Definition of Tudor Style

Half-Timbering

• In Tudor homes, the skeletal structure is exposed due to an architectural technique known as half-timbering. In this technique, wooden beams are joined together with overlapping joints or mortise and tenon joints. A distinctive characteristic of Tudor-style homes, these dark-brown or black wooden beams are prominent against the white exterior walls, which are often constructed out of whitewashed brick, stone or stucco.

Gables

• One of the main characteristics of Tudor houses is gables, which are steeply pitched roofs. Triangular in shape, the low-hanging roof can enclose one of the house's floors, an attic or a crawl space. Roofs vary and feature a false thatched finish -- since the medieval roofs were often made of straw. Furthermore, most roofs include large brick chimneys, which are often topped with long cylindrical flutes or chimney pots, made out of terra-cotta.

Casement Windows

• The original Tudor-style windows were long, narrow casement windows, meaning they swung open with hinges. During the end of the 1500s, glass was an expensive and new addition to houses, thus the windows were made out of a series of small-framed squares. This design element is still a characteristic in Tudor revivals, as tiny panes of glass are held in place with a grid or criss-cross configuration, and fitted into narrow window panes.

Turrets

• A turret is a small tower incorporated into the exterior of a house. An architectural element that is taken from medieval mansions, the tower is still a common feature in Tudor houses. Often built out of brick or stone, the turret can be incorporated as an entranceway, sun porch, observatory or an extension of the living room. Though the tower doe not feature any exposed wood beams, it usually has the same narrow windows and false thatched roof as the rest of the house.