A-FRAME:  the outer shape of a structure that has steeply sloped roofs and is in the shape of an "A," hence the name.
 

BI-LEVEL: a home that is built on two levels, with an entrance on a level between the two; it often has the garage and storage or recreation room in the lower level and the balance of the home in the upper level.

BROWNSTONE: a nineteenth-century-style row house, usually having four to five stories with a front staircase from the street leading to the first floor.

BUNGALOW: a small one-story house or cottage, often with a front porch.  The bungalow became the most common building style in the United States between the world wars.

CAPE COD: a style of wood-frame house with a central entrance and a steep roof. Cape Cods have one or two stories, often with dormer windows on the second floor.
 

CRAFTSMAN STYLE: an architectural style that evolved near the turn of the century, characterized by low-pitched, gabled roofs, large, overhanging eaves, usually with exposed roof rafters.

DUTCH COLONIAL: a design that features a barn-like gambrel roof, over-hanging eaves, and a ground-level front porch. And, if it has more than one story, it will have dormers.

EASTLAKE HOUSE: a nineteenth-century-style house with plenty of distinctive three-dimensional ornamentation, an open front porch, and a turret.
 

GEORGIAN STYLE: a large, English-style home, usually two to three stories, characterized by paneled front doors, double hung windows, and a simple exterior.

GREEK REVIVAL STYLE: a nineteenth century style whose most prominent feature is a pillar-anchored pediment forming a portico in front of the house.

INTERNATIONAL STYLE: a type of architecture characterized by very functional design, with buildings constructed of steel, reinforced concrete, and large walls of glass.

MISSION HOUSE: a style of housing that resembles the old mission churches of Southern California. It has a tile roof, widely overhanging eaves, arch-shaped windows and doors, stucco walls, and a pyramid roof.

MONTEREY STYLE: a two-story house with a balcony design adopted from the early California Spanish period; the railed balcony runs across the front of the house at the second-floor level. Roofs are low pitched or gabled, and exterior walls are constructed in stucco, brick, or wood.

NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL: an early American style home that has a symmetrical exterior with a central doorway; the living room, dining room, and the kitchen are downstairs; a central hall has a staircase leading to the bedrooms and baths on the second floor.

PUEBLO STYLE: a twentieth century style made of adobe, with a flat roof, stucco wall surfaces; usually earth-colored.
 

QUEEN ANNE STYLE: a Victorian-era style of home, it is multistory and features steeply pitched roofs, turrets, high chimneys, ad decorative trim.  This style usually has one-story porches.

RANCH HOUSE: a long, one story style of home with all of the rooms on one floor. This style was originated in mid-twentieth century California.
 

SALT BOX STYLE: an early American, 2 or 2-1/2-story style from the Colonial period. The house is rectangular with a steep gable roof that extends down to the second floor in the front, and to the first floor in the rear of the building.

SHINGLE STYLE: a uniquely American style of architecture, shingle style houses can be relatively plain on the exterior, often with porches set into the facade. The houses are covered in wood shingles stained a single color, suggesting the rustic homes of the New England settlers.

SOUTHERN COLONIAL: an early-American architectural style, elaborately built, symmetrical, with columns and a colonnade extending across the front of the house. This home typically has three floors and a gabled roof.
 

SPLIT-LEVEL HOME: a type of house with floor levels staggered so that each level is about one-half story above or below the adjacent one.

SWISS CHALET: a one and one-half or two-story house with a gable roof and decorative woodwork in the Swiss style.

TOWNHOUSE: a home, generally having two or more floors, often with a garage; it is shares walls with other similar units. Modern townhouses are typically found in condominiums and cooperatives, or as part of a planned unit development.

TUDOR: an English-style house with the defining characteristics of half-timbering on the upper floors, steeply pitched cross gables, stone or patterned brick walls, multi-paned windows, and a large chimney.
 

VICTORIAN STYLE: an architectural style of the mid-nineteenth century, characterized by front porches with spindle-work detailing. Many Victorians are known for their heavy ornamentation and bold colors.