Sunny Side Up
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When looking at gables, take note of their position relative to the façade, their cladding, and the extent of their ornamentation. These details inform a house’s architecture.
When the gable appears on the side or end of a structure, as shown here, the dwelling is considered a side-gabled house. This gable end is clad in clapboard and shingles, suggesting a Victorian-era house. In this instance, a porch has been added to the gable end, and ornamentation on the porch is consistent with the detailing found along the overhanging rake of the gable.
Front and Center
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When the gable appears on the front of a structure (marked by a front door), as shown here, the dwelling is considered a front-gabled house. This Folk Victorian house has extensive ornamentation on the gable wall’s first and second story porches. A trio of windows is tucked up under the gable’s overhanging rake.
Tudor Time
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The half-timbered gable of a Tudor Revival house incorporates many architectural elements, including a bay window, a row of three windows with arched transoms, and a timber bargeboard (decorative gable trim).
Top Half
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Wood cladding painted white, and an arched window with shutters all help to distinguish the second story of a stone garage’s gable end.
Light Play
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The window design on the gable end of a shingled structure creates abundant natural light for the interior.
Rustic Cover
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The upper half of a gable end is sheathed in weathered wood, matching the arched doors at ground level.
Stone End
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A handsome fieldstone gable wall contains an oculus window and a paneled bay.
Seeing Stripes
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A projecting center gable on the second story creates a focal point, while black-painted decorative brackets under the eaves add a flourish to the entire façade.
Rake Detail
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A front-gable garage with carriage-house-style doors has decorative woodwork adorning the gable’s rake.
Going Gothic
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A steep center cross gable and decorated bargeboard are elements found on Gothic Revival houses, built in the mid 1800s.
Double Take
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A pair of front-facing stone gables punctuates the façade of a house with a steeply pitched roof.
Fancy Detailing
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The highly ornamented bargeboard (also called a vergeboard or gableboard) is topped with a finial projecting straight up from the roof ridge.