Cape Cod cottage
A rectangular one or two-story house with loft above in a half story, reached by a staircase set between central chimney columns. Derived from the hall and parlor cottage. Developed in New England mainly on Cape Cod in Massachusetts by English settlers in the mid-1600s, though prevailed well into the 1800s. This compact dwelling usually contains two rooms in front with three smaller rooms across the rear. Characteristics include wood-frame with white clapboard or shingle walls, gable roof with low eaves and usually no dormer, a large central chimney, and a front door located on one of the long sides. May have a lean-to at the rear. Built low and broad to withstand prevailing winds. Often sat directly on timber sills without a foundation. If the sandy soil underneath eroded or blew away, the house could be dragged or floated to a new location. Twentieth-century revival versions (commercial builders’ Cape Cod cottages) retain the traditional exterior form with a small end-gabled house in lower-cost housing developments, although interior floor plans are much changed, and the exterior barely resembles the original. (Kremer, 2023)