Victorian homes reign as most sought-after period property style  | Today's Conveyancer (2024)

FAQs

Victorian homes reign as most sought-after period property style  | Today's Conveyancer? ›

Victorian homes remain particularly popular, characterised by their historic charm, solid construction, and spacious interiors. You'll often find Victorian houses in some of the most desirable locations which include convenient access to schools and transport links.”

Features of a Victorian House

The houses usually have two to three stories with steep, gabled roofs and round towers. On the exterior, there are towers, turrets, and dormers, forming complex roof lines as architects sought to create designs that would pull the eye to the top of the house.

Victorian Home and Garden

A common mental image of a "Victorian" home looks much like a dollhouse with elaborate trim and bright colors. But the term "Victorian architecture" actually refers to styles that emerged in the period between 1830 and 1910, during the reign of Queen Victoria.

Victorian buildings often feature high ceilings and large windows, which create that bright and spacious feel that is highly sought after in homes today, yet their unique character features make them stand out from a new build style of home.

Victorian Architecture (1837–1901)

A few of the ways you can identifying a building as Victorian is by looking for some of these Gothic revivalist features including; lancet (pointed) windows, porches, dormers, roof gables and pointed roofs that are sometimes decorated with a wooden trim that hangs from the edges.

Or, nix simple window treatments and opt for heavy drapes instead. Other ways to bring in a bit of Victorian dramatic flair include sticking to fine art instead of modern prints (the more ornate the frames, the better) and bringing in plenty of jewel tones and other dark and intense hues.

Victorian houses often offered more floor space than new builds as they were built at a time when cities were not so densely populated. Because of this, they tend to be bigger than new builds in the first place, as well as having ample opportunity to extend (for example, with a loft conversion or kitchen extension).

New Hampshire and Vermont also have their share of Victorian homes, particularly in historic towns. These states have a number of well-preserved Victorian neighborhoods because they saw significant growth during the Victorian era. Chicago has a great neighborhood filled with homes like these.

Victorian houses were generally built in terraces or as detached houses. Building materials were brick or local stone. Bricks were made in factories some distance away, to standard sizes, rather than the earlier practice of digging clay locally and making bricks on site.

Victorian style homes are known for their ornate, carefully crafted designs, with unique elements such as steeply pitched roofs, elaborate trim, conical towers, bay windows, wrap-around porches with intricate woodworking, and decorative gables.

What state has the best Victorian houses? ›

Old Louisville in Kentucky has the highest concentration of restored Victorian homes in the US. Originally called the Southern Extension, Old Louisville was built in the 1870s as a suburb, which was 48 city blocks long and filled with Victorian mansions.

Poor structural integrity

As Victorian homes could be close to 200 years old, the possibility of structural issues is much higher than in a more modern home. Again, there may be tell-tale signs of structural issues as you look around a property. Cracks in walls, uneven plaster and loose bricks can all be warning signs.

The Victorian period of literature roughly coincides with the years that Queen Victoria ruled Great Britain and its Empire (1837-1901). During this era, Britain was transformed from a predominantly rural, agricultural society into an urban, industrial one.

Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction.

Late-Victorian-era houses started to be built with indoor bathrooms. It wasn't until the 1880s — just a couple of decades before Queen Victoria passed — that indoor plumbing with water tanks and gas water heaters were included in Victorian house features.

“Recognizable characteristics are steep, tiled roofs, painted brick, bay windows, and asymmetrical design,” Dadswell says. “Wooden floorboards, plaster cornicing, sweeping staircases, wooden sash windows, and tiled entrance hallways would have been incorporated into most Victorian homes.”

Furniture of the Victorian age was heavily ornamented and generally large with vibrant colors and curved shapes. Popular pieces included ottomans, buttoned and draped pieces, and intricate wood-carved works. Floors were most commonly wood with various elaborately decorated patterned rugs.

Victorian interior design is a style that originated in the United Kingdom during the Victorian era. Known for its abundance of pattern (in wall coverings and in textiles), ornamentation, and use of jewel tones, the interior decoration style absorbs the visitor in its rich world.

Victorian design is known for elaborate details, such as ornamental trim, patterned shingles, barge boards, brackets and moldings – from the turn of the 20th Century. Melding the details with a rustic farmhouse, the exterior combines clean lines with tall roof pitches.