Craftsman style housing and architectural design

Craftsman Houses

I chose the Craftsman style of home construction because the houses show a real sense of being built by individual people who cared about what they were doing.

The Arts and Craft movement that led to the Craftsman style of youse began in 19th century England as response to the effects of the industrial revolution, which was diminishing the demands for craftsmen (LaChiusa). The movement was a political movement as well as a professional one as people struggled to cope with the effects of mechanization and dehumanization on life in England. It was also a reaction to the overdone qualities of the Victorian era, with a return to building skills that might have been used in medieval times. Good design using simple construction methods was a hallmark of the Craftsman style (LaChiusa).

The British Craftsman style homes were also influenced by home construction in colonial India at the time. Those houses were open, with large windows to allow for good air circulation (Author not given, 2004).

Since the style was originally intended to encourage the employment of hand craftsmen, they included details such as beautiful rafters that could be left exposed to enhance the exterior appearance of the house. Builders used wood and other natural construction materials. The homes often included stained glass details, built-in cabinetry and fine carpentry accents on the inside of the house (Author not given, 2004).

These houses often had wide, large porches supported by square pillars. As many of these houses were remodeled, often those front porches were turned into screened in porches or sunrooms (Author not given, 2004).

While the house style did not particularly suit northern climates, the open porches, which shaded the air drawn in by windows, along with the interior design planned to encourage air circulation, performed well in such warmer climates as southern California and Florida, where the style became quite popular (Daly, 1994).

Craftsman houses had design elements common to them. These features were best built by craftsmen rather than lending themselves to prefabrication. The houses were typically not symmetrical, which made them more interesting from the street. They looked casual and informal. They used natural materials or materials created from natural substances. For instance, floor tiles are common in Craftsman houses. The roofs had low pitches and sometimes had gables. Very often the roof rafters were exposed at the edges of the house. Sometimes additional braces were added under the gables, but they were typically decorative.

A wide overhang was extremely common in Craftsman homes. This allowed for a large shaded porch, and allowed for air cooling. Typically the overhand was supported by columns that were squared at the bottom and tapered upwards.