15 Residential Architecture Terms Every Homeowner Should Know

Whether you are planning to build , recreate , or just passionate about home design , these architecture keywords can help oneself you perfect your home expertness .

KIM CORNELISON

Are you eager to gain some architectural cognition before designing an outside or space of your own ? Or peradventure you ’re just looking to learn something young . Either means , familiarize yourself with these widely - used architectural terms might come in in handy . know how to describe structures and their particular makes it easy to articulate your vision for your own home . Delve into these plebeian term and see how they appear in residential architecture .

front and side exterior of house with a bay window

Credit:KIM CORNELISON

Cupola

John Merkl

A cupola is a little bean - like structure that bug out from the top of a construction . These structuresserve a design — they’re sometimes used as lookouts or provide air and ventilation to the construction below . They also provide visual sake to an otherwise plain cap and are often ascertain onbarns or sheds .

Veranda

Keyanna Bowen

Perfect foroutdoor livingand entertaining , averanda is an open - zephyr hallwaywith a roof and often a railing . Unlike a typical porch , a veranda takes up either the entire front or back of the house , usually wrapping around the sides .

Eave

Ed Gohlich

An eave in computer architecture is the part of the ceiling that hang over the side of the house or building structure . This integral part of the roof helps endure body of water out from the wall and institution , resulting in fewer repairs and a long living for the house .

Bay Window

Bay windowsoften make for acozy reading nookand allow extra light inside a home . These unique windows jut out from the home ’s interior and strain from the outside . They often consist of one tumid windowpane in the center with two smaller window on each side .

Gable

Anthony Masterson

Rather than a hip ceiling ( a roof in which all four side gently pitch from the top ) , agable rooffeatures two sloped sides that encounter at a eyeshade . The triangular part of the paries between the pitched roof is what ’s foretell a gable . gable wall admit for more attic space and good rainfall and snow peeling .

Board and Batten

Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Add optical interest to plain exterior orinterior wallswith board and batten . This sidingand paneling elan uses thin flight strip of molding ( batting ) and set them vertically over wide wood board . Painting the boards and battens one color creates a cohesive smell .

Turret

Edmund Barr

Inspired by mediaeval castles , gun turret are small column - similar structures that extend from a sign . They ’re often seen inVictorian - style homes , where they typically serve as parlor , sketch , or other cozy and quaint areas . If the turret is big enough , it can provide a orotund way on each base of the home .

Portico

Helen Norman

Aporticois a small roofed porch near a family ’s room access . It ’s often give up by columns or bracket , offering a classical feel to the firm ’s exterior . Porticos also avail protect Edgar Guest from rain or snow when entering or leaving the house .

Parapet

Brie Williams

breastwork are basically modest wall or thickset railing around the outside of a cap . They are ordinarily extensions of the wall that design slenderly high than the roof . These short walls can helpprotect the rooffrom wind , water , debris , and blast .

Facade

Jean Allsopp

You ’ve likely get wind the word window dressing before , but do you have it away what it means ? A frontal is the front or " face " of a theatre ’s exterior . This side of the firm will belike look the street or front yard , take a leak it the firstpart of the house guests seewhen they arrive .

Dormer

Adormeris a roofed vertical window pose on a slanted roof . These small-scale additions allow for more blank space and light on the top level or in the attic of a habitation . They also add dimension and interest to the roof .

Wainscoting

Laurey Glenn

Wainscotingis a rampart discourse that adds spare texture and interest . The decorative wall covering is usually installed over the lower part of a wall and painted to counterpoint the rest of the room . It has multiple vogue , such as parent - panel , vapid - board , andbeadboard , and is often target in gamy - dealings areas to prevent scuffs on the wall .

Colonnade

John Granen

Colonnades are large course of columns that support the ceiling in a feature like a covered walkwayor porch . They can also be seen indoors to show the divide of a way . A definitive - inhale arcade is the perfect addition for extra play in a blank .

Cornice

Julie Soefer

pelmet add a decorative ingredient to a home . Whether discover outside on eaves , around the ceiling of a way , or on the trim of furniture , cornices are thecrowns or capsthat finish off a space or complex body part . They are always horizontal and often help create a beautiful passage from the wall to the ceiling .

Balustrades

John Bessler

Often seenlining staircases , porches , balconies , and terraces , balustrade are a popular body structure used both indoors and on home exterior . Balustrades are railing systems consisting of a row of columns ( handrail or arbor ) restrain together by a top rail . They suffice both ornamental and functional purposes .

house with cupola