Appearing in the 1870's through 1910, Queen Anne style house plans are an eclectic mix of country house and Elizabethan cottage architecture exuberantly blended with Tudor, Gothic, English Renaissance, and American Colonial styles. Typically two stories, they can be large and rambling or small and snug with rooms tucked away in towers, bays, and dormers. From the flashy "painted ladies" of San Francisco to the refined masonry townhomes of cities on the eastern seaboard, Queen Anne style appears all across the country.
Queen Anne home plans capitalize on the newly-perfected balloon framing technique to create highly irregular footprints with many corners and protrusions. Steep roofs with intersecting gables lend additional interest. One-story porches may wrap around the front of the house, decorated with spindlework and gingerbread made possible by the introduction of the steam-powered lathe and scroll saw. Queen Anne floor plans are as unique as the exteriors, offering nooks and crannies to match the projections that are evident from the outside. Offering the opportunity for unique personal expression, Queen Anne home plans are popular in rural and small-town settings as well as urban infill.
