Monday, June 24, 2013

The 1892 New Englander

What, you might ask, is a New Englander?  Well, if you don't live in this part of the country, it's an architectural style that you've probably never heard of.

While not an officially recognized architectural style, a New Englander is so widely recognized here in Maine, that's it's a menu choice on the MLS (Multiple List Service) for house style.  Typically, it's a turn of the (last) century home with a steeply pitched roof (better for shedding snow), gable end facing towards the road, and multiple additions added on.


View from the backyard shows the multiple roof lines
This 1892 gem is our next project - and it's pretty much a classic.  From the steep pitch of the roof, to the multiple roof lines you see from the back yard, it's got all of the right ingredients.  I can't tell you how excited I am about this house.   It has lots of architectural detail already in place!

Originally, the house had a big wrap around porch.  But when the previous owners subdivided the property a few years ago, the porch got trimmed back to just the front section.  That explains the new section of siding that you see in white along the side.  But the porch still has all of its original elements, including the gracefully turned columns.  Can't you just see a couple of wicker rockers on that front porch?

We hope to get moving pretty quickly on this project, so stay tuned for updates!

Pin It

8 comments:

  1. Great bones! I definitely see the rockers on that porch!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh boy! Can't wait for you guys to work your magic with this beauty!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this kind of house. We have a lot of them around here but I've never heard them called by that name. It's a beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just found this post after Googling "New Englander," looking for references to it as a house style. I am surprised to learn that in Maine it is an option on the MLS, and wonder if that is a very new change. I grew up in Maine in what would definitely be described as an 1890s New Englander, although at the time I had no term to describe it. I later lived in Mass., and moved to NH 5 years ago, in my early 30s. Although this style of house is all over New England (especially Northern New England) and I am very interested in architecture, I NEVER heard the term "New Englander" to describe it until I moved to NH. Soon after I moved here I did an internet search on the term, and the results were almost exclusively home listings in New Hampshire. I think this is clearly a New Hampshire term which may be beginning to make its way into other areas of New England.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Actually, with my house currently on the market in NH, I should correct my previous statement and say I'm not surprised that New Englander is an option on the MLS, since Maine shares the same MLS as New Hampshire. I still maintain this is almost exclusively a New Hampshire term, at least as popularly used. But I like having a term to describe what I previously called "sort of a cape, but with the door on the gabled end...."

    ReplyDelete
  6. Roofing style is too good.I like it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. THANK YOU for this! Our house in Rockland doesn't fit the description of a cape, but I couldn't figure out what to call it. Turns out...it's a New Englander. Your picture confirms it.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...