UK, US Houses – Similarities and Differences

Besides a common language, the United Kingdom and the United States have another common trait. They include urbanised population centres that require efficient, precise home design. Residents of the UK and the US live in homes designed primarily according to available space and climate.

Certain home design styles are common, but there are key differences in design and residential drafting services due to weather and space factors.

Similarities

Firstly, what are the commonalities of architectural home design among the two nations?

Fundamentally – design styles. Most of these design styles developed in the UK for independent or semi-detached houses over the decades and were adopted in the US simultaneously or at a later date. They are, in brief:

Victorian

Looks similar to dolls houses, with intricate trim, sash windows, bay windows, 2-3 stories, asymmetrical shape, a steep Mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof, a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof with two slopes on each side, the lower slope with dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper slope), wrap-around porches, bright colours

Tudor

Thatched roof, exposed timber frames, casement windows (diamond-shaped glass panels with lead castings), masonry chimneys, elaborate doorways

Stuart

Dutch gables, Palladian parapets, depressed arches, constructed with the more expensive stone and brick, rather than timber

Georgian

Elegant, with symmetrical facades, elaborate decorations, many featured Greek motifs

Queen Anne

Homes with timber hoods over the front door, windows with glazing bars, terracotta tiles and panels, red brick houses, similar to old farmhouses

Edwardian

Colourful and ornate, with carvings and patterns, timber framing, pebble-dash, hanging tiles, white painted timber porches and balconies, introduction of electricity, so interiors became light and bright

30s Semi

Homes with pebble-dashed walls, recessed porches, mock timber framing, hipped roofs and curved bay windows

Art Deco

Open interiors that celebrated sunlight, with flat roofs, plain white walls and many had Egyptian-style motifs

Airey Houses

Due to the scarcity of materials following World War II, houses were mass produced in factories, transported and assembled on site, with concrete columns, metal tubing, smaller windows and plain glass

70s Terrace

Affordable terraced homes, with traditional hanging tiles, weatherboarding, central heating, a garage

90s New Build

In the 1990s, many wanted traditional homes, with mock timber framing, rendered walls and terracotta tiles

Modern Minimalist

Currently, modernist architecture is popular, with eco-friendly designs, priority on sunlight with solar panels, energy efficiency, with open plan interiors, exposed steelwork and lots of glass

In the UK, houses on the same street look almost identical from the outside. They are usually semi-detached, or two houses joined together, with a gap before the next two houses. Another architectural style of houses are terraced houses, or a row of houses all joined together.

Houses in the UK are generally small, sometimes just 4 metres wide. There have been one-bedroom terraced cottages that were less than 3 metres in width.

In the US, most of the houses have a modernist style, which covers futurism, post-modern and new classical styles. Glass, steel and reinforced concrete are used. Facades avoid unnecessary detail and the designs are simple, highlighting the use of modern materials. Buildings are low and there is greater interaction with interior and exterior spaces, more use of natural light, shade and glass.

Differences

When it comes to differences between UK and US homes, they are as follows:

Power outlets:

Mailbox:

Faucets:

Closets:

Home Sizes:

Type of Homes:

Laundry:

Garbage Disposal:

Differences within houses dictate architectural home design for both countries.