Image W.W. Owens
Image Classic Colonial Homes
Image W.W. Owens
Image Connor Homes
Image W. W. Owens
Image Classic Colonial Homes
Image W. W. Owens
Image Classic Colonial Homes
Image W. W. Owens
Image Classic Colonial Homes
Image Classic Colonial Homes
Image Classic Colonial HomesFrom the very moment I saw them on my first trip to the U.S. East Coast 20 yrs. ago, I fell hopelessly in love with the classic Saltbox houses. Many years & countless more trips have not dulled the feeling - I'm truly smitten!
Named because they resembled the shape of the wooden, wall-hung boxes used to store salt in Colonial times, they really are the most memorable & easily recognizable of the New England central-chimney houses. Their traditional design is of a two-storey front and a long roofline sloping down to one-storey at the rear. The original plan of two rooms up, two rooms down later was enlarged to combine a long rear lean-to housing a larger kitchen. Their practical design served a number of purposes - they were easy to build, their steeply pitched roof-line shed the snow load well & the longer rear roof slope deflected the icy winter winds.
An interesting aside to the evolution of this style was that at the time in England the unpopular (and short reigning) Queen Anne needed to desperately raise taxes to fund all the Wars she unwisely became involved with. Thinking the middle-upper classes of her Colony of America would be good targets, she applied taxes to houses of two stories or more. The Colonial builders of the Saltbox houses cleverly managed to fit 2 and 3 stories under the roofline, yet qualified as tax exempt as the roof came down to meet as a one storey wall facing the street.
I've included photos of both original and reproduction Saltboxes, each very beautiful in their own right. I know it's a luxurious indulgence - without eaves or verandahs, the traditional Saltbox would not be a practical choice for our harsh Australian summer weather, but it's lovely to dream anyway!
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I'm all packed and ready to move into the 6th one please!
ReplyDeleteMight have to fight you over that one Michelle - although for me it's a dead heat between your choice and the first photo. Aren't these just toooooo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
You are a woman after my own heart! I LOVE the "saltbox" homes. We have one down the road, though it's smaller in scale, and I often stop to admire it.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is just delicious! I have just moved from Crafers to the arid lands of rural WA, and am missing the icy Adelaide Hills winters...your blog made me feel like I was at home again. I am going to send the link to my mum and she will likely come knocking on your door for a cup of tea and decorating discussion. I will continue to read with vim and vigour xx
ReplyDeleteWelcome Emma. 2 of our sons share a house together around the corner from us in Crafers, just close enough to detect when I put a Sunday roast in the oven!
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^