally located chimney. They’re usually 2 floors with a staircase in the middle, usually by the front door.

Choosing Siding for Your Colonial Home

I’ve seen colonial homes pull off a range of siding options from stone to brick to wood and all could get you the colonial look you’re aiming for.

My suggestion would be a fiber cement siding. This material is very versatile, so you could use it to mimic other styles such as wood, tiles, etc. Plus it’s a lot more durable and weatherproof than some other options.

Choosing Windows for Your Colonial Home

For the sake of symmetry, it’s common to see a single or double hung window on both sides of the front door on the first and second floor.

I’d recommend the Marvin Infinity Double Hung window and opt for one of the SDL grille patterns. This will absolutely fit with the traditional look that you’re aiming for. Fiberglass windows from Marvin are energy efficient and plus the fiberglass frame allows for more glass space letting more light in. You could even experiment with adding a round top as well.

Some of the older colonial manors even had bay windows, so that wouldn’t be a bad option to pursue either. Especially if you stick with the symmetry and use two bay windows in the front on both sides of the front door. This gives the sense of extra space and will light up those rooms.

Choosing a Roof for Your Colonial Home

You have some degree of flexibility when it comes to choosing a roof. Some homes opt for tiles, shingles, shakes, even metal options. Any of these options in a variety of materials will give you an authentic colonial style.

I think that if you’re aiming for the most authentic look, your best bet would be metal slate tiles. The pros of metal roofing are that it reflects heat and blocks heat transfer making them very energy efficient. They also, if installed correctly, will last as long as the house itself.

Solution

As you can tell, there are plenty of combinations to make an authentic looking and efficient colonial style home. The key is sticking to a certain degree of symmetry and play with different aspects you like.

Now that you have a general idea of what you can aim for, click here for a free estimate.