Piedmont Historic Homes

Updated April 18, 2024

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Glossary: Styles, Types and Terminology

Architectural Styles

• A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture — By Virginia Savage McAlester; the authoritative reference work on American home styles

• House Styles, Types, & Terminology
• Dictionary of architectural terms
• 26 Popular House Styles
• 37 different residential architectural styles (as opposed to types of structures)
• 43 different types of residential structures (as opposed to architectural styles, including barndominiums, castles and yurts)
• American house styles
• Historic home styles
• The Ultimate Guide to Popular Architectural Styles

• What Makes a House a Bungalow?
• This Is the Definition of a Cottage

• The Ultimate Guide To Mid-Century Modern Architecture
• Midcentury Preservation Society
• Mid-Century Modern Architecture: The Complete Guide
• Midcentury-Modern Architecture: Everything You Should Know About the Funky and Functional Style

House Terminology

• 25 old-house terms defined
• Glossary of Common House Parts
• House Parts You Didn’t Know Had a Name
• 20 Different Types of Architectural Columns
• Doors: terminology and styles (early American)
• Masonry: Bonds and Patterns, Types
• Porch types
• Roof types
• Roofing — APT Building Technology Heritage Library
• List of roof shapes
• Siding terminology
• Window types
• Window words

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Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

• North Carolina maps in the Library of Congress collection
• About Sanborn maps

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Books About Historic Architecture in the Piedmont Triad

Available Online

• Art Work of Piedmont Section of North Carolina (Mainly about residential and institutional structures)
• The Historic Architecture of Davie County, North Carolina
• Architectural Resources: An Inventory of Historic Architecture High Point, Jamestown, Gibsonville, Guilford County
• The Architectural History of Randolph County North Carolina

In Print Only

• An Inventory of Historic Architecture, Caswell County, North Carolina
• The Architectural History of Chatham County, North Carolina
• Building the Backcountry: An Architectural History of Davidson County, North Carolina
• A Tale of Three Cities: Eden’s Heritage
• Greensboro: An Architectural Record
• The Architecture of High Point, North Carolina
• The History & Architecture of Lee County, North Carolina
• Simple Treasures: The Architectural Legacy of Surry County
• Great Houses and Their Stories: Winston-Salem’s “Era of Success,” 1912-1940
• Winston-Salem’s Architectural Heritage
• Historical Architecture of Yadkin County, North Carolina

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State Historic Preservation Office: Architectural Survey Reports

Forsyth County and Winston-Salem

• Bethania Freedmen’s Community: An Architectural and Historical Context of the Bethania-Rural Hall Road Study Area
• Forsyth County Phase I Survey Report
  • Phase II
  • Phase III
  • Salem Survey, 1997
• Forsyth County’s Agricultural Heritage

Guilford County, Greensboro and High Point

• City of Greensboro Historic Resources Survey: Planning Phase Report
  • Update, Phase I-A
  • Phase I-B
  • Phase II
• Historic and Architectural Resources of High Point, North Carolina, 1859-1950
• Resource Inventory of High Point Neighborhoods : Highland Mill Village, Washington Drive, Montlieu Avenue, Roland Park, Parkway, Sheraton Hill, Emerywood and downtown High Point

Triad Counties and Cities

• Alamance County Architectural Heritage
• Lexington, Davidson County, North Carolina: Park Place Local Historic District Local Designation Report
• Mount Airy Architectural Survey Update: Final Report
• Report on Rockingham County Reconnaissance Survey
• Thomasville, North Carolina, 2004 Comprehensive Architectural Survey
• Yadkin County survey

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Helpful Information About Older Homes and Historic Preservation

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Contractors and Restoration Specialists

Preservation North Carolina maintains a list of professionals who work in the field of historic preservation. The list includes architects, contractors, engineers and professionals in fields including masonry repair, plaster repair, roofing, window restoration, woodworking. Click here.

Blogs and websites

• The Craftsman Blog
• The Old House Guy
• Old House Online
• oldhouseweb.com
• Reddit: r/OldHouses, r/CenturyHomes
• This Old House
• Window Preservation Alliance

Colors

• 27 Beautiful Historic Paint Colors for Old Houses
• Bob Vila’s Guide to Historic Paint Colors
• Guide to Period-Appropriate Historic Paints
• Historic Paint Colors: New Insights and Ideas for Owners of Centuries-Old Homes
• Historic Paint Colors: The Best Palettes for Traditional Houses
• How to Choose a Paint Color Palette for Your Historic Home
• Paint Palette Templates

Old-House Hazards

• Asbestos abatement guide (asbestos.com)
• Lead-based paint (epa.gov)
• Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards (epa.gov)

Preservation Standards

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (PDF) (online)

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Caveat Emptor: Buying a Fixed-and-Flipped Home

• What you need to know before buying a flipped home
• Buying a Remodeled Home? 5 Signs It’s a Smart Move—or a Spectacular Flop
• Follow These 6 Steps for Buying a Flipped House
• 7 Things to Do Before Buying a Flipped House
• Common Problems With Flipped Houses
• Dunning–Kruger effect

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• Circa: “The world’s greatest historic house marketplace”
• Lands of America: National listings of farms, ranches, acreage and country homes
• Mansions, estates, castles, etc.
  • Christie’s International Real Estate: “The world’s most desirable properties”
  • Sotheby’s International Realty: “Luxury real estate, worldwide”
• oldhousedreams.com: Listings for “fixer uppers, time capsules and restored historic homes”
• oldhouses.com: “Historic homes for sale”

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Preservation Organizations

Local

• Caswell County Historical Association
  • Blog
• Eden Preservation Society
• The Pines Preservation Guild (Moore County/Sandhills)
• Preservation Burlington
  • The Salvage Shop
• Preservation Forsyth
• Preservation Greensboro
  • Architectural Salvage of Greensboro
• Preservation Greensboro Development Fund (no longer affiliated with Preservation Greensboro)
• Surry County Historical Society
• Rockford Preservation Society

State

• Preservation North Carolina
  • The Endangered Properties Program

National

• National Trust for Historic Preservation

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Historic Preservation Agencies

Local

• Alamance County Historic Properties Commission
• Burlington Historic Preservation Commission
• Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission
  • Local Historic Landmark Program
• Greensboro Historic District Program (historic districts)
• Guilford County Historic Preservation Commission (landmarks)
  • Historic Landmark Story Map
• High Point Historic Preservation Commission
• Lexington Historic Preservation
• Mount Airy Historic Preservation Commission
• Randolph County Historic Landmark Preservation Commission
• Reidsville Historic Preservation Commission
• Thomasville Historic Preservation Commission

State

• North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office

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• National Register of Historic Places
• North Carolina listings in the National Register
• North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office GIS Web Service: Shows locations of national and local historic districts and properties