10 Examples of Why America Loves A-Frame Houses
We love the A-frame. America loves the A-frame.
The popularity of this American icon, however, has been on the back burner for quite a while. The A-frame was kind of like your favorite aunt’s basement rec room: a little dated, a little dark and dusty, but full of potential. Well, to our delight, creative homeowners are finding countless ways to bring this versatile, affordable, and all-around sustainable design into the 21st century.
The A-frame is being revamped and is now ready for its close-up. With steeply sloping roofs reaching almost to the foundation, maintenance for this easily scalable home is a cinch. Can you imagine not having to worry about painting (and re-painting) the exterior? And for those living in snowy climates, picture heavy, ominous snows sliding right off your house, without having to lift a finger.
Also, there’s a built-in boldness to this unique shape. Describing the phenomenon of A-frame houses popping up all over the country in the mid-20th century, architectural historian Alastair Gordon told the New York Times, “They represented a kind of everyman modernism that was both playful and accessible.” We couldn’t agree more, Alastair.
Of course, the small interior living space and limited vertical wall space makes the A-frame difficult to furnish — unless your bookshelf is pizza-slice-shaped —and homeowners looking to increase their living space often build out decks and other extensions, increasing the footprint of what would otherwise be a very resource-conscious structure.
Americans saw a surge in the A-frame’s popularity during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. After World War II, when more Americans were gaining access to disposable income, national parks and other recreational areas were seeing a rise in popularity, and the dream of a second home perched on a sand dune or nestled between pines on one of the newly opened ski resorts, was — for the first time — widely attainable.
Before long you could buy prefabricated A-frame kits, which allowed enterprising vacationers to DIY their American dream.
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Eventually the ubiquity of the A-frame and its association with other more kitschy vacation homes (think geodesic domes and faux-Austrian chalets) made it fall out of fashion in the ’80s, but we are happy to say that with the resurgence of interest in small-space living (we love you, tiny house movement) our favorite little home-away-from-home is back on the scene.
The A-frame may once have symbolized material plenty and a newfound financial security, but Americans are now turning to this pared-down design to help them minimize their use of resources, live more simply and (our favorite, of course) Do-It-Themselves.
From the cathedral-like ski home to the moss-covered shack, the floor-to-ceiling living rooms and cozy sleeping lofts of these versatile, modern gems have us itching to plan our next friend-cation.
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