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In addition, there are transom windows above each of the doors that can open for increased airflow. Newer layouts find both the kitchen and the bathroom more centrally located between the living spaces. The original layout enters through the living room, followed by a dining room, bedroom(s), and a kitchen. Once indoor bathrooms came into use, they were typically between the kitchen and bedroom.
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Their embellishments were modeled after those found on the Victorian homes of wealthier whites, usually located elsewhere in town. The shotgun house brought a new home design concept to the United States -- the porch. The overhanging roof along the front of the house created a stoop where a family could congregate on a hot evening. The front of a traditional shotgun house would usually encroach upon the sidewalk, and the house's porch gave rise to the longstanding New Orleans custom of visiting outside with neighbors in the evening.
The Cultural Significance of Shotgun Homes
Yoruba people in West and Central Africa, specifically, were known to build dwellings like this. These nostalgic houses can be a great purchase, as long as buyers do their due diligence. In early 2017, the Shotgun House earned LEED™ Gold certification, proving that even a century-old structure can be rehabilitated and adapted for sustainable, contemporary use. Some of the green features of the building include the reuse of ninety-five percent of the original building, energy efficiency, and a drought-resistant garden.
What Is an Easement in Real Estate? A Guide for Homebuyers
Developers often bought 10 to 15 acres and filled them with shotgun houses squeezed tightly in rows along small streets and alleys. They housed low-income and working-class African American families, who often paid rent to absentee landlords. Typical of any house in New Orleans, most shotgun houses are raised a few feet off the ground. The simpler and typically oldest versions of these homes have an almost flat roof that doesn't hang over the sides (meaning there's no covered porch).
Shotgun-style houses originate in the American south, often built in Black neighborhoods in New Orleans, Charlotte, and Houston at the turn of the 19th century. The distinctive, narrow footprint effectively accommodated smaller lot sizes, while the streamlined layout with two doors at either side of the house allowed homeowners some much-needed fresh air in the hot, humid southern climates. "The shotgun style of consecutive rooms with aligned doors allows for excellent airflow," O'Connor says. Their narrow, front-to-back design, with doors aligned in a row, aids air circulation during the summer. The houses often do not have windows on side walls, as their close proximity to neighbouring houses does not allow for ventilation or light from the side. Such close proximity does, however, maximize socializing, with residents often sitting on front porches and chatting with neighbours and people passing by on the street.
Why Is It Called "Shotgun"?
With such narrow floor plans, shotgun homes were constructed closely together on streets, creating close-knit communities. Residents often gather outside on their porches to cool off from the city’s subtropical climate, helping foster New Orleans’ culture of congeniality as folks interact with each other from their stoops. Don’t let the petite proportions of the exterior fool you; this demure blue shotgun house in Louisville has surprising depths. The energy-efficient abode boasts 2,712 square feet in total, including a recently added 1600-square-foot second floor.
‘The Shotgun House’ from ‘Fixer Upper’ TV show hits market in Texas. Check it out - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
‘The Shotgun House’ from ‘Fixer Upper’ TV show hits market in Texas. Check it out.
Posted: Sun, 12 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
What Is a Shotgun House? An Architectural Style With a Wild History
Many feature sweet details like spacious gabled front porches and charming gingerbread trim. Almost all shotgun houses are raised a few feet off the ground, which allows for airflow beneath the home and protects against minor flooding. A traditional shotgun house features a rectangular footprint with a narrow frontage — sometimes only 12 feet wide. Many (but not all) have a deep, gabled front porch designed for relaxed socializing in the shade. The shotgun house design thrived in New Orleans following two disastrous fires in the late eighteenth century.
Its basic footprint is between 12 and 24 feet wide and two to four rooms deep. The rooms lay in succession, one behind the other, through to the back door of the house. Also called the camelback house, the humpback-style shotgun house has a second floor, or hump, over the rear of the house with one to four rooms. "This style shotgun creates a bit more space but can still be designated as a one-story structure," O'Connor says.
What Is A Dogtrot House? - Southern Living
What Is A Dogtrot House?.
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The Santa Monica shotgun house almost didn't survive, and the community's efforts over more than a decade—detailed by the LA Conservancy—stand as an example of how historic buildings can be salvaged and repurposed. Houses like the Santa Monica shotgun house were once as common as seagulls at the beach. They were tiny board-and-batten cottages along the strand where, late in the 19th century, families spent a weekend or a week or a season away from the stifling heat of Pasadena or Downtown Los Angeles.
What distinguishes the camelback is a second story over the last room in the layout. Since the second level only covered part of the back, it still qualifies as a single-story dwelling. The double shotgun consists of two side-by-side single shotgun layouts separated by a wall or a doorway. The double can be two separate single residences or one combined, depending on the interior division. Nestled in Mobile’s historic downtown, the Denny-Warren House exemplifies classic characteristics of shotgun houses while offering guests the singular experience of being immersed in the natural wonders of Alabama.
Following the St. Domingue Revolution in 1791, when slaves rose in arms and successfully destroyed the island’s plantation slavery system, the nation of Haiti was created. Single door and window in front of the house – often, a side door leads to the backroom in some types of shotguns. “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. Maggie Burch is a digital media professional with a decade of experience creating, editing, and managing multimedia content for national brands, including Glamour, Southern Living, House Beautiful, and The Everygirl. A homes enthusiast, Maggie writes about decor and real estate trends, designer-approved tips and tricks, and even her own DIY projects. The Shotgun House in Santa Monica underwent restoration in recent years led by the Santa Monica Conservancy, who now occupies the structure.
Developed with affordability in mind, shotgun houses kept a deliberately small and narrow footprint in an attempt to fit as many homes as possible onto a single block. The communities of shotgun houses in New Orleans are attributed to the Haitian and West African refugees, immigrants, and slaves who called the city home in the 1800s. This style of linear construction was common in West Africa and later in Haiti. Among these local design quirks is an adorably petite home style called the Shotgun house. Originally popularized in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana during the 1800s, shotgun homes are diminutive dwellings that often span only about 12 feet wide—making them the original tiny home. Learn more about this small but mighty southern home style below—plus how to evoke a similar look on your own property.
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