said by alkizmo:said by ctggzg:Am I the only one who didn't know what a "cape" home is?
Don't feel bad, I only assumed what ranch style homes are.
Where I live, these are the terms we use:
Bungalow - Single story with basement
Split-level - Half is 2 story, other half is 1 story (Set in middle of the first half)
Cottage - Two story with basement
The end
Those terms are different all over the country.
Here:
Bungalow: SMALL single floor home, possibly with a basement or crawl space. Generally one, 1.5 for two baths. May have a basement with a dirt floor. Not a place for anything.
Cape: Does not exist, in general. MAY be a very small house, one level on as slab or crawl space.
Split Level: Same, or two stories on both sides of the entrance. May be three half levels or four. When three levels the single level is likely on a crawl space, not a slab.
Split Foyer: Generally two levels, but the entrance is in the middle, between the two floors. Basically a Ranch with the entry between the main floor and the basement.
Ranch: Single floor. It MAY have a basement, or be on a slab. I grew up in one of these.
Center Hall Colonial: A two story house with the stairs in the middle. Generally very large. In this area (DC) it is on a basement.
Side Hall Colonial: A two, or possibly three story house with the hall and steps to one side or the other. Generally a smaller town house. May be two, three or even four stories. In general, they are on a crawl space, but can be on a very unfinished basement, often with a dirt floor. They are mostly very old, like in Old Town(e) Alexandria, VA.
Cottage: A small single floor home with an unfinished basement, even with a dirt floor.
Shotgun: A home with a center hall, and everything off of it. MANY didn't originally have inside plumbing. No basement, but generally over a very badly build crawl space. Some didn't even have a center hall. You had to walk through the rooms to get from the front to the back. My great grandmother (I don't recall her husband) and my mother's parents died in this type of home. My Mother and her five siblings grew up in one. These are never built today.
Different parts of the country have other odd conventions. In the DC area, kitchen appliances convey with the house. Laundry appliances are negotiated as part of the sale. They GENERALLY stay, but maybe not.
In central and southern Virginia, you take everything with you. Even if your appliances don't fit your new house, too bad, you take them.