Which Housing Styles are Most Iconic in Calgary?

Understanding the different types of housing styles throughout Calgary is necessary if you want to buy a home here. There are plenty of great styles throughout from a Tudor to a more modern style. Here are some of the most iconic home styles found throughout Calgary.

Craftsman-Style Bungalow

This type of house is very much an American Style from Greene and Greene architects who called their millionaire chalets ‘bungalows'. In their heyday, bungalows were prized for artistic naturalism and exotic looks. The style is also inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement due to the design's vernacular architecture that melds into its natural setting.

Bungalows typically nestle into the site, low and spreading, so they are aesthetically pleasing without interfering with their surroundings excessively. They are often made with stone facades, natural colours and cedar clapboard siding finishes. These types of homes are mainly found in the Mount Pleasant and Crescent Heights areas of the city.

Prairie School Style Homes

The Prairie School style home is a unique choice with influences from the European design culture that ran concurrently with the Arts & Crafts movement and was originated in America. These types of homes are typically horizontal in emphasis with wide, open floor plans. While relatively unornamented, Prairie School homes are still captivating with features such as overhanging eaves, one-story projections and a hipped roof with a central chimney.

Frank Lloyd Wright is known as the father of prairie school architecture and provided many iconic designs found in this category, as it's what he is most famous for in his prized homes. You will find these types of homes in the Cliff Bungalow area and throughout the 5th Street SW area.

Modern Style Home

The Modern-style architecture is from just after the Second World War and provides a very popular style throughout the city. Common materials used in this type of home include glass, steel, concrete and even reclaimed wood and stone for flooring and other areas. While modern style homes tend to have open floor plans and expansive interiors, they are designed for energy-efficiency and often utilize eco-friendly materials and include technologically advanced automation features.

Exteriors typically boast clean but interesting roof lines, and modern style homes tend to feature more than one colour to complement focal points or divide floors. You will find these types of homes throughout the city, but the Southwest communities of Altadore and Marda Loop are the most common areas for modern-style homes.

Tudor Revival

The Tudor-style homes are based on an English-style from the 16th century. It's a very popular type of home with medieval architecture. In the US and England, Tudor Revival style often intersected with the Arts & Crafts style making these homes highly recognizable. These homes typically feature steep multi-gabled roofs and half-timbered exteriors complemented by textural materials like plaster or stone.

Interiors often boast high beamed ceilings, high wainscots and paneling, and casement windows with stained glass. Additional elements common within Tudor Revival style homes include Jacobean staircases and decorative features such as doors and hardware element. This type of home is most common in the Upper Mount Royal area.

All of these home styles are very common throughout the Calgary area. Whether you prefer a more ornate type of home or something modern, there are plenty of choices in Calgary.