Common Design Elements:

• Simple yet carefully proportioned shapes: Saltboxes, traditional capes, gambrel-roofed capes, and two-storie homes with either gable ends or a hip roof.
  
  
• Large chimneys and at least one wood-burning fireplace, located near the center of the structure rather than on an outside wall.
  
  
• Multi-paned windows throughout, mostly double hung:  6 over 6, 8 over 12, 12 over 12, and so on.  Casement windows are called for where code requires larger openings than double hungs allow.  Fixed windows are occasionally called for to maximize light in a particular space.
  
  
• Wood flooring throughout: Some designs specify quarry tile in a kitchen with a wood- burning stove.
  
  
• An interior trim system that simulates 18th and early 19th century styles without being impractical.  Materials are readily available, and a competent finish carpenter can master the techniques in a reasonable amount of time.
  
  
• Conventional, straightforward construction methods: concrete foundations; wood-framed walls (2 x 6 exterior and 2 x 4 interior); most (not all) roofs can be framed with prefabricated wood trusses.  None of the designs implement the "timber frame" method of construction.

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