determine out what makes the historic saltbox house of the upper East Coast unequaled and strike the story behind the unusual name .
The quaint New England saltbox house is as distinctive to the neighborhood as laconic drop foliage , rocky coastline , and picturesque winters . Inherently sorcerous in their chasteness , these historic homes are scatter along the East Coast from the southern andcoastal areasof Maine through Connecticut and Rhode Island .
Featuringdistinctive rooflinesand facades , saltbox - fashion house are an iconic example ofAmerican compound computer architecture . Although the style has historic roots , these home plate continue popular today . Learn the history behind this house style ( admit where the name occur from ) and its discern characteristics , then see some of our favorite example of saltbox - expressive style planetary house .
Pettengill House, a historic saltbox home in Freeport, Maine.Credit: Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Earle G. Shettleworth Jr.is a Maine State Historian . Notable former spot include prexy of the Maine Historical Society ( 1977 - 79 ) , president of the New England Chapter , Society of Architectural Historians ( 1995 - 98 ) , and recipient of Historic New England ’s 2024 Preservation Leadership Award .
Kelly Mittlemanis an interior interior designer and founder of Kelly + Co. Design , an award - win full - armed service internal pattern business firm specializing in new building , diachronic homes , and full - scale renovations .
Sarah Jacobyis the architect and founder of Sarah Jacoby Architect , a design firm that specializes in building and creatively restoring both public and individual blank space .
Credit:Tria Giovan
What Is a Saltbox House?
Built during the seventeenth and 18th 100 , American saltbox houses were named after commonly used wooden salinity containers from the colonial period . historical saltbox houses are easy identified by their signature one - side sloped rooflines and simple colonial facades . They often include a symmetrical brick chimney , too .
Tria Giovan
The style originate as a quick , economical room toadd livelihood spaceto the back of an existing two - taradiddle habitation . Soon , these lean - to additions led to the popularization of the sloped roof style we see today . former saltbox planetary house instance from the 17th century are often improver ; later builds were constructed with the sloped roof and extra livelihood outer space include from the start .
Pettengill House, a historic saltbox home in Freeport, Maine.Credit: Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Regardless of the period , saltbox sign were mostly built to expand support space for crime syndicate and help them weather New England ’s harsh climate . The sloping roof further C to melt more quickly in the sun while deflecting the stiff winds expect in that region .
as luck would have it , many saltbox houses are still standing today . A schoolbook example of saltbox architecture can be found in the picturesque Pettengill House , now wangle by the Freeport Historical Society in Freeport , Maine . With its quintessential roofline and simple outside , the habitation is described by Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. , a Maine state historiographer , as a " nearly thoroughgoing example of the cant . " Pettengill sits on an talkative saltwater farm near the Harraseeket River , and the house look almost exactly as it did more than 200 years ago .
Earle G. Shettleworth Jr.
Simplicity of the dwelling itself was mull over in the life that happened within it ; it was very much tied to the time of year and the challenge of getting through each winter .
Saltbox dwellers of the past times were typically farmers who maintained a strong joining to nature and brave many challenging seasons . Shettleworth explains that owners of saltbox houses had " a very simple , rural existence that was tied instantly to the land and the sea , " he order . " simple mindedness of the nursing home itself was reflected in the living that happened within it ; it was very much tied to the seasons and the challenge of getting through each winter . "
Examples of Modern Saltbox Design
Bothmodernistsand history fan can regain common esthetical ground in saltbox - style homes . Modern adaptions of the style include renovations of historic saltbox house , contemporary addition to subsist structures , and new builds in the saltbox mode .
Connecticut Saltbox
For case , designer Kelly Mittleman of Kelly + Co. Design updated a client ’s historical saltbox house in Redding , Connecticut . Her goal was to make the circa-1725 home base liveable and fresh while preserving diachronic attributes . The result is a sun - fill , modern-day space with its original slant ceiling , open fireplace , and floor still intact . " Those details have a romantic element to them that I ’d never interchange , " Mittleman says . " It is an update nursing home with its original person and charm maintain . "
In improver to new window and mechanically skillful constituent , the interior received a modern saltbox - style makeover with a reconfigured kitchen , a fresh commixture of furnishing , andnew coats of paint . Mittleman used Benjamin Moore ’s White Dove on all walls and ceilings for a consistently sparkle and airy look .
The smart wall color pull attention to thetimeworn beamsabove , which are original . Mittleman wind up them with a simple whitewash treatment to lighten up and maintain them . All original floors were refinished using a wax app to protect them for years to come .
A modern adaptation of the saltbox house style in Bridgehampton, New York.Credit: Ty Cole
Minnesota Saltbox
in the first place designed by Minnesota architect Carl Stravs in 1923 , this historic saltbox home received a modern , Scandinavian meets barn - style addition thanks to New England native and architect Christine L. Albertsson . In add-on to intimate space within the original structure , a new cantilevered building with creekside views offered extra living space for a untried family line , all over with a sunny modern kitchen and elementary suite .
Interestingly , thefront doorof the historical home was initially focus on on the frontal opposite the sloping roof ( facing off from the street ) . Albertsson shifted the entrance to the right side to improvecurb appealand usability , adjusting the architectural plans and bring through a generations - erstwhile , original oak Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree on the property .
Strategically placed window in the raw additionmaximize born light , provide wholesale views , and bid privacy from close - by neighbour . Despite the challenges of work within a limited footprint , the old and new sing together in concord .
New York Saltbox
This new material body in Bridgehampton , New York , design by architect Sarah Jacoby , demonstrates a modern-day twist on a simple saltbox form . While the quintessential roofline is a heedful tribute to the region ’s chronicle , Jacoby ’s modern adaptation also serves a practical purpose . " For this fussy projection , it was more about land site - specificity , climate , andenvironmental efficiency , " Jacoby explains . The saltbox gradient helps the home base withstand extreme conditions condition while minimizing energy outlay . The slanted cap also includessolar panelsthat reduce the use and cost of energy for homeowners .
Sarah Jacoby
It has the line and form of a modernist star sign coupled with the environmental efficiency of a C - old vernacular style .
Jacoby continued to innovate the saltbox roofline by incorporating skylight ( these render great natural light from above in several spaces ) and supply rooftop snow guards to insure orotund amount of snow did not slide off the steep metal roof all at once . She choserough cedar claddingfor the outside because this gnarled , innate stuff minimizes maintenance and patinas attractively over time . at long last , Jacoby found the saltbox dash easily adaptable for modern use . " It has the lines and form of a modernist house coupled with the environmental efficiency of a centuries - previous vernacular style . "
Whether it takes the frame of an addition , historic renovation , or new home , advanced reading of the saltbox - manner house have endure appealingness . These sturdy , simple structure have housed New Englanders for hundreds of long time , and the saltbox ’s magic spell does n’t appear to be decline anytime soon .
A saltbox home addition designed by architect Christine L. Albertsson.Credit: Peter Bastianelli-Kerze
A modern saltbox-style new build designed by architect Sarah Jacoby.Credit: Ty Cole
