When renovating, capitalize on home's particular style

Part two of two

Understanding the history, style and architecture of your home — and the other homes in your neighborhood — is crucial in designing an addition or renovation.

Ignore this principle and you'll end up spending a lot of money to decrease the value of your home, not to mention those of your neighbors.

Last week, we discussed the Tudor revival and the craftsman bungalow.

This week we will go coast to coast to introduce two more styles: the Cape Cod and the California ranch.

The Cape Cod

The exterior of a Cape Cod home is generally symmetrical — usually rectangular boxes with steep roofs and a simple 1 1/2-story form. The roofs are typically gabled (in which the sides come to a triangular point), but variances include gambrel (in which the roof slope has a change in pitch part way down, similar to a traditional barn roof shape) and bowed roofs (in which the sides of the triangle are curved).

These homes are typically sided with shingles or clapboards, although they are sometimes seen with brick, stucco or stone.

You'll also commonly see a brick chimney and decorative shutters. (Remember the shutter rule: Each shutter should be wide enough to cover one-half of the window it abuts.)

Inside the Cape Cod, if there is a second story, it is tucked within the roof structure. This requires knee walls (3-foot to 5-foot vertical walls constructed inside the roof plane) so the room doesn't end in an unusable triangle space along the outside edge and dormers (windows with their own roof) to gain headroom on the second floor.

The interior woodwork is typically painted, not stained, and the staircases are simple.

If you will be renovating a Cape Cod, note that details matter on this simple style.

Rake boards (trim under the roof on the gable ends), corner boards and window and door trim are required to give the home added character and distinction.

Original Cape Cod homes were generally built without porches, but because of the simple exterior, the style lends itself to adding one to embellish the blank look of the simple roof line.

In its simplicity, the Cape Cod tends to be seen as a cozy cottage. It combines characteristic Yankee practicality with a timeless aesthetic and has become an enduring symbol of domestic comfort.