home stylesa field guide in nine platesboyenga team at compass
Silicon Valley home styles, decoded by the Property Nerds®
Nine house styles, from 1870s Victorians to this year's farmhouse rebuilds, drawn and labeled like a field guide, with every matching home for sale right now. Learn to read a house from the sidewalk, then let us help you buy or sell one.
one street, nine plates: oldest on the left, newest on the right
the timeline
A century and a half of Bay Area houses on one line
Each bar spans the years a style was mostly built here. The number at the end is live: homes of that style for sale in our service area right now. A house can count toward more than one style.
- 01Victorian & Edwardiancounting…
- 02Craftsman & bungalowcounting…
- 03Spanish & Mediterraneancounting…
- 04Tudor, storybook & traditionalcounting…
- 05California ranchcounting…
- 06Mid-century moderncounting…
- 07Eichlercounting…
- 08Modern & contemporarycounting…
- 09Modern farmhouse & new constructioncounting…
the plates
The nine plates
Open a plate for the labeled drawing, the live listings, the neighborhoods where the style clusters and what to check before you buy.
Victorian & Edwardian
Bay windows · bracketed cornice · raised basement and stoop
counting…open plate →
Craftsman & bungalow
Low gables · exposed rafter tails · porch on tapered piers
counting…open plate →
Spanish & Mediterranean
Red clay tile · stucco and arches · wrought iron
counting…open plate →
Tudor, storybook & traditional
Steep gables · half-timbering · big chimney
counting…open plate →
California ranch
One long story · picture window · attached garage
counting…open plate →
Mid-century modern
Flat roof and beams · clerestories · walls of glass
counting…open plate →
Eichler
Closed street face · glass in the gable · atrium
counting…open plate →
Modern & contemporary
Offset flat roofs · big glass · rooftop solar
counting…open plate →
Modern farmhouse & new construction
Steep gables · board-and-batten · metal porch roof
counting…open plate →
tell them apart
Tell them apart in ten seconds
Four things to look at from the sidewalk: the roof, the walls, the windows, and the one detail that settles it.
| style | roof | walls | windows | the giveaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victorian & Edwardian | Hidden behind a bracketed false front, or steep decorated gables | Wood siding, often several textures | Tall, narrow, in slanted or squared bays | Raised basement with a front stoop |
| Craftsman & bungalow | Low gables with wide eaves | Shingle or clapboard | Grouped, divided upper sash | Exposed rafter tails and tapered porch columns |
| Spanish & Mediterranean | Low, red clay tile | Stucco | Arched, often with iron grilles | Arches and tile together |
| Tudor, storybook & traditional | Steep, crossing gables | Stucco with brick, stone or timber | Grouped casements, small panes | Half-timbering or a big front chimney |
| California ranch | Low gable or hip | Board-and-batten, brick, stucco mixed | A big picture window | One long story with an attached garage |
| Mid-century modern | Flat or shallow, deep overhangs | Vertical wood, glass, block | Clerestories and glass walls at the back | Exposed beam ends |
| Eichler | Low gable or flat | Vertical-groove siding | Glass in the gable; almost none on the street | Glass atrium entry |
| Modern & contemporary | Flat or shed, at different heights | Plaster, panels, wood boards | Large fixed panes, clerestory bands | No ornament at all |
| Modern farmhouse & new construction | Steep gables, metal accents | Board-and-batten | Large, often gridded | Gable plus covered porch plus solar |
the nerd check
Why the style matters
When you buy
- Age sets the inspection listRaised foundations before 1980 may qualify for Earthquake Brace + Bolt, slab houses don't; pre-1978 paint brings lead rules; flat roofs and radiant slabs need their own specialists.
- Some styles come with rulesHistoric districts in San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto and Los Gatos, design review in the hill towns, and single-story overlays in many mid-century tracts.
- Labels aren't consistentOnly about a quarter of listings fill in the MLS style field, and words like Mediterranean and Traditional cover houses of very different ages. Check the year built.
When you sell
- Price against the same styleWe compare a home with recent sales of the same style and era, not just the same ZIP code.
- Prepare for that style's questionsTile roofs, radiant heat, chimneys, flat-roof membranes: the pre-listing reports depend on the house.
- Photograph what makes it that stylePorches, beams, arches or glass walls, shot in the light that shows them.
Not sure what you have? Send us the address. We'll pull the year built, the permit history and any district or overlay rules, and tell you what the house is and what that means for buying or selling it.
questions
Questions we hear
What style is this house?
Start with the roof, the walls and the windows, using the comparison table above, then check the year built in county records. Many houses mix styles or have been remodeled. Send us the address and we'll take a look.
Why don't listings agree on styles?
The MLS style field is optional and filled in by each listing agent, and only about a quarter of listings in our area use it. That's why our boards also read descriptions and the year built, and show why each home appears.
Does style change the inspection list?
Yes. Foundation type, roof system, heating and original materials all follow from the era and style of the house. Each plate lists what we check.
Which styles have special rules?
Older houses may sit in historic districts or on city inventories, mid-century tracts are often in single-story overlays, and new houses in hill towns go through design review. Each plate covers the local rules.
Can you help find a specific style?
Yes. Tell us the style, the cities and your budget, and we'll watch new listings, Coming Soon homes and Compass Private Exclusives for you.
talk to a property nerd
Find your style, or sell yours
Call us to talk through what you're looking for, or what your house is and how to market it. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
Questions about a home style? Send us a note.
