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Part 3 From the Ground Up
Metal nails were used sparingly because
of their expense.
Timber frame construction was
the construction method for all frame
houses in seventeenth and eighteenth
century America because of the abun-
dance of wood. The house exteriors
were covered with shingles, unpainted
clapboards, or other wooden siding. A
clapboard is a board that has one edge
thicker than the other and is typically
used for exterior horizontal siding.
When applied, the board above laps
over the thinner edge of the one below.
This application is also know as bevel
siding or lap siding.
The Cape Cod style grew out of vari-
ations on the one-story house design.
As a family grew, rooms were added to
the basic plan.
• Cape Cod. The
Cape Cod
is a small,
symmetrical, one or one-and-one-half
story house with a steep gable roof
and side gables. A design is
symmetrical
when objects on both sides of a center
point are identical, 6-4A. The Cape
Cod style has a central entrance and
a central chimney with several fire- fi
places. The eave (lower edge) line of
the roof overhangs the exterior wall
just above the first floor fi windows. fl
The windows are multi-paned and
usually have shutters. Originally,
the siding was made of shingles or
unpainted clapboards.
The loft area of the Cape Cod
is usually expanded and made into
finished bedrooms. Openings are then fi
cut in the roof for dormers.
Dormers
are structures with windows that
project through a sloping roof in the
second story. They add light, space,
and ventilation to the second story.
6-3
The Tidewater
South architectural
style was
commonly built by
English settlers
along the southern
coastal regions of
the United States.
Reusing Old Buildings
Old buildings often outlive their original purposes. A way of reusing an old building
is called “adaptive reuse.” This process adapts old buildings for new uses. An example
of adaptive reuse is converting an old post office to a retail center with many shops.
When the building has historic features, the adaptive reuse retains these features
through historic preservation techniques. Adaptive reuse has the following advantages:
• Environmental sustainability. Historic preservation is really “recycling” on a
grand scale and is an effective tool for protecting environmental resources.
• Economic sustainability. Reusing old buildings supports the economy of the
local community.
• Social sustainability. Historic preservation protects and celebrates the social
and cultural resources that will enrich communities and their citizen’s lives for
generations to come.
Information Courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation www.PreservationNation.org
GREEN CHOICES