Plantation/southern houses??

Question

i don't even know if thats what they are called but i would like to know a bit more about them, like how many stories to they typically have, how many bedrooms, bathrooms, any special rooms? anthing unique about them? any info at all is appreciated!! thanks.

Answer 1

We have a typical "southern" house and it was built in the late 1800s. It's a design that you can see all over the south, usually the houses are abandoned though, but this one's been redone. At any rate, they usually have 4 rooms or so. The stock plan is front door in the center of the house on the front. Covered front porch that runs the length of the front of the house about 6' deep and two steps or so to the ground. When you walk in, you have a room to your right and a room to your left, ours are 20' by 20'. Directly in front you have stairs leading upstairs. There you have the exact same floorplan as on the bottom, two rooms, 20' by 20'.

If you're talking plantation, those homes are usually known by their blocky look to them. Usually about 3 floors, including the basement. They hail from the plantation era of the south, filled with aristocracy and cotton fields. The typical scene from Gone With the Wind. Prestwould Plantation is a great example of this. You can check it out in Claksville, VA or at this link: http://www.vintagedesigns.com/fam/prestw...

The details inside the homes are amazing. Wallpaper is literally hand-painted, much of the furniture was made on the plantation itself by household slaves. Another noted characteristic of plantation homes are the closets, which is something you won't find in homes not "aristocracy-owned" in the 1800s in the south b/c homes were taxed based on the number of rooms found in them, including closets. The more rooms, the more you're gonna pay the state.

Anyhow, I hope this helps some. If you have a chance to go see some, definitely do it! They're amazing little pieces of history with the whispers of the past floating around in them.

Answer 2

most are known for their large front porches and screened rear porches. usually two story wooden sided.