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lookintomyeyes83

That awesome moment

lookintomyeyes83
9 years ago

When you realize that you don't HAVE to be torn on deciding the exterior look of your home - because if you love French Provincial, and you love Tudor, there is a perfect compromise - French Normandy!

AND - it involves a front, somewhat centrally located tower!

(Borrowed from a few internet sources...)

French Normandy architecture homes are distinguished by a round stone tower topped by a conical (cone-shaped) roof. The tower is usually placed near the center, serving as the entrance to the home. However, the tower can be offset to either side of the main entrance, as a secondary design feature within the architectural theme.

From the French chateaus, borrowed elements of steep roof pitches, high ridge lines, and dormers suggest the notion of a grand scaled estate. Half-timbering is another feature in French Normandy architecture homes which suggest the Tudor style, but actually reflects the farmhouses across the Normandy countryside.

This post was edited by Naween on Mon, Dec 8, 14 at 23:35

Comments (4)

  • lavender_lass
    9 years ago

    Glad you found your perfect style! Have fun with the planning :)

  • LogBuildDreams
    9 years ago

    Just go with what you like and call it Naween style; doesn't need an architectual name.

    Did you read this:
    History
    This house style originated in the Normandy area of France where house and barn were one building. The turret was used for storage of grain or ensilage.

    Perhaps work your attached garage up to look like the haying shed or barn, so it blends in nicely?

  • lookintomyeyes83
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    LogBuildDreams,
    I will, but I learned:
    a) I really do like the style given that name,
    b) it is also a bit of a nod to people on this forum who were rather cranky about my tower on my rather square house plan.

    I do hope to put the arched garage doors on the garage, and maybe a dovecote (or perhaps bat house) on the garage roof spires too!

  • User
    9 years ago

    This is an American residential style usually called "French Eclectic" or "French Inspired". I haven't seen it directly associated with Normandy before. I suspect that idea is the result of naming efforts on the part of packaged pre-designed home companies which is fine but it does suggest incorrectly that this kind of house might have existed at some time in Normandy.

    The style did not develop in France but here in the US between 1915 and 1945 but was out of fashion until the 60's. It is loosely based on French architectural elements from many different centuries. The most characteristic element is a steeply sloping roof that is usually hipped but there is really no limit to the variety of design element combinations.

    The Normandy influence is found in the variety of mixed masonry wall materials including brick, stone and half timber from Normandy, Brittany and Medieval England. It also borrows another Medieval English element, front facing gables, adopted by another American architectural invention between the wars: the Tudor Style.

    These elements (steep hipped roofs and front facing gables) are both based on late medieval European prototypes and these influences occurred together in Normandy but it was not until after the Neo-eclectic era of the 60's that the elements were used together in America.

    The round tower with a conical roof was adopted from the French chateau of the Loire valley directly south of Normandy. By adding a Roman arch you could stretch the basis for the design of this eclectic style across 12 centuries and the full length of Europe. That provides a lot of ideas from which to choose.

    For researching examples of these design styles the best names to use are French Eclectic (between the wars) and Neo-French Eclectic (after 1960).

    A house in Normandy: