The 1950s House Exterior Styles

Ranch Style

• The ranch-style home was the most common home style of the 1950s, with entire suburbs of ranch-style homes popping up throughout the United States. This single-story home is characterized by its long and wide profile, which normally runs parallel to the street. Garages were typically incorporated into the home and were often a feature element of the front exterior design of the home. A low-pitched roof, natural building materials and a minimally adorned facade added to the ranch's clean, low-profile style.

Split Level

• Split-level homes developed from the ranch-style home and are sometimes known as raised ranches. This type of home had many characteristics similar to the ranch, including a low-pitched roof, natural building materials, deep eaves, minimal ornamentation and a prominently featured garage. By incorporating the garage in a different way, however, split level homes became known for their multilevel living. While ranch homes were contained to a single level, split-level homes built onto the space above the garage, adding additional visual interest to the exterior of the home.

Cape Cod

• Cape Cod-style homes are known for their rectangular, traditional and symmetric exteriors, a style that stands in stark contrast to the asymmetrical designs of the ranch and split-level style homes. Cape Cods may be either one or one-and-a-half stories tall and feature a side-gabled roof and centered door with windows on either side. Dormers are also prominently featured on many homes. The simple style and compact size of the Cape Cod made it a popular and affordable option for many home buyers.

Colonial Revival

• The traditional styling of the Colonial Revival home gives this style a classic appearance. Larger and more expensive than many other homes of the decade, these two-story homes often incorporated additional details, such as columns, pilasters and trim under the eaves. This house is known for its symmetry, with each side of the home mirroring the other. Brick or wood clapboard siding adds to the timelessness of this design.