So you’re ready to build your ultimate custom home and manifest all your wildest real estate dreams! As you ponder the endless possibilities your dream home has, one of the most exciting decisions is landing on the perfect architectural style to bring your vision to life.
But with so many gorgeous options—from storied Spanish villas to more modern architecture and geometric marvels—how do you choose? Do you take cues from the surrounding community? Lean into your personal aesthetic? Or pragmatically choose something future buyers will desire?
We’ll explore the most popular architectural styles styles and key considerations to harmonize beauty, lifestyle fit, and potentially even resale value for architectural alchemy. Let’s dive in!
Most Popular Architectural Home Styles
Dreaming of Spain & Mediterranean Shores
If you adore leisurely meals al fresco surrounded by family and friends, the Spanish or Mediterranean styles probably already speak to you.
Characterized by:
- Arched windows and doorways
- Barrel tile roofs in terracotta or clay
- Stucco or plaster exterior walls, often in sunny yellows or oranges
- Ornate ironwork accents on windows, balconies, and gates
- Towering palms, vines, and lush gardens surrounding the home
Outdoor living reigns supreme thanks to covered terraces, courtyards, and verandas framed by sun-soaked exteriors. Breezy porticos and al fresco dining under vine-covered pergolas.
These styles originated in warmer climates around Spain, Italy, and Portugal, so they’re perfect for soaking up year-round vitamin D. Seaside variations embrace waterfront views with sprawling patios and infinity pools.
*What’s the difference between Spanish and Mediterranean architecture?
While they share many attributes, the Spanish style leans more formal, with decorative details inspired by colonial Latin American influences, Cathedral architecture, and Moorish elements from Arab rule. Think tile mosaics, wrought iron, and carved wooden accents.
The Mediterranean derives cottage-like influences from the seaside culture in Italy, France, and Greece. Picture whitewashed walls, stone/wood textures, and living spaces extended outdoors through patios, pergolas, and terraces.
*Pro Tip: For the most dramatic entryway, frame the front door with decorative ceramic tiles or a semi-circular brick archway.
Colonial Classics
Colonial style strikes an elegant symmetrical balance with center doorways, rows of paned windows, classically proportioned columns, and crown molding galore. Details embody refinement restraint through:
- Brick, wood clapboard, or stone facades
- Multi-pane double-hung windows
- Minimal ornamentation – maybe some decorative shutters
- Steeply angled roofs
- Centered doorways and brick chimneys
Customize your colonial with mix-and-match influences from Dutch, French, Spanish, and American colonial offshoots.
Dutch colonials display stacked gambrel roofs, while the French embrace acreage with sprawling wings and walls of windows letting sunlight bathe ornate interiors.
American colonial is most formal with columns that reach two stories, while second-floor space gets maximized under the roofline in Cape Cod style.
Finding colonial too cookie-cutter traditional? Strike a sophisticated contrast with cylindrical turrets, bay windows, bump-outs, or masonry chimneys stacked through the center.
*How do you decide between Colonial and Cape Cod?
Do you prefer that cozy New England cottage vibe? Go with Cape Cod. Want imposing grandeur that still blends with neighborhood context? Colonial it is.
*Pro Tip: Incorporate colonial-style windows on the first level, but transition to floor-to-ceiling modern picture windows upstairs for stunning contrast.
Farmhouse Charm (& Born Again Craftsman)
Are you drawn to wide, inviting front porches, rustically textured materials like brick/wood, and oozing imperfect vintage character? Farmhouse style naturally fosters laidback living and dining rooms with a modern, breath-easy twist.
Key ingredients inside and out:
- Cozy front porches with timber columns + beadboard ceiling
- Create an irresistible welcome with rockers, a wooden bench swing, and potted greenery
- Plenty of large windows ushering in floods of natural light
- Add window boxes overflowing with flowers/herbs
- Exposed wood beams + tongue and groove ceiling accents
- Natural textures galore — think brick, woodgrain, wrought iron
A modern farmhouse base effortlessly layers in modern, industrial, minimalist, or traditional flair.
What are three ways to give a modern twist to a farmhouse exterior?
- Incorporate a steel/glass front entryway
- Extend the back with floor-to-ceiling windows
- Opt for crisp white siding contrasted with charcoal window trim
Originally growing out of prairie American Craftsman homes by architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, this style champions simplicity, practicality, and handmade craftsmanship with an unpretentious rustic pedigree.
