![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/what-is-a-cape-cod-house-beach.png\")
<\/a>Charm, grown from hardship<\/h2>\n
The very term \u201cCape Cod house\u201d brings visions of bulky knit sweaters and sunsets over the bay while you sip a highball and the ocean breeze ruffles your hair. But every charming detail is a product of the harsh environment of the colonial Northeast.<\/p>\n
That quaint, steep roof? It\u2019s so snow won\u2019t accumulate.<\/p>\n
The low, homey ceiling? It conserves heat.<\/p>\n
The huge, fairy-tale-cottage chimney? It provides much needed warmth to the small rooms surrounding it.<\/p>\n
Nonstop punishment from the salty air gives the cedar shingles their trademark silver color, and the enchanting, steep \u201ccaptain\u2019s stairway\u201d provides space-saving access to storage in the attic. Ingenuity thrives in small spaces and harsh environments.<\/p>\n
But the end result is, undeniably, cute. And most early Capes (1690s to 1850s) were even tinier than the full Cape described above.<\/p>\n
There were two smaller styles<\/a>, now rare: the \u201chalf Cape,\u201d which had a single, off-center door with two windows to one side, and the \u201cthree-quarter Cape,\u201d which was a smidge wider and added one window to the opposite side of the door. These are sometimes referred to as the \u201cstarter homes\u201d of the early settlers.<\/p>\n We spoke with top-performing real estate agent Jeffrey Huss<\/a> of southeast Pennsylvania about the pros and cons of owning these simple houses. He\u2019s spent 22 years introducing buyers to their homes, but what other expertise does he bring to the subject?<\/p>\n \u201cI live in a Cape,\u201d he tells us. \u201cSo, I\u2019m familiar with the design.\u201d<\/p>\n Perfect!<\/p>\n Capes are \u201ctypically not the most popular, and not sought after, necessarily,\u201d Huss tells us. As charming as they are, they aren\u2019t for everyone.<\/p>\n More people go after colonials<\/a>, which provide a similar aesthetic in a larger size. But for the right buyer, with a small family and a moderate amount of possessions, a Cape can be a house with a cozy embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cI call it the perfect downsize house, because if you live in it and it’s full, and then kids move out, you just kinda close off the second floor and live on the first floor.\u201d<\/p>\n But make no mistake: A Cape can expand, too. In fact, they\u2019re very good at it \u2026<\/p>\n In the early- to mid-20th century, architect Royal Barry Wills<\/a> became enchanted with the Cape Cod house, and he set out to perfect it. He had strong opinions about what made good design or bad design<\/a> in a Cape.<\/p>\n He wanted to make sure, for example, that the roof wasn\u2019t too tall, and that the house had a \u201clow, ground-hugging look.\u201d The Cape Cod is at its most perfect when it seems to nestle (cozily!) into its surroundings.<\/p>\n But while Wills was intent on preserving the integrity of the Cape, he also knew that the house had to evolve to allow for modern necessities. Luckily, since the style is practically a building block already (\u201cBasically, it\u2019s kind of a box,\u201d Huss tells us), it\u2019s relatively easy to add space.<\/p>\n Wills\u2019 designs featured gabled dormers peeking from the attic, which by this point had made the transition from storage space to livable second floor. He also encouraged well-proportioned wing additions to the sides, as well as concessions for more modern conveniences like plumbing and heating.<\/p>\n This was part of the Cape Cod Revival<\/a>, when the style surged in popularity \u2014 just in time for the post-World War II housing boom. Once again, when shelter was needed, the Cape stepped up to the task.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people who were in the house before me actually built a room off the side of it, right off the kitchen,\u201d Huss says. And \u201cmost people nowadays, they renovate a Cape by placing a staircase in the middle. And then taking that attic space, which is usually fairly large, and making it into two bedrooms and a bath.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, it\u2019s pretty rare to find Capes that haven\u2019t<\/i> been altered. We spoke to experts Jay Rizzo and Michael Healy of Tiger Home Inspection<\/a>, a highly rated company in Braintree, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce in a while, you come across an older couple living in an undormered Cape with an unfinished second floor, and it\u2019s like being in a time machine,\u201d Healy tells us.<\/p>\n But Rizzo says they do see a whole range of Capes from different time periods: \u201ceverything from Puritans to yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n They share a tale of an engineer who lived in a centuries-old Cape and maintained it meticulously, close to its original condition (\u201cnot a stitch of insulation, single-hung windows\u201d). The key is to make sure the pipes are insulated enough to prevent freezing, use certain rooms less frequently to reduce heating costs, and most importantly, \u201cmake enough money to pay the heating bill.\u201d<\/p>\n Between Royal Barry Wills and Rizzo\u2019s engineer, it\u2019s clear that Capes inspire loyalty and passion \u2014 enough to last the rest of your life. (\u201cPeople don\u2019t move out of Capes, they get taken out,\u201d Healy jokes.)<\/p>\n \u201cYou get more bang for your buck by buying a Cape Cod,\u201d Huss tells us. \u201cThey\u2019re a little bit less expensive than the more popular colonial.\u201d<\/p>\n Capes are adorable, adaptable, and affordable. But, as you might have guessed, they may have some downsides.<\/p>\n \u201cCute and charming\u201d usually translates to \u201csmall,\u201d and your traditional Cape is going to be about 1,200 to 1,800 square feet<\/a>. Huss mentions a quip he once read:<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to expand and grow your Cape into a larger home, [just] sell the home and buy a larger home.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You can invest in expansions, you can wait until the kids move out, but all the small space tricks<\/a> in the world won\u2019t create a huge, luxurious bedroom with a private bath in your little Cape.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I go to look at a Cape,\u201d Rizzo tells us, \u201cI look at the attic space, and I\u2019m looking for insulation and ventilation conditions and methods.\u201d<\/p>\n That steep roof is good at shedding snow \u2014 to a point. If the attic of a Cape has been converted to living space without enough thought put into the insulation, you could find yourself with an ice dam.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what happens: A thin layer of roof between the warm interior and the cold exterior causes the snow above the attic to melt. The water makes its way down the slope \u2026 until<\/i> it reaches the eave overhanging the outer wall of the house. Suddenly, there\u2019s no warmth below the water, and it refreezes there. Then, more snow melts and refreezes, causing more and more buildup, until you have massive icicles outside \u2014 and dripping water inside.<\/p>\n Those characteristic shingles also take a lot of abuse from the inside\/outside temperature difference. \u201cShingles may have a dramatically shorter life span in a Cape than in other styles,\u201d Rizzo says, \u201cbecause the structure doesn\u2019t allow for much attic area air circulation. \u2026 Condensation forms on the roof back and the shingles, and there\u2019s not as much attic space or air movement to help them dry out,\u201d potentially resulting in mold<\/a>.<\/p>\n The more recent the build (or renovation), the more likely you are to have modern conveniences. But old Cape Cod houses are still around, with your standard old-house problems: uneven floors, outdated kitchens, unfinished basements. If you\u2019re not looking for a renovation project<\/a>, narrow your search to more modern Capes.<\/p>\nCould you settle in a Cape?<\/h2>\n
A Royal revival<\/h2>\n
Adaptation: from colonial to current<\/h2>\n
<\/a>What\u2019s the catch?<\/h2>\n
Size<\/h3>\n
Roof woes<\/h3>\n
Outdated features<\/h3>\n