Advantages & Disadvantages of Colonial Dutch Homes

Features

• The Dutch Colonial home offered an attractive and substantial appearance with a functional design. Often called a “barn-style” home, this home featured a gambrel roof with a ground-floor porch under overhanging eaves and a symmetrical facade, though asymmetrical facades are also found. The roofline was often flared at the ends, which gave the style a unique appearance. The origins of this distinctive type of roof are a combination of the windmill roofs found in Holland and the Indonesian designs the Dutch found during their colonization of Indonesia, according to writer Jack Bookwalter at the "Northwest Renovation" Magazine site.

Materials

• Dutch Colonial homes were often made of stone, brick or clapboard siding. The materials vary from region to region of the country. While the eastern part of the United States may see more homes with clapboard siding, Midwestern and far northern areas often see stone or brick materials used for weathering against harsh winter weather.

Floor Plans

• Floor plans of Dutch Colonial homes follow traditional uses, including the formal dining room, living room areas and bedrooms set apart or upstairs in dormered rooms used by children. This style of home often features a central hallway with rooms flanking on both sides and a traditional kitchen area.

Advantages of Dutch Colonial Homes

• The one-and-a-half floors in Dutch Colonial homes offered plenty of room for busy family life, and dormered bedrooms provided plenty of sleeping space. The styling provided a stable, traditional look for neighborhoods, with a homey feel that appealed to families with growing children. The gambrel roof allowed for construction of a complete second story without great expense.

Disadvantages of Dutch Colonial Homes

• Traditional Dutch Colonial homes had floor plans that followed old-fashioned cultural trends of formal entertaining with separate dining room areas. More contemporary designs incorporate the popular “great room” concept into the design for today’s more casual entertaining trends. The use of a second floor for bedrooms areas may not be convenient for older people or for the tending of young children. The wide front porch area does not offer suitable entertaining space and may go unused entirely.