Wow, I wasn’t expecting to hear from so many people so soon, but you all know your stuff. I googled “‘80s contemporary house” and yup, looks a lot like my house:) Also, those of you who noticed the addition are correct, again, although I’m not sure when it was built. I would agree the cedar shingles are confusing as well as the arch style window. This home was a foreclosure. My husband and I bought it as our first home, as we didn’t want a cookie cutter house, and knew we could update the interior. Plus, it’s on a nice lot in a good neighborhood. I have always thought the exterior was unattractive...and i even like a lot of different styles as my decorating and clothing style is more bohemian or eclectic. I appreciate most architectural designs on homes, but not a fan of modern or contemporary due to it’s boring lines (IMO) and lack of charm and warmth. I’ve also liked lighter homes (stucco, especially) in whites or stone gray with black trim and interesting windows. With that being said, I am worried if I play up the modern that 1) it will be the only contemporary home in my neighborhood (well majority are traditional styles) and 2) it would not appeal to a lot of buyers (located in southern Indiana). We do not plan on staying in this house forever. Could any of you suggest a new color scheme in lighter shades, including the brick, that might look appropriate for the style? All of the modern homes seem to be so dark. Thanks!

The term "historical" is often more of a sales pitch for an older remodeled home rather than descriptive of its history. You should have any home you're considering buying inspected by a pro working for you and your interests (rather than the bank or realtor). IF you do purchase it, you might consider recreating front portico into a porch, extending that middle forward facing gable (leaving the curved front) and using a shed roof on one or both sides of it to create a wrap around front porch. https://www.homeplans.com/plan/3647-square-feet-3-bedroom-3-50-bathroom-2-garage-sp140938 Also, while it's still small, you might consider moving that tree farther from the house and adding a few more, if possible. You'd need to know where the utilities are buried before digging to add shade or any other purpose, so you will want to know that before you buy as well.

I would describe it as a farmhouse or as a worker's cottage. My area has a significant number of bungalows which usually have a hip roof and a dormer over the front porch, not a gable end. The use of the description Cape Cod style here refers to a house with a center entry and the door opening on the long side. I am not an expert, just giving the descriptions typically used in my area for those styles. I hope your cute house is just as charming on the inside!

Oh, I think it can matter. Because if you know what the style of the house is, it can direct you with appropriate cues if you are adding on, or, in this case if you were trying to make this house in question look more like something specific, it's helpful to know what it looked like to begin with. Right now it doesn't look like a specific style because the changes were made without paying any attention to what the house looked like, they were purely functional. I agree that there are very few pure examples of styles out there, there would be no mistaking a post War cape cod style with a 19th c. house on Cape Cod. But the million post war cape cod houses that went up between 1945 and 1960 --complete with picture windows and other non-cape cod elements--are fairly pure and consistent examples of themselves.