It's almost too easy to guess Portland's most common house style: The sensible, yet cookie-cutter ranch, a result of the post-WWII housing boom and the single-story structure's enduring appeal.

Ranch: 10419 NE Beech St. in Portland is listed at $365,100.

The ranch's high ranking is reported in a survey released Wednesday, Feb. 28, by the real estate resource Trulia.

Responses from Trulia's survey of more than 2,000 American adults, which was conducted online by Harris Poll, were combined with the company's listing data to find out common architectural styles nationwide and by state.

Although most real estate listing don't identify a specific architectural style, the ones most often named in the U.S. were Colonial, ranch, Cape Cod, Victorian and midcentury, followed by Tudor and Georgian.

America's favorite home styles are Craftsman (43 percent), ranch (41 percent) and Colonial (36 percent), according to the survey.

Despite its popularity, Craftsman homes are hard to find nationally, but not so in the Portland Metro area, where Arts & Crafts-influenced features of wide eaves with exposed rafters and battered porch columns were ushered in during a housing boom after the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.

Other Trulia findings: Young adult, aged 18-34, prefer Craftsman-style homes (52 percent), while older adults favor ranch-style homes (52 percent).

Colonial houses, not brownstones, are most common in New York City, while Miami has more midcentury homes than Art deco, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, has the highest concentration of ranch-style homes in the country, according to the report.

Decorate to enhance a home's architectural style

Interior designers and home stagers on the Trulia Design Panel offer this advice to homeowners and renters to bring a dwelling's exterior character inside:

Colonial: Dating back to the 19th century, Colonial-style homes typically feature multiple stories, balanced window displays, chimneys and brick or wood exterior siding. To decorate, balance the home's wood tones and handcrafted elements with dramatic paint choices on walls or furniture.

Cape Cod: 10475 NW Cornell Road in Portland is listed at $669,900.

Cape Cod: These one- to-two story structures have a steep roofline, wood siding and multi-pane windows. Emulate the simplicity and function of the Cape Cod style by painting walls in neutrals and adding floral boxes or large planters to landscaping.

Ranch: Found across the country, ranch homes have a low roofline, open floor plan, rectangular or L-shape, and either a stucco, brick or wood exterior. Honor the home's modern simplicity by utilizing clean-lined furniture and neutral tones. Add personality with rattan accents, leather and a mix of metals.

Victorian: The Victorian era produced homes with romantic details emphasized by texture and color, pitched roofs, bay windows and full front porches covered with prominent gables. Paint baseboards dark espresso or high-gloss black to mimic dark wood elements popular in the period. Install wallpaper on one wall while keeping other walls neutral.

Midcentury: 5655 SW Menefee Dr. in Portland is listed at $899,900.

Midcentury: Beginning in the 1940s, the midcentury modern architectural style drew on simplicity and integration with the natural world with indoor-outdoor features like large glass windows, open spaces, geometric lines and multiple views.

Refresh the midcentury modern style by giving the home a fresh coat of white paint and installing vintage or retro furniture with tapered legs.

-- Homes and Gardens of the Northwest staff



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman



