Walk down any suburban street in America and you’ll see them. Those weird, sprawling "McMansions" that look like a bank had a mid-life crisis and decided to sprout a turret. It’s exhausting. For the last thirty years, residential design has been obsessed with "statements." We’ve seen houses that try to look like Tuscan villas, modern art galleries, or industrial warehouses. But lately, something has shifted. People are tired of living in a brand. They want a house as a house.
What does that actually mean?
It’s about returning to the fundamental archetype of a home. We’re talking about the gable roof. The chimney. The porch. The things a five-year-old draws when you hand them a crayon and ask for a picture of where they live. This isn't just nostalgia; it's a structural rebellion against the over-designed, over-engineered nonsense that has dominated the real estate market since the early 2000s.
The Psychology of the Archetype
The concept of a house as a house is deeply rooted in what architects call "pattern language." Christopher Alexander, the legendary architect and author of A Pattern Language, argued that certain shapes and layouts trigger an evolutionary sense of safety. When a building looks like a "house," our brains relax.
Modernism tried to kill this. Le Corbusier famously called a house a "machine for living." That sounds cool in a textbook. It’s miserable when you’re trying to drink coffee on a Tuesday morning in a glass box that has no soul.
When we lean into the house as a house aesthetic, we’re prioritizing human comfort over architectural ego. It’s the difference between a building that says "Look at me" and one that says "Welcome home." Honestly, most of us just want the latter. We want a roof that sheds water effectively—which, coincidentally, a classic pitched gable does better than a trendy flat roof—and windows that let in light without making us feel like we're in a fishbowl.
Why Functionality is Finally Winning
Complexity is expensive. It's also a nightmare to maintain.
If you have a house with fourteen different rooflines and integrated hidden gutters, you’re basically waiting for a leak to ruin your life. A house as a house simplifies the envelope. By sticking to traditional forms, homeowners are finding that their insurance premiums are lower and their repair bills are more manageable. It’s basic physics. Water runs off a simple slope. It gets trapped in "architectural features."
📖 Related: Charlie Gunn Lynnville Indiana: What Really Happened at the Family Restaurant
The Social Aspect of Simple Design
There is a communal benefit to this movement. When every house on a block is trying to be a unique masterpiece, the neighborhood looks like a cluttered mess. It lacks cohesion.
Urban planners like those at the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) have long advocated for "vernacular" architecture. This is just a fancy way of saying houses should look like they belong in their environment. A house as a house in New England should look like a saltbox because that’s what works for the snow. A house in the South should have deep eaves and porches to handle the heat.
When we ignore these regional "house-ness" traits, we end up with the "Anywhere, USA" problem. You could be in Phoenix or Philadelphia; you wouldn't know because the houses all look like the same generic, beige box with a stone veneer stuck on the front with construction adhesive.
The Material Reality
Let's talk about wood. And brick. Real materials.
Part of the house as a house philosophy is using materials that age gracefully. Vinyl siding is a crime against humanity. It doesn't age; it just gets brittle and ugly. Brick, on the other hand, develops a patina. Wood needs to be painted, sure, but it has a texture that "faux-wood" fiberglass can never replicate.
Expert builders like Matt Risinger often talk about the "500-year house." You don't get a 500-year house by using the latest "disruptive" building materials. You get it by using proven methods that have worked since the 18th century, updated with modern building science like high-performance vapor barriers and continuous insulation.
It’s Not About Being Boring
Some people hear "house as a house" and think it means "boring."
👉 See also: Charcoal Gas Smoker Combo: Why Most Backyard Cooks Struggle to Choose
That’s a mistake.
Think about a classic farmhouse. It’s a simple shape. But the proportions make it beautiful. The Golden Ratio isn't some conspiracy theory; it’s a mathematical reality of what humans find pleasing. A simple house with perfect proportions will always look better than a complex house with bad ones.
You’ve probably seen those "McMansion Hell" blogs. They’re hilarious because they point out exactly what happens when you lose the "house" in the design. You get windows that don't line up. You get columns that don't support anything. You get a "great room" that is impossible to heat and sounds like a cavern when you drop a spoon.
The Return of the Room
Open concept floor plans are dying. Slowly. Painfully.
For years, we were told that every wall was an enemy. "Tear down that wall!" shouted every HGTV host. Now? People realize that if you have a kitchen, a living room, and an office all in one giant space, you have zero privacy. You can hear the dishwasher while you're trying to watch a movie. You can smell the broccoli you cooked three hours ago while you're trying to work.
The house as a house approach honors the "room." Walls are good. They provide acoustic privacy. They give you a place to hang art. They create a sense of transition as you move through your day. Most importantly, they make a home feel cozy.
Practical Steps for the Modern Homeowner
If you're looking to build or renovate with the house as a house mindset, you need to ignore the trends. Trends are designed to make you feel like your home is "outdated" in five years so you'll buy more stuff.
✨ Don't miss: Celtic Knot Engagement Ring Explained: What Most People Get Wrong
Focus on the Roofline. Keep it simple. One or two primary gables are almost always better than a complex "mountain range" of roof peaks. It's cheaper to build and lasts longer.
Prioritize the Porch. A real porch—at least six to eight feet deep—is functional. It’s a transition zone between the private world of the family and the public world of the street. It’s where community happens.
Check Your Proportions. Look at the windows. Are they all the same style? Do they align vertically and horizontally? If they don't, the house will always feel "off," even if you can't put your finger on why.
Invest in the Entry. The front door is the "handshake" of the home. It should be substantial, well-lit, and easy to find. In a house as a house, the entrance isn't hidden behind a three-car garage. It’s the star of the show.
Natural Materials Only. If it’s meant to look like wood, use wood. If it’s meant to look like stone, use stone. If you can't afford the real thing, find a high-quality honest alternative rather than a cheap "look-alike" that will peel or fade.
Living in a house as a house is an act of quiet confidence. It says you don't need to impress the neighbors with architectural gymnastics. You’ve found something that works. It’s sturdy. It’s classic. It’s home.
The shift toward this style isn't going away because it's based on how we actually live, not how we want to appear on social media. Next time you're out, look at the houses that actually look like houses. There’s a peace in them that the modern "luxury" builds just can't touch. Stick to the basics. Value the archetype. Build something that your grandkids will still recognize as a home fifty years from now.