What Is a Craftsman-Style House?

There are plenty of house styles out there, and while the name of this one might not ring a bell, if you saw it, you’d recognize the signature square shape, covered porch, and All-American charm. So, what is a craftsman house exactly? Read on for a breakdown of its key features, variations, and more.

History of the Craftsman House

The American Craftsman-style house originated as an architectural style of homes built in the U.S. during the early part of the 20th century, from 1905 through the 1920s and ’30s. The type is an offshoot of the 19th-century British Arts and Crafts movement, which responded to the era’s prevailing architectural style and socio-economic norms.

Proponents of the movement believed the industrial revolution was responsible for a decrease in the creation of quality goods.

Craftsman style can also credit bungalow-style housing in India as a source of inspiration.

American craftsman homes are known for their simple, functional design. The craftsman house continues to be popular today and stands as one of the classic American home styles.

Key Elements of a Craftsman-Style Home

Craftsman-style homes bucked the era’s decorative and eclectic Victorian style. Instead, the Craftsman celebrated clean lines and natural materials—a night-and-day contrast to the excess of Victorian decoration. Craftsman homes share several distinctive features, making them a popular style for middle-class Americans in the early 20th century.

Front Porch

Craftsman homes greet you with a full- or partial-length gabled porch held up by sturdy (but decorative!) columns. These square columns are often tapered, wider at the bottom, and thinner where they meet the roof.

Low-Pitched Roofs

Craftsman-style roofs are low-pitched. While commonly gabled, sometimes the roof is in the hip style, meaning a roof that slopes on all four sides. Each side forms a ridge at the top of the roof. The tops have extended, overhanging eaves and exposed rafters.

Double-Hung Windows

Homes built in the Craftsman style feature numerous vertical, double-hung windows. These windows can be raised or lowered from top or bottom with window sashes that also tilt for efficient ventilation. In addition, Craftsmans commonly include a single dormer with the same style window.

Open Interiors

The living room is the center of the Craftsman and usually features a fireplace. Throughout the house, rooms connect without hallways. Window seats complement the windows (and provide can’t-beat reading nooks), and the ceilings have exposed beams.

Hand-Crafted Detail Work

Craftsmans embrace various natural colors and materials, incorporating them into the hand-crafted design and detail work.

Types of Craftsman Homes

Bungalow homes that Stickley was said to have experienced in India inspired the traditional Craftsman style. One- to two-story bungalow exteriors featured low sloping roofs, eaves with enclosed rafters, and other common characteristics of the Craftsman style. As the popularity of the style spread, many more craftsman house ideas emerged, and different sub-categories developed throughout the U.S.

Cottage Style

Cottage-style homes are one-story, compacted versions of a bungalow. Windows sit on each side of a partial-length, single-gabled roof. Cottage styles are symmetrical with wood or stucco siding and other stylistic Craftsman details, such as extended eaves.

Clipped Gable

Clipped gable Craftsman houses lack the roof’s characteristic gable ends. The single-storied, clipped top often has a single dormer window in the gabled, hipped, or eyebrow style.

Colonial Craftsman

A Craftsman-style house with a colonial-style trellis front porch balances these two popular house styles, creating a brand-new look.

Aeroplane Craftsman

Wide, overhanging eaves give this house the appearance of an airplane.

Eclectic-Influenced Craftsman

Internationally influenced Craftsman homes showcasing the bungalow-style houses with detailed work influenced by Swiss chalets, Asian temples, and beyond.

Multi-Family

While most Craftsman-style bungalows are single-family homes, this is a multi-unit version. The bungalow court is a U-shaped, two-story example. It is a multi-family unit of houses that share a private garden or courtyard.

Pros and Cons of Craftsman-Style Houses

Much like any home style, a craftsman-style house will come with its own pros and cons.

Pros

• Design versatility. Craftsman-style branches off into many different iterations—like colonial or cottage—so you don’t just have to pick one style but have unique options.

• They’re sustainable. Since Craftsman-style houses take up less space than many other houses, they require fewer resources to build and maintain.

• A welcoming style. Both the sweet All-American charm and the open floor plan allow for a very welcoming, homey feel in the house.

Cons

• Restricted space. Since Craftsman-style homes are bungalows, they often have less space than other single-family homes.

• Limited floor plan options. The concept of an open floor plan originated with Craftsman-style homes. This can be nice, but because they’re designed with this concept in mind, it limits wiggle room for trying different floor plans.

• High maintenance. Buying a Craftsman-style house may require more upkeep than other homes, given its older style and functionality.

Why Choose a Craftsman-Style Home?

A Craftsman-style house may not be suitable for everyone, but it could be the perfect fit for some. If you’re looking for a more ecologically sustainable home and are a small family, couple, or individual. Its eco-friendly properties will help you shrink your carbon footprint. And its compact size makes it perfect for smaller groups of people to live there.