Around here it would just be called a "mansard" after the type of roof it has - I know of several somewhat similar houses here - although the hipped top part of the roof is a tad peculiar (and that flared edge gives it almost a pagoda-esque look, very odd!). Normally it's darn near flat. The hipped top isn't totally unknown, though, here's a picture of another house with the same design. but still has similar elements - I think the chimney may be similar, too, but yours isn't in as sharp focus. I like how there's a distinct angle at the bottom of that house's mansard "wall", rather than a swoop, and the brackets are wonderful. The mansard roof is almost synonymous with Second Empire architecture in the USA. Most pictures you see of Second Empires show very fancy, large houses, but amusingly enough the mansard roof was a HUGE fad and it got plunked on top of all sorts of houses with all sorts of proportions, including this very simple, symmetrical square! (I'll bet it's two rooms front, two rooms back, center stair perhaps?) So really, it could well be considered a modest Second Empire cottage. Do you have a rough construction date (I'm guessing 1850-1890?)? How about interior pictures? What do the interior doors look like? Those may almost be more helpful than anything else. Have you dug around in the cellar, attic, garage to see if there are any old doors stuck in there? Cruised the local roads to see if there are any other houses like yours from which you may steal stylistic cues? Is there a town historical society that may have photos, either of your house in earlier years or of similar houses of the same vintage? (Why do some of the pages on your website keep coming up in Latin? And "howdy neighbor", I'm in SE NH :-) *wave*)

Hi, E Weiss, It looks like you've got a lot of responses to sift through! I just wanted to chime in and ask if you've considered other window materials? I think wood is beautiful but you're right they are pretty expensive especially when you want to replace all the windows in a house or building and without regular/frequent maintenance they won't last long. Even aluminum or fiberglass cladded aluminum windows eventually need to be replaced because water/moisture can find its way behind the cladding. I think I read that you're in an area that experiences lots of rain or snow? If you would consider something other than wood I would recommend looking for a fiberglass window vendor. A quality fiberglass window can outperform a quality vinyl and will certainly outperform an aluminum window. They'll also last longer than wood windows with much less maintenance. I can't recommend any specific product line for you, we're in Texas and used to sell Milgard's Ultra Series but Milgard was acquired by another company and they've left the state. Milgard may have also stopped selling the fiberglass Ultra series. It looks like fiberglass-windows.com suggests Marvin, Milgard, Fibergrame, and Pella as fiberglass window manufacturers. Good luck with your replacement project! - Ariana

I love Yayagal's suggestion. It will be against the darker background of your sofa and look great

Thanks so much! I was really hoping to replace the rug, coffee table and leather chairs. We have had them for about 5 years. They were major scores at the pottery barn outlet and table was custom, so I am not too worried about the waste in money. We will try to sell for a little but on craigslist since they are in good condition but SO SO ready to lighten up the room and get away from the huge dark coffee table and dark big leather chairs