Popular Home Styles in Ohio and Michigan

A drive through the neighborhoods of the Midwest will reveal a variety of common home styles. If you’ve ever wondered what type of houses you’d see throughout Ohio and Michigan, we’ve created this guide to help. From the classic to the contemporary, you’ll find an array of popular architectural home styles in the area. Discover popular home styles in Ohio and Michigan below.

Home Style Trends in Ohio

Ohio features a combination of modern and traditional homes. What you see will depend on where you are in the state, but you may find these types of houses in Ohio:

1. Colonial Homes

With the state’s proximity to the Northeast, Colonial options are popular styles of homes in Ohio. Homeowners select Colonial homes for the historical feel and spacious interior layouts. Common features of these houses include:

• Two stories: Colonial homes are meant to feel grand with the height of a second story, making them suitable for large families.
• Symmetrical designs: Simple symmetrical designs create an impressive feel. These homes also feature a symmetrical layout inside.
• Decorative entryways: The entrance to a Colonial home feels as grand as the house itself. You’ll see stunning front doors, covered areas and other details.
• Columns in the facade: This decorative touch often supports an overhang above the front door. It provides iconic practicality and style.
• Pitched roofs: The roof helps maintain the clean, symmetrical look. It slopes down to the front and back of the house from the center.

For a Colonial home with a garage, you might see traditional doors with recessed panels. The Clopay® CLASSIC™ collection in steel and CLASSIC™ WOOD collection feature clean and simple styles that let a Colonial home stand out. For the entryway, there should be a front door as grand as the home itself. Clopay’s ARBOR GROVE™ fiberglass collection features numerous paneled doors and intricate glass options.

2. Craftsman Homes

Craftsman homes are a classic style, beloved for their intricate details and handiwork. As a response to Victorian houses, which favored manufactured details during industrial innovation, the Craftsman era focused on handmade creations. You could consider Craftsman homes the most common home style in Ohio, thanks to their simplistic yet stunning style. These residences include details like:

• A covered front porch: Enjoy a place to sit in the shade with the covered front porches that often come with a Craftsman home.
• Tapered columns: When Craftsman homes feature columns, they’re usually not the uniform shapes you’d see in a Colonial house. Instead, they’re wider at the base and get narrow toward the top.
• Exposed and detailed rafter tails: These details are functional and stylish. They’re often handmade features that support the roof and add a detailed touch.
• Overhanging roof eaves: To have exposed rafter tails, the eaves of Craftsman homes overhang the building itself. That provides a bit more coverage and dimension.
• Large, single dormers on the roof: A dormer projects from the roof to add detail to the roofline, and it often contains a window.
• Muted earth tones: Unless someone’s repainted your Craftsman home, it will likely have muted brown or green tones. Those shades let the architecture stand out.

Craftsman garages may feature doors with anything from vertical panels to carriage house inspiration. Clopay’s CANYON RIDGE® collection LIMITED EDITION series and GRAND HARBOR® collection complement the detailed features of a Craftsman home. For the front door, the CRAFTSMAN fiberglass collection embodies the details of a Craftsman house.

3. Industrial Lofts

Ohio’s cities are home to former industrial buildings and factories that have since become dwellings. Industrial lofts are popular home styles in Ohio thanks to their modern appeal. Young individuals, in particular, favor these areas as they’re suitable for one or two people rather than a family. Features of industrial lofts include:

• Converted factories: Former factories allow for various dwellings in one space. They have square, brick exteriors and large windows.
• Open layouts: The large space in former industrial buildings lets an industrial loft have an open layout.
• High ceilings: The open layout combines with high ceilings to create a spacious area. That provides room for a sleeping area above the main floor.
• Exposed brick: Brick from the outside continues on the inside with exposed brick and other materials to maintain the factory look.

Depending on the converted building, an industrial loft could have a garage space. The door to that space may be a commercial overhead door made of aluminum or steel. Modern overhead doors are also possible options for industrial lofts with lots of metal or glass features and sleek lines. Entry doors range from commercial varieties to simple metal ones.

