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Old 08-23-2012, 07:33 PM
 
Location: USA
2,362 posts, read 3,000,603 times
Reputation: 1854

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I described certain Twin Cities suburbs as soulless in another thread. I did not mean that the people that live in these areas are soulless, or inferior to people that live in other cities. When I describe an area as soulless, I am referring to the overall architecture, and specifically, the style of single family homes. Obviously this is subjective, but I think that most homes in the Twin Cities suburbs tend to be rather boring, ugly, and somewhat contrived. Of course there are exceptions to the rule and I think we should avoid linking all suburban neighborhoods together. Same goes for the neighborhoods in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and some of the inner ring suburbs that feel a bit more like a city.

So with that said, I wanted to start this thread to discuss the various architecture styles for single family homes in the Twin Cities. Which styles do you prefer? I'm a big fan of Tudors.

Tudor
Cape Cod
Bungalow
Colonial
Craftsman
Victorian
Mansion
McMansion
Ranch
Spanish
Mediterranean

I'd also like to learn more about where you can find the styles listed above in the Twin Cities. Feel free to add any that I missed. Thanks.


Minneapolis Tudor

http://www.housesofminneapolis.com/h..._tudor_006.jpg
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Old 08-23-2012, 08:11 PM
 
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,117,481 times
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My parents live in a classic ranch-style house which I rather liked growing up, and it has an addition on the back now. You find a lot of those in the eastern half of Minnetonka built in the late 50's and early 60's.
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Old 08-23-2012, 09:51 PM
 
Location: USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcsteiner View Post
My parents live in a classic ranch-style house which I rather liked growing up, and it has an addition on the back now. You find a lot of those in the eastern half of Minnetonka built in the late 50's and early 60's.
I've noticed that the Eastern part of Minnetonka has a lot of ranch homes. I grew up in a ranch-style by Jefferson High School in Bloomington. I miss that house.
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Old 08-24-2012, 01:09 PM
 
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My favorites are some of the small historic cottages still found tucked away in some neighborhoods like Linden Hill (and I assume also folded into the mix out near Lake Minnetonka or White Bear Lake), as well as more vernacular late 19th century houses in the Wedge. I like quirky.
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Old 08-24-2012, 02:34 PM
 
812 posts, read 2,175,997 times
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I'm also a fan of the tudor style, there's many along the parkway and I find them to be so interesting looking. My second choice is craftsman or colonial, I love the symmetry of a colonial style home.
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Old 08-24-2012, 04:30 PM
 
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One style I really dislike is the one that is always being built in all of today's developments: really colorfull with thick white framing around windows/eves/etc. They look like cartoons.


If I could have my pick it would be whatever the Swedish institute mansion is, French renaissance or something, as if I could ever afford one Perhaps someday they will start casting concrete homes in the elaborate styles of the 19th century.
(here is a reinforced concrete house designed to look like stone Shoestring Lifestyle: Fall In love at The Ruins one day when we have robot labor it may be affordable to build such a house)
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Old 08-24-2012, 06:57 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,377,511 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HiFi View Post
One style I really dislike is the one that is always being built in all of today's developments: really colorfull with thick white framing around windows/eves/etc. They look like cartoons.


If I could have my pick it would be whatever the Swedish institute mansion is, French renaissance or something, as if I could ever afford one Perhaps someday they will start casting concrete homes in the elaborate styles of the 19th century.
(here is a reinforced concrete house designed to look like stone Shoestring Lifestyle: Fall In love at The Ruins one day when we have robot labor it may be affordable to build such a house)
Look up "Craftsman" style houses, it's not really "new", just revitalized.
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Old 08-25-2012, 06:13 AM
 
Location: Twin Cities
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My personal preference is the 1920s bungalow for their rich Craftsman details inside and out. There are a number of them in south Minneapolis that were originally sold as kits by Sears. Those are a bit too small for me, though, as they're usually only one story. I prefer the story and a half bungalow. The second story can often be remodeled into a wonderful master suite.
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Old 08-25-2012, 04:14 PM
 
Location: USA
2,362 posts, read 3,000,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by golfgal View Post
Look up "Craftsman" style houses, it's not really "new", just revitalized.
Depends on the neighborhood. I've seen plenty of Craftsman style homes that haven't been rennovated, but have been maintained extremely well. Are you talking about neighborhoods like Stapleton in Denver that build new homes that kinda look like old styles? Are there any developments like that in the Twin Cities metro area?
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Old 08-25-2012, 04:19 PM
 
Location: USA
2,362 posts, read 3,000,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenfield View Post
My personal preference is the 1920s bungalow for their rich Craftsman details inside and out. There are a number of them in south Minneapolis that were originally sold as kits by Sears. Those are a bit too small for me, though, as they're usually only one story. I prefer the story and a half bungalow. The second story can often be remodeled into a wonderful master suite.
Kits from Sears? Did they sell lumber/concrete for the foundation, and you build the rest?
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