I’ve seen the exteriors and interiors of several houses throughout West and South texas, and they all seem to follow the same pattern: One-storey bungalows, with wood-panelling in many rooms, and relatively low ceilings. Why are many built in this fashion - is it a particular architectural/cultural style? Are there many two-storey houses in Texas?

You have your big house builders who are across the state and thus use the same building designs over and over. Also it is a matter of "what works". Just like up north they have a certain way of doing things that include basements or crawl spaces depending on the frost line. You also have HISTORICAL styling in play as well. In the Northeast you have this long but thin style. Well down here the use of brick is huge. One part is the durability and protective values of brick. Also in the pre-A/C times the use of Brick also had to do with keeping the home cool. The brick absorbs the cold of the night and then as the day comes the brick keeps the home cool and then at night it releases the heat and helps keep the house warm.

Posted in: texas |