4. Modern Homes

Contemporary inspiration still appears outside of the cities with modern homes. These houses are suitable for families and can range from expansive, unique styles to smaller spaces that are still eye-catching. With a home created within this century, you’ll find details like these:

• Metal, concrete and glass: A mix of these sleek materials creates an iconic modern look that limits texture in the facade.
• Open layouts: Contemporary interior design favors open concept living. That connects your family areas and makes a home suitable for entertaining.
• Forward-thinking, sometimes futuristic designs: Unique details break away from the previous century’s classic ones. Instead, these homes opt for features you’d expect to see in the future.
• Flat roofing: Modern homes feature flat rooflines rather than traditional, pitched designs.
• Straight lines: The lines in sleek, flat roofs continue to the rest of a modern home’s architecture. You’ll often see squared shapes and straight-line details.
• Minimal intricate details: Modern homes may have linear details, but they rarely have intricate designs. Instead, they favor a minimalistic look.

Modern garage doors consist of panels of frosted glass and aluminum frames for a lightweight yet durable construction, like Clopay’s AVANTE® collection. You may also see sleek steel options with windows, like the MODERN STEEL™ collection. Modern front doors may be simple doors with no panels or ones with contemporary windows, like the models you’ll find in the STEEL collection.

5. Farmhouses

With rural areas and history throughout Ohio, it’s no surprise that farmhouses are a popular home style. These houses take inspiration from either farmlands or actual farmhouse homes and update them to this century. From historical to contemporary farmhouses, you’ll see features like these:

• Rectangular foundations with extra rooms: Farmhouses have a simple footprint. They start with a rectangular shape and add on rooms for more space and dimension.
• Simple lines: A farmhouse has a no-fuss feel to it, thanks to the simple lines that appear throughout its architecture and details.
• Narrow windows: Tall windows enhance the look of height in a farmhouse. These windows may have classic shutter accents, as well.
• Large porches: Enjoy the outdoors with large farmhouse porches. These can take up the entire front of the facade or wrap around to the side.
• Wood siding: Classic farmhouses have wood siding instead of modern materials. Some remakes and renovations maintain that look.
• Metal roofs: Metal roofing further mimics the look of a barn and contrasts the materials below for an eye-catching result.

Farmhouses may have attached or separate garages, but either way, they go perfectly with carriage house garage doors. Clopay’s GALLERY® collection has steel doors with grooved panels that fit into the farmhouse style. The front door may use authentic designs and panel details like you’d find in the RUSTIC fiberglass collection.

Popular Home Styles in Michigan

Certain styles of homes in Michigan also appear in Ohio, given their proximity. Colonial styles, for instance, appear throughout both states. While you may find overlap, you’ll also see these types of houses in Michigan:

1. Bungalows

A bungalow could be considered the most common home style in Michigan thanks to its popularity throughout the 20th century. These homes may appear in lake communities for a small vacation getaway or in neighborhoods suitable for young professionals. Features of these styles include:

• One story or a partial story built into a sloped roof: Many bungalows have one floor. Those with taller, sloped roofs may have a partial second story for a bit more space.
• Small square footage: The small footprint of a bungalow means the home’s interior won’t have a lot of space. That makes it suitable for new couples or small families.
• Dormer windows: Bungalows may feature a few dormers along the roofline. That creates a more detailed roof, even on a small home.
• Verandas: Some bungalows have verandas, or covered areas at the same level as the first floor. These provide covered outdoor spaces that are alternatives to porches.
• Craftsman features: Bungalows may reflect Craftsman features, like roof details and handmade accents.

A bungalow may have an attached or separate garage. They suit overhead doors with classic details and windows. Consider a carriage house-style door, especially for a free-standing garage, like Clopay’s COACHMAN® collection. Depending on the bungalow’s design, it could use a Craftsman-style front door, like those in the CRAFTSMAN fiberglass collection.

2. Prairie-Style Homes

Prairie homes are meant to meet the basic needs of those who live in them without being overly decorated or showy. Still, given their unique features, Prairie houses in Michigan are eye-catching. You’ll find details like these in Prairie homes:

• Short styles: Prairie homes are more low-slung than other styles. They usually have one story that’s modest in height.
• Horizontal lines: From trims to siding, almost every accent in a Prairie house is parallel to the ground, enhancing the short look.
• Simple, natural materials: To avoid being showy, Prairie homes use natural materials. They often maintain their natural colors, as well.
• Long, flat roofs: Roofs on Prairie homes aren’t as flat as modern varieties. But they do have a low pitch to maintain a shorter appearance.
• Rows of windows: To make the appearance of a glass wall, some Prairie homes use rows of windows. That makes the interior feel more spacious.
• Open spaces: Despite the small size, Prairie homes have open interiors. They focus on the living and dining rooms for entertaining.

