Introduction
Few architectural styles can remind me of warm summer days like Cape Cod. It is seen throughout America and sparks imagery of lazy days and beach walks. It is also a staple of Brindleton Bay, a world that came with The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs. Seeing as summer is incoming, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, I felt the urge to build something that was inherently tied to the season. Well, in my mind at least.
And so, I bring to you a guide of sorts on Sims 4 Cape Cod Architecture! Featuring an extensive history research and how to replicate this style in your game.
Table of Content
History
Cape Cod Architecture was given the name by Reverend Timothy Dwight IV in 1800 when he visited the Cape Cod peninsula. However, it has existed long before that.
It is thought that Cape Cod homes date back to the late 17th century when the style was brought over to America (or more specifically New England) by English colonists. It was adapted from the small, one storey, rectangular homes that Pilgrims had been building in England and the Netherlands to be more fitting for the harsh New England winters.
The original Cape Cod home had 4 rooms, or 6 if you were lucky with two small rooms in the roof. There was a central chimney and all the rooms were built around it to preserve the heat. Much of the design was centred around keeping out the elements. The roofs, made of cedar shingles to preserve heat, were steeply pitched to force rain and snow off. The biggest windows faced the south to capture as much sunlight as possible. Finally, there were heavy wooden shutters to keep out the cold wind.
The materials that were used in this architecture style included:
- Oak/pine beam framing and flooring
- Brick fireplaces
- Shingles
- Clapboard/cedar shake roofs
- Wooden shutters
Cape Cod architecture was built up until 1850. Families wanted bigger homes then just 4-6 rooms and construction methods had evolved for more complex structures to be built.
However, between 1922 and 1955 there was a Cape Cod revival. This was largely in part due to the housing boom after soldiers returned from the World Wars. Veterans needed homes for their families and due to the Great Depression, materials were expensive. Cape Cod homes used inexpensive materials so the style took off again.
Royal Barry Wills was a pioneer in changing the style to fit with contemporary times during this revival. The changes that were made included adding porches, decks, additional wings for expanding families, dormers to let in more light plus increase the upstairs bedroom sizes and garages. Improvements in heat technology meant chimneys could be offset as they were no longer required to heat a house.
To further encourage families about the wonders of Cape Cod houses, the style began appearing in magazines. It showed off the simplicity and inspired individuals about the benefits of the home. Wills also expanded the style by publishing his own designs in newspapers and magazines. He won a number of awards for his success, which included building around 2,500 Cape Cod homes.
In present day, there are three different sizes for Cape Cod homes; half, three quarters and full. The size is determined by the window placement. A half size has a window on each side of the door, three quarters has two windows on one side and one on the other and a full size has two windows on both sides of the door.
The houses are no no longer restricted to just New England and can be found all over America. They are most prominent in Cape Cod, Nantucket, the Hamptons and Rhode Island.
Features
The features of an original Cape Cod home include:
- Symmetry (of windows)
- Steep roofs
- Central chimney
- Windows at the door
- Flat design
- One and a half stories
- Simple exteriors
Sims 4 Cape Cod Architecture Replication
Within the Sims 4, we have the perfect world to recreate Cape Cod architecture. Brindleton Bay, a world based off of New England and coastal towns in Maine. The pack comes with numerous assets that work well for the style and Brindleton Bay is a very pretty world to build in.
As the world was inspired by New England, the Maxis-made builds where inspired by the architecture there, which included Cape Cod. Therefore, my own Cape Cod build wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb if I built here.
For the lot, I picked a 30×30 that used to be the museum, Deadgrass Discoveries. I felt this was the perfect size lot and as I have very little use for museums in the game, it wasn’t much of a loss.
I built it as a vacation rental because there isn’t one in Brindleton Bay. As well as that, Cape Cod homes are typically associated with American summers and holiday homes. The population in the area Cape Cod, increases by around 5-10 times in summer as individuals flee from the stuffy cities to their luxury and airy beach homes.
The specific house I chose to build would likely have been built in the Cape Cod revival. It has a much larger footprint compared to a historical Cape Cod. It’s also less symmetrical with a more complex floor plan. This is in part due to the fact that I mimicked the style of Cape Cod more typically found on Nantucket, an island 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Nantucket Cape Cod homes are characterised by their grey shingles and painted shutters. I used both grey shingles and painted light blue shutters.
I also chose to include lots of decks, porches and balconies as these revival homes would include features such as these as the owners wished to be close the outdoors from their home. Sitting outside under shelter to watch the sea come in and out.
As for landscaping, Cape Cod homes tend to lean more towards being stylish and simple. Tall hedges are used to separate spaces and flowers tend to be native to the area where it’s built in. I tried to keep all of this in mind when building, I tend to struggle more with landscaping then exteriors and due to the simplicity it was rather difficult. I prefer to jam-pack my builds filled with flowers but for this, I tried to create an effortless and straightforward appearance with the bushes and flowers.
This was the final design I settled on. I would classify this as a full size Cape Cod because there are two windows on either side of the door. I added lots of hydrangeas because they are prominent in Nantucket. The soil pH in New England is slightly acidic so I used cornflower blue to show that consistency throughout.
Conclusion
While I’ve never visited the north-eastern coast of America, these Cape Cod homes remind me of sleepy days spent by the beach. The sea air going through your hair. It all felt nostalgic for a Cruel Summer and just heightened my excitement for the upcoming season. The style is one I’ve been fond of for a number of years. It has drawn me to Brindleton Bay before and I hope with added knowledge, it draws you too.
