Two Individual Suburban Styles

 From my observation the Cape Cod House generally has a rectangular shape and gives the impression that it only has one story, although some do have two. The all have the triangular windows sitting on the rooftop. I think the rectangular shape and the triangular shape together give the Cape Cod its distinct look.  In reference to the similarity of houses along Millersport Highway, Hayden notes that the concept behind Cape Cod houses were to be produced like cars on an assembly line and sport similar design. This method also lowered the cost of production and of ownership, because everything was standardized. Another point I think worth noting is, one of the primary reasons for developing the sitcom suburbs were to house returning veterans. The military promotes uniformity and veterans were probably more interested in having a nice home than worrying about its looks.

The Split-level home is more representative of the typical suburban home by today's standards in my opinion. Usually sitting in the rear of a generous piece of land, Split-level homes have two floors with multiple bedrooms and rooms for other areas for various family activities (i.e. laundry room, dining room, full basements, etc). The most defining characteristic in my opinion would be the double car garage. Having one car could be considered modest or middle class but, two cars in my opinion represents a status slightly higher than middle class (upper middle class perhaps). The two car garage is representative of the difference between the Spilt-level and Cape Cod houses. The Split-level's design is ideal for customization and unique identity while the similarity of the Cape Cod presents a more modest appearance. Many of the Cape Cod's sport wooden frames with shingled roofing while some of the more elaborate Spilt-level's using a brick exterior. The Cape Cod's were built to be cost friendly and provide a more uniform style of home while the Split-level was constructed around customization and personality of the owner.