Prairie home overhead and entry doors often have windows to complement the rest of the house. BRIDGEPORT™ Steel overhead doors have options for arched or square windows that suit classic or contemporary Prairie homes. A front door with windows complements the garage door’s features. Clopay’s STEEL collection includes versatile design options, many of which have window details.

3. Ranches

Ranch homes are popular throughout America, and Michigan is no exception. They first appeared in the 1930s, but following World War II, suburban growth required simple homes. Ranches met the requirements, with features like:

• One story: These simple homes are one story, but they’re still often large enough to at least house a small family.
• Mix of materials along the facade: Ranch homes combine siding with stonework, whether it be brick or other accents.
• Attached garages: Many ranch homes feature an attached garage for convenience. It gives homeowners more storage and space and enhances the facade.
• Low-pitch rooflines: Ranch homes are like Prairie residences. They’re not tall, and the low-pitch roof contributes to that.
• Simple architectural details: Ranches are modest homes. To maintain that simplicity, they feature minimalistic architectural details.

Ranches often have attached garages, which makes it essential to consider what garage door to get. The garage will be visible alongside the home’s facade, so it needs a classic yet stylish door from Clopay’s CLASSIC™ collection in steel or CLASSIC™ WOOD collection. If the garage is attached, a complementing front door ties the facade together. The ARBOR GROVE™ fiberglass collection has many design options that complement classic overhead doors.

4. Arts and Crafts Homes

The Arts and Crafts movement focused on handmade quality in defiance of industrial revolutions. The style grew around the same time Craftsman homes became popular. Arts and Crafts homes may feel a bit more cottage-like than Craftsman abodes, and they also feature these details:

• Exposed beams: Inside and out, Arts and Crafts houses feature exposed beams. These details show evidence of the construction process.
• Local materials: Arts and Crafts homes display local materials. That means these houses require little material transportation from other locations.
• Handmade components: Like Craftsman styles, Arts and Crafts houses highlight handmade accents throughout the facade.
• Simple details: Handmade details are essential components of Arts and Crafts homes. They’re also simple, making these homes easier to construct.
• Similar styles to Prairie homes and bungalows: Some Arts and Crafts houses have the look, layout or feel of Prairie homes and bungalows. You may see shorter buildings and similar architectural details.

Because the movements are from around the same time, Arts and Crafts homes have similar garage and entry doors to Craftsman ones. Vertical panels elongate the overhead door, and windows into the garage add simple details. That makes Clopay’s CANYON RIDGE® collection LIMITED EDITION series a smart option. The front door has similar vertical details and windows, which you’ll find in the CRAFTSMAN fiberglass collection.

5. Victorian Homes

These houses predate the Arts and Crafts and Craftsman movements. Victorian homes stand out with unique features and a rich, historical feel. Industrial achievements made it easier to produce various details for Victorian houses, including:

• Bright colors: Victorian homes are recognizable in part thanks to their use of unique colors, from yellow and green to pink.
• Ornamented facades: You could spend hours admiring a Victorian home’s details, from window trims to rafter tails.
• Steep roofs: Dramatic, pitched roofs add to the impressive height of Victorian houses and provide space for more details.
• Dormers, towers and turrets: Victorian houses almost have a castle-like feel to them with tall towers and turrets and detailed dormers.
• Stained glass: Intricate details continue in windows and doors with stained glass accents that make Victorian homes unique.

Victorian styles may feature detached garages rather than attached ones that don’t suit the historical feel. Complement the rich past of a Victorian home with carriage house doors in wood tones that go with the hues in your house’s facade. Clopay’s CANYON RIDGE® collection ULTRA-GRAIN® series adds historical charm to a detached garage. Various Clopay entry doors suit Victorian homes with ornate window designs.

Find the Perfect Garage and Entry Doors for Your Home With Quality Overhead Door

Whether you have one of the popular home styles in Ohio and Michigan or something unique, Quality Overhead Door has Clopay garage and entry doors for your home. For over 40 years, we’ve provided residential products and services throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. From durable, quality overhead doors to welcoming front doors, our residential products will transform and improve your home’s facade.

Browse our new garage doors and entry doors and find the perfect options for your home with Quality Overhead Door.

Additional Resources On Garage Doors:

• Garage Door Lighting Ideas
• How to Make Your Garage More Energy Efficient
• Common Residential Garage Door Sizes