House Styles

The Victorians

• Queen Victoria ruled Britain from 1837 to 1901.
• The Victorian house style was developed during Queen Victoria's reign and was the predominant style in the United States from 1860 to 1900. (It began earlier in Britain, and in New Zealand/Australia it last longer)
• Victorian style is an architectural style the building style if the balloon framing style, which is still the prevalent building style today.
• Victorians were the first houses to use the balloon style of framing. Balloon framing is based on a system of 2" studs with wire nails that anchor the frame to a sill plate which then transfers the load to the foundation. Prior to this wooden buildings where built with the heavy timber style of framing (most similar to today's post-and-beam construction) in which giant timbers in strategic places were used to carry the load to the foundation. Balloon framing allowed for innovations such as overhangs, and irregular shaped houses. ( Because of the way in which the load was carried heavy timber framing tended to limit the design of buildings to rectangles and squares and size was limited by available timbers.)
• Multi-colored (often in earth tones) house colors, multiple shingle types and exterior detailing, wrap-around porches, back stairways, bay windows, asymmetrical facades and steep roofs are all hallmarks of the Victorian style.
• Detailing such as seen in many Victorian homes (corner blocks, gingerbread, hardware...) was not affordable or available to most people until the industrial revolution. Victorian homes also reflect the availability of these cheap mass produced goods and are inextricably interconnected with the rise of the railroad.
• Victorians can be divided into six groups:
  • Second Empire
  • Stick
  • Queen Anne; which is further subdivided into three groups:
    • Spindle work
    • Free Classic
    • Half-Timbered
    • Patterned Masonry
  • Shingle
  • Richardsonian Romanesque
  • Folk