18th Century Farmhouses

First Period English Style

• Farmhouses built in England during the earliest part of the 18th century conform to the First Period English Style. This style is an only slightly evolved version of late-medieval building styles. The building material is almost always wood. The roofs are steeply slanted. Such steep roofs result from the fact that wider roofs and airier rooms require engineering that was unavailable to these early architects. Steep roofs also helped deflect snow. Windows in these houses tend to be concentrated on the second floor. This design is a relic of the Middle Ages, where ground-level windows were a liability during an attack.

Georgian Colonial

• When one thinks of a farmhouse in the 18th century, the Georgian Colonial Style is most often what comes to mind. Brick replaces wood as the primary building material in these houses. Low, airy windows replace the small second-story windows of First Period English houses. This suggests a renewed confidence in Englishmen's ability to aggregate wealth without fear of violence. Low, gently sloping roofs suggest two things. First, that the English had developed more advanced architectural techniques. Second, that the British Empire had expanded to many subtropical zones where steep roofs (a means of deflecting snowfall) were no longer necessary.

Dutch Colonial

• The distinction between the Georgian Colonial and the Dutch Colonial is indicative of the fact that increasing tension between colonial powers caused Colonial architecture to develop along separate though parallel lines. The adaptation of architecture to subtropical climes remains a feature of the Dutch Colonial farmhouse. Airy windows and low roofs remain. But building material is different in Dutch Colonials. Whereas the British adopted brick as their material of choice, the Dutch continued to use wood. But the theme of more decorative, less practical architecture remains prominent in Dutch Colonials and is demonstrated in their bright, colorful paint -- often blue or yellow.

Spanish Eclectic

• The Spanish Eclectic is indeed a colonial style. But the markedly different status of Spain as a colonial power is reflected in these homes' idiosyncratic design. After Spain faded as a superpower by the 18th century, the impetus to keep up with British and Dutch architectural designs was largely absent. Instead, the Spanish Eclectic design rests largely on the laurels of 16th- and 17th-century Spanish houses. The earthen material used to construct the homes reflects Spain's limited access to wood. The wide windows of Spanish Eclectics, unlike the windows of other colonials, reflect the long-standing realities of the Spanish climate, rather than any new adaptations to colonial locales. All in all, this design was the most archaic design being regularly produced in the 18th century, though it has since been resurrected in the Americas.