Prairie Style Roof Design

Wright began experimenting with the elements that would eventually define this style as early as 1894.

Prairie style roof design.

While ranch style developed in the 1930s in california from the convergence of spanish colonial and craftsman architecture among others the prairie aesthetic contributed to the proliferation of ranch architecture in the form of the broad hip roof like what we see in this example. The architecture of the prairie house was created to meet wright s objectives of a simplicity and integrity that combined comfort utility and beauty but did not imitate past styles. The roofs on this style house usually has deep eaves and symmetrical window patterns. The gambrel design is basically the same as the mansard except the former has two slopes instead of four.

Simple yet richly stained wood preferably quarter sawn oak and earth tones are hallmarks of a prairie style interior. You ll be most familiar with this dual sloped style as used in a barn and the design is often referred to as a barn roof. Prairie home designs are characterized by strong horizontal lines and earthy materials which echo the broad plains. They typically feature clean lines with massive square porch supports and casement windows in rows.

This new prairie style home in california features hip roofs casement windows tight to the underside of the roof overhang and trim to emphasize the horizontal. One of the few architectural styles that was not imported from europe the prairie school of architecture originated in the midwest and was catapulted to prominence by its most famous master frank lloyd wright. Prairie style homes feature a low pitched roof usually hipped with a wide overhang and have boxed shapes with a horizontal emphasis. The prairie house plan is a uniquely american architectural style.

They spread out over their lots featuring flat or shallow hipped roof lines rows of windows overhanging eaves and bands of stone wood or brick across the surface. The spirit of prairie style home plans remains alive in these designs. The bottom of the slope is steep and nearly vertical before the top slope angles into the ridge. Frank lloyd wright is the most popular architect of this school of design but there was an entire group that specialized in the style.

Their most defining characteristic is their emphasis on the horizontal rather than the vertical. It may consist of a flat roof on top but the main design element is the multi pitch sloped in what is essentially a hip roof on top of another hip frame. Near the top is a very steep pitch and near the upper walls of the home are a lower pitch though still fairly steep. What types of roof does prairie style house typically have.

Prairie home plans have broad gently sloping sheltering roofs with prominent low chimneys.