*Pro Tip: Carry over tropes like visible wood beams or wrought iron accents for cohesive indoor/outdoor synergy.
Key Factors To Evaluate
Choosing your architectural style resembles an artistic dance — blending aesthetics, lifestyle vision, and practical considerations into one gorgeous composition.
Envision Your Ideal Lifestyle
Like an architect thoughtfully designing each room’s purpose, dedicate time to visualizing how you want to live daily.
- Brainstorm your ideal routine from sunrise to bedtime — what rooms get used when, and how?
- How often do you host friends and family or large celebrations? See yourself primarily entertaining intimately or on a large scale?
- Is a peaceful private sanctuary the goal or a vibrant gathering hive?
- Any hobbies that need housing, like art/music studios or home gyms?
- Work from home considerations? Think open plan office, designated study, or flexible multi-use spaces.
Extract key activities and adjacencies to inform your unique architectural style and layout. A potter might benefit from a specialized studio addition with a sink, ventilation, and northern light. Or perhaps a big family needs a spacious eat-in kitchen that flows outdoors for kids to play while you grill.
Either way, envisioning lifestyle priorities first provides an invaluable guiding blueprint.
Mind the Climate
Once you’ve captured the lifestyle vision, consider your region’s temperatures, precipitation patterns, and general climate and how to enhance inhabitation architecturally.
In hot & humid southern regions, embrace breezy verandas, strategic shade trees, and cooling tile or grass in place of concrete driveways. Mediterranean or Spanish architectural styles naturally promote ventilation and shady respites.
For cold & snowy winters in northern mountain regions, amplify sunlight exposure, incorporate radiant floor heating and landscape with wind-blocking tree rows and foliage. Craftsman bungalows or A-frame chalets suit these settings.
And in temperate zones like coastal California, you can’t go wrong with maximizing indoor-outdoor flow with collapsable glass walls, sprawling multi-level decks, and outdoor kitchens.
Curb Appeal & Resale Value
Unless secluded on acreage, your home’s façade remains the first impression for visitors and prospective buyers. So while style signifies personal tastes, also consider the following:
- Regional architectural trends — Tuscan farmhouses or Spanish haciendas could boost value in the Southwest
- Universal classics like colonial remain desirable fallback options that blend contextually
- Timelessness matters more than chasing daring modern statements that can polarize buyers
But focus resale cogitation on flexible, value-boosting interiors — open concept gathering rooms, chef’s kitchens with island/high-end appliances, spa bathrooms, multi-purpose bonus spaces — rather than overly investing in custom finishes facing the street.
Do most home features that customize resale value focus on interiors vs exteriors?
Yes, while exterior curb appeal helps sell the overall vision, niche custom finishes matter less to buyers than interior spaces catering to universal lifestyle needs like hosting, cooking, and wellness.
Lead with classic exteriors that blend into neighborhood aesthetics, then get creative with interior layouts using universal elements homebuyers covet.
Budget Realities
Even if money was no object, anchor architectural dreams with realistic budgets. Construction choices greatly swing pricing beyond overall square footage and bedroom/bath counts.
For example, opting for:
- Three stories over 2
- Stone and brick over siding
- Arched vs. standard windows
- Poured concrete over a wood frame
- Copper gutters over aluminum
- Premium appliances/finishes
Connect with builders early about pricing frameworks. Generally, an optimal budget allocation:
- 50-60% to base house construction
- 30-40% to interior design/finishes
- 10-20% to exterior finishes and landscaping
There is no need to overinvest in niche exterior details. Focus budget on quality bones and breathtaking interiors.
What provides the biggest visual impact without overspending?
Strategic selections like:
- Statement front door (modern steel, arched wood, oversized, etc)
- Designer exterior lighting
- Water features (tiered fountain, reflecting pool)
- Outdoor kitchen/entertainment area
- Fire feature (fire pit, chiminea, outdoor fireplace)
You gain resale value and day-to-day enjoyment by centering the bulk on flexible, well-appointed interiors and thoughtful landscape lighting!
Conclusion
Choose a style that aligns aesthetics, lifestyle vision, and practical necessities into harmonious architectural alchemy. Lean classic for future-proofing, then customize with trendy interiors, natural materials, or bold landscaping.
Most of all, understand how you want to inhabit the space across seasons. Whether soaking in scenic vistas, hosting family gatherings, or focusing designs around hobbies, let your dreams and purpose lead. The rest follows.
Need help navigating architectural style for custom homes? Reach out to us!
True Blue Construction 