Meanwhile, back on Nantucket...

So, to go on with this dream of having a little beach cottage in Sconset, I've been wondering what kind of house I would prefer. I like the look of the cottages, that's a given, but you could have a modern cottage that LOOKS like it's been there forever, or a old cottage that HAS been there forever. A little research was in order...

Most Nantucket cottages seem to be like the traditional Cape Cod houses when it comes to architecture, although the fishing shacks appear to be more haphazard in their construction. Cape Cods originated in the New England region, back in the 17th century and basically look like this:

Half Cape                    Three Quarter Cape                    Full Cape

There are three types of Cape Cods: the half Cape, which apparently is how these houses were originally, the three quarter Cape, and the full Cape, which are basically half Capes extended to fit more people. As for the inside, a full Cape looks like this, basically:

The front rooms are the parlour (1), which back then was called the Hall, and the good bedroom (2), which back then was called the Parlour. In the back was the keeping room (3), which is a kitchen, a couple of smaller bedrooms (4) for the children or servants, and storage (5). In the attic, you could have more bedrooms and storage space. In the middle of the house is a massive chimney with several fireplaces and the staircase is between fireplaces and right in front of the door. I must say, I'm not particularly keen on this little detail. It makes me wonder about the Feng Shui...

Modern Cape Cods look like the original ones, but inside they are definitely modern houses, with layouts more sympathetic to our daily needs.

I admit, I like old houses. They have a history and character, and that's hard to include in a new house. It would need a couple of centuries to have that. That said. I think I would go for an original cottage. I could definitely work with that floor plan...