How do I find out what style my house is?
Start with the roof and the entry. Roof shape, the position of the entry and the proportion of the front elevation identify most Illinois houses faster than any ornament. Then check the county assessor's year built, because a style that belongs to the 1920s in a house dated 1955 usually means the records or the house have been changed.
Is my house a bungalow or a ranch?
Height and basement give it away. A Chicago bungalow is one and a half stories over a full raised basement with a side entry, so the main floor sits half a level above grade; a ranch is a single story at grade, usually with an attached garage and a much longer, lower elevation. Bungalows are generally pre-1940, ranches almost always post-1950.
Does the style change what permits I need?
The style itself does not; where the house sits does. Exterior work in a locally designated historic district or on a designated landmark usually needs a review in addition to a building permit, and windows, roofs and porches are the items that come up most. The Illinois Permit Finder has the contact for each county and municipality.
Should I replace the original windows?
Usually repair first. Original wood windows in these houses are made of old-growth lumber, can be restored with sash weights and weatherstripping, and carry most of the facade's character. Replacement makes sense when the frame itself is failing, and in a historic district the change may need review either way.
Where do these styles sit in the data?
The shares on this page come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (table B25034), which reports when structures were built rather than what style they are. About 20% of Illinois housing predates 1940 — the bungalow, greystone, two-flat, cottage, foursquare, Queen Anne and Prairie years — and 43% was built between 1940 and 1979, when the Cape Cod, ranch and split-level dominated.
