In this month’s Real Estates we look at Tudor Revivals–reinventions of the majestic homes built in the 1500s by the Tudor Dynasty in England. In the United States, Tudor or Medieval Revival homes were initially embraced by the wealthy for their country or suburban estates. By the early 20th century the style’s popularity filtered down to more modest-income Americans and took on a variety of forms ranging from elaborate mansions to modest suburban homes.
“While other styles, such as the Ranch House, are uniquely American ways of building in our landscape, the Tudor style emphasizes the British roots of our nation. The style enjoyed great popularity in the decades of the 1920s and 1930s leading up to the depression and saw a revival during the post-modern period of the 1970s and 1980s,” says Madlen Simon, AIA, associate professor and interim program director for the school of architecture planning and preservation at the University of Maryland.
The complexity of the designs and details of Tudor homes make them relatively expensive to build.There are many angles and nooks and usually several different roofs. These are often very steep and time consuming to shingle. There are also dormers, gables of different heights, brick or stone work, stucco walls, and wood trim, all of which are difficult to build.
“The strongest identifying characteristic of the Tudor House is half-timbering, a decorative applique of dark wood to a light stucco or brick facade, meant to suggest a wood frame structure. Tall, narrow windows, steeply pitched roofs, and massive chimneys provide vertical emphasis. On the interior, whitewashed plaster contrasts with dark decorative beams. The fireplace is an important focus of the home,” explains Simon.
Comparing Location And Value
Listing Agent: Karen Hubble Bisbee/Hubble Bisbee Group at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (443-838-0438)
Cockeysville, Maryland
This Cockeysville Tudor Revival built in 1994 has five bedrooms, four full baths, one half bath, a total square footage of 4,410 and is situated on 1.45 acres. It sold at $1,250,000 in May 2007, almost $55,000 over its asking price.
Listing Agent: Kari Wilner/Washington Fine Properties, LLC. (301-983-6400)
Bethesda, Maryland
This Bethesda Tudor Revival built in 1988 has five bedrooms, five full baths, a total square footage of 5,371 and is situated on .5 acres. It sold at $1,115,000 in June 2007, almost $110,000 under its asking price.
Listing Agent: Helen Griffiths/Weichert Realtors. (301-717-3536)
Rockville, Maryland
This Rockville Tudor Revival built in 1978 has five bedrooms, three full baths and one half bath, a total square footage of 3,264 and is situated on .927 acres. It sold at $990,000 in July 2007, almost $10,000 under its asking price.
In Medieval times, many European houses were half-timbered. The structural timbers were exposed. In the United States, harsh winters made half-timbered construction impractical. The plaster and masonry filling between the timbers could not keep out cold drafts. Builders began to cover exterior walls with wood or masonry.
Some Tudor Revival houses mimic humble Medieval cottages—they may even include a false thatched roof. Other Tudor Revival homes copy the Medieval palaces with overlapping gables, pitched roofs, parapets, and beautifully patterned brick or stonework. Steeply pitched roofs are ideally suited to climates with a lot of rain and snow, which is why so many Tudors appear along the East Coast and throughout the Midwest.
How are Tudor Revival homes perceived today? The style has retained much of its popularity, although, because of the expense, fewer are built today. But the ones that come on the market often command a price premium above their sometimes ordinary neighbors.
Jennifer K. Dansicker works on Editorial Special Projects for ChesapeakeHome.
Tudor Style Houses Have Many of These Features:
- Decorative half-timbering
- Steeply pitched roof
- Prominent cross gables
- Tall, narrow windows
- Small window panes
- Massive chimneys, often topped with decorative chimney pots
Glossary of terms for Tudor style homes:
- Half-timbered - A “half-timbered” building has exposed wood framing. The spaces between the wooden timbers are filled with plaster, brick, or stone.
- Chimney pot - Tudor or Medieval Revival style buildings often have wide, very tall chimneys with round or octagonal “pots” on top of each flue. Multiple chimneys have separate flues, and each flue has its own chimney pot.
These listings were complied with the help of Lynn Summerlin Hoeckel, Residential Agent for Yerman Witman Gaines & Conklin Realty (410-583-0400 or lsummerlin@ywgcrealty.com)
