Houses and buildings all tarted up – pretending to be something they are not.
Bungalow Poses as Log Cabin

Bungalow Poses as Log Cabin

What obviously started out as a Craftsman style bungalow in the 'teens or 1920's now has now donned the apparel of a log cabin.  Or something meant to convey the impression of a log cabin. Rounded wood siding is presumably intended to look like logs.  The masonry...

Vintage Drag

Vintage Drag

Not all stylistic makeovers are of recent origin - homeowners have had a penchant for remodeling for as long as there have been houses.  Here are a few "Before and After" transformations taken from vintage decorating magazines and a promotional brochure for stucco:...

What Style Is It?

What Style Is It?

The house below was recently enlarged and re-styled to the extent that the original house is hardly perceptible.  Originally a one-story house of modest construction and vernacular styling, the house today serves as a showcase for various effects which can be created...

Brick Veneers as a Facelift

Brick Veneers as a Facelift

While not as popular as vinyl siding, the use of brick veneers to provide an easier-to-maintain exterior (or simply to alter the look of a house) is still fairly common.  Usually a few tell-tale clues remain to reveal that the house began as one clad in wood. The...

Extreme Makeover c. 1972

Extreme Makeover c. 1972

Some remodelings are more exhaustive than others.  This structure, for example, was re-imagined somewhere in the past, likely the early 1970's.  The then-popular mansard roof was used as a device to completely conceal the second story while stucco, diamond-paned...

Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis

Although this house is clearly struggling with its identity, it's quite obvious that the house was originally styled in the Craftsman manner; it probably dates to around 1915.  Surviving original defining details include the projecting eaves with exposed rafter tails,...

A Tudor in Drag

A Tudor in Drag

This house was built as a modest example of Tudor Revival, probably in the late 1920's or early 1930's.  If it weren't for the few surviving identifying characteristics typical of the style (projecting gabled brick entry with arched door and first story diamond-paned...