Check out the floor plans below ( Plan #115-1371) Bottom: Not exactly the typical shotgun, but this delightful 2-story Bungalow that is only 24 feet wide follows the same concept and has some similar features: narrow footprint on a narrow lot, roof overhang with a gable above, small covered porch, short front yard, and a second floor with the master suite.
Mother 3 the cutting room floor license#
Top: Classic shotgun house in the Camelback style with a garage attached to its side ( photo credit: UptownShotgunCamelbackGarage by Infrogmation under license CC BY 2.5). It features the basic long, narrow shape – one room wide and three to five rooms deep, with each room opening into the next. The original concept of the design is the conventional and simplest shotgun form. Let ’s look at the different faces of the shotgun house. While their small dimension can be a challenge, it is also an impetus for architects and designers to be imaginative and innovative in their designs. Throughout their long history, shotguns have been transformed from the simple, plain vernacular design to the high-style decorated style. Rooms with high ceilings – intended to cool the home during the hot summer months – featured decor accents such as moldings, ceiling medallions, and elaborate woodwork. Decorative wooden brackets often support the overhangħ. After 1880, roof overhangs with a gable above became part of the shotgunĦ.
Simpler and older shotgun types have flat roofs with no overhang – and no covered front porchĥ. Typically, shotguns have a wood frame structure and siding, but theyre also some made of brick or stone.Ĥ. Decorative shutters that cover the front door and windowģ. Single door and window in front of the house – there is often a side door that leads to the backroom in some types of shotguns.Ģ. Here are some of the other distinct characteristics of the shotgun house:ġ.
Most shotguns are built almost always close to a street and have a very short front yard. Like most homes in New Orleans, shotguns are usually raised two to three feet of the ground in response to the threats of storms, hurricanes, and high winds that affected the coastal areas of Louisiana. The rooms are adjoining and open into the next at the back wall ( photo credit: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS IN-126, Public Domain).Ī narrow rectangular footprint, simplicity of construction, and efficiency are the signature features of the shotgun. shotgun with Italian Renaissance Revival details is made of metal. The house follows a typical shotgun: an off-center front entrance and interior rooms without a main hallway. The entire facade of this 18-ft.-by-50-ft. A beautiful example is the historic John Eckert House in Madison, Indiana, built for Eckert, a local tinsmith. Join us as we explore the interesting and captivating history of this intriguing house style, which has slowly worked its way back into the architectural landscape.īy the 1870s, other cities in the country were adopting the Shotgun style house in their neighborhoods.
Perhaps the most popular example of an innovative restoration is a Waco, Texas, which was featured on HGTVs Fixer Upper. Today, preservationists, as well as potential homeowners, are buying and restoring existing shotgun homes. Once a symbol of poverty and even targeted for demolition in many major cities of the South, the style has survived after becoming an important urban house type in the mid-19 th century – and is now appreciated as a major part of New Orleans and America ’ s architectural history. The “bare essentials” house style – with its small footprint and challenging layout – originated in New Orleans in the 1800s. “And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack.” So go the opening words of "Once in a Lifetime ," a 1980 song by the Talking Heads.įrom Elvis (who was born in a shotgun house) to the Talking Heads, folk-rock singer Jeff Buckley (who lived in one), John Mellencamp (who based his song "Pink Houses" on shotguns), and Bruce Springsteen (who mentions shotgun houses in his song "We Take Care of Our Own"), the fascination for the shotgun house in popular culture may be unparalleled in residential architecture. This Home Design is Perfect for Narrow Lots and Tiny Homes