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The design also allows for efficient use of space, and the placement of the lower rear story can be designed to fit into a tight spot if there are things like large trees on the property. These classic American homes are characterized by their steep-pitched roofs, which slope down the back of the house at a sharp angle. Because of their shape and layout, saltbox houses feature two stories in the front, but only one in the back.
The Solution to Snowfall:
Many historic saltbox homes are still standing today, and some historic examples are considered national treasures. Our Early New England Saltbox is graced with the same beautiful lines found on those classic saltbox homes. The first floor of our saltbox is as spacious and open as our cape and the saltbox roof affords more space on the second floor for larger bedrooms. The Saltbox’s rectangular foundation makes it easy to built and add onto later. The steep roof provides excellent drainage, letting the area’s heavy snowfall slide right off. The central fireplace and low ceilings keep the interior evenly cozy throughout the long, cold winters.
The Saltbox Gives Additional Living Space:
As they became popular in New England, the style also spread to parts of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. In Massachusetts, a famous original saltbox home is still standing as a museum—the birthplace of second U.S. But while this unique style of home began in the colonies, many modern architects have taken inspiration from its design to create new-age homes with the traditional layout.
Homes from the Original Colonies that Still Stand Today
This pragmatic approach to expansion provided additional living space without the need for a complete rebuild. The defining characteristic of the saltbox house is a uniquely distinguishable long-sloped roof on the rear. Typically two to three stories in the front sloping down to one in the back with a pitched roof of unequal sides. The saltbox house has a roof that is short and high in front and long and low in back. These houses, with their practical designs and efficient use of materials, reflect the resourcefulness and adaptability of the early settlers. The sloping roofline, resembling a saltbox container, not only adds visual interest but also serves functional purposes such as snow shedding and water drainage.
Saltbox houses began to incorporate Federal-style details, such as decorative moldings, elaborate