Colonial style home plans are generally two to two and one half story homes with a very simple and efficient design. This architectural style is a simplistic rectangular shape. These homes are also very symmetrical with equally sized windows generally spaced in a uniform fashion across the front of the home with decorative shutters. Colonial plans usually have one gabled roof from side to side or a hipped roof. Entrances are often accentuated with tall columns extending up both stories.
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Ranch style homes were quite popular plans in the 50's and 60's. Their styling is very simple and rectangular in shape. Ranch style homes generally have shallow pitched hipped roofs that extended across a single or double car garage. The draw back to the ranch style home is that is requires a large lot because of the width. Ranch style plans are most popular with three bedrooms and two baths. This plan style has evolved over the years.  The ranch style home plan is popular because it generally provides all that you need for day-to-day living on the main level. For this reason the ranch style plan is often built without a basement. With a basement the ranch style home is quite large with many bedrooms. For this reason the ranch style home plan can be cost effective considering the total amount of square footage you end up with. It can however be expensive because you must have a wide lot to built it; and as with every plan style the exterior finishes will increase the cost significantly because of it's long rectangular shape.
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Traditional homes are some of the most common styles built throughout the United States. These floor plans are designed to accommodate the American way of life. Traditional homes are kind of a mix of several other styles but there are some basics that are usually consistent throughout traditional designs: Simple, often hipped rooflines. Brick or stucco exteriors are most common. Traditional plans are often single level floor plans with steeper roof pitches though lofts or bonus rooms are quite common. Covered porches. Open foyers.
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Looking at a cottage style house, you will most often see a white wooden two-story structure with a chimney, a steep roof and two windows--sometimes bay windows--placed identically on either side of a central front door. The living area often leads to the dining area. That, in turn, leads to the kitchen in most cottages. A stairway, usually leading to two upstairs bedrooms, can be found at the front or back of the house. Most cottages feature board and batten construction; they may have lap, shake or shingle siding. Roof materials may be shake shingles or tiles.
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Cape cod style homes are generally smaller in size and more affordable.  Some of the most prominent features of cape cod style homes are:  Small rectangular sizes designed for small families, 1.5 story structures with gables roofs and usually two or more small dormers, the exteriors vary from brick, wide clapboard siding and sometime stucco, usually the garages on Cape cod style homes are detached and positioned towards the rear of the home. These homes often had fireplaces with masonry chimneys. The 1-½ story style of a cape cod home is often found in plans categorized as Country style or farmhouse style homes.
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Bungalows are some of the most common homes found in older neighborhoods of America. Bungalows are generally narrow but deep homes often with detached or no garages. These homes are usually one story but sometimes 1-½ stories high. Bungalows usually have a small porch with columns set in large brick bases.
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Contemporary styling is a combination of several styles and are often multi level homes. Some of the characteristics are, garage placement on the front of the home for cost effectiveness, shallower pitched roofs that often extend from a higher level down over the lower level, simple, clean lines that are cost effective to build but attractive, windows are large and sometimes trapezoidal following the roof pitch in gables, exteriors are a mix of materials like wood, brick, rock, siding and stucco, vertical ornamentation in simple patterns. Contemporary homes are still being built across the nation and have been a very popular style in tract home developments and custom home neighborhoods alike.
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The country look has held a special place in American architecture for many years. It remains the single most popular style for American homes. Country homes are comfortable and cozy. Exposed beams, rough finishes on the walls, fireplaces for warmth, and windows with small panes were characteristic of country homes. These features are common in today’s country homes. Traditionally, country homes were constructed from local materials. Wood flooring, brick, and stone were all materials available locally. The country homes of today still use these materials, though they may no longer be local.
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The versatility of the open floor plans associated with most log home plans is paramount. The ease of construction and use of often highly available logs made them a popular choice along the frontier of America. The high use of resources, popularity of other styles, and more advanced building techniques kept the log home out of the mainstream. Today, log house plans as a specialty style have become extremely diverse and prone to luxuries. 
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Tudor house plans have a lot of architectural features that evolved from medieval times when large buildings were built in a post and beam fashion. The spaces between the large framing members were then filled with plaster to close off the building from the outside. This technique provided a lot of architectural appeal as half of the rough sawn framing members were visible from the outside. These days most Tudor style homes are not actually built in the post and beam fashion. The look however is achieved by fastening rough sawn lumber on the outside of the home to create the post and beam look. The space between them is then filled with plaster or stucco. Other features of Tudor style homes are complex and steep roof lines with various gables of alternating heights, dormers, and large sculpted brick chimneys. Because of the various features of Tudor homes, they are generally expensive build. Steep roof pitches, and complex roof systems make the home quite time consuming to frame and more complex to shingle; not to mention the cost of building several sculpted chimneys, the stucco and wood trim and brick wainscoting.
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Victorian style developed and was quite popular from about 1820 to the early 1900's. Victorian homes are most commonly two stories with steep roof pitches, turrets and dormers. Porches are often large with turned posts and decorative railing. Decorative gable trim, corbels, and a variation of exterior finishes. During the late 1800's and early 1900's there were a great deal of Victorian style homes built by developers in the area. Today, Victorian homes are still being built throughout the United States. It remains a popular architectural style and can nearly always be found in the older neighborhoods of America. Many people seek these types of homes in good condition for restoration because of their timeless appeal. Many of these homes can be found on the historical register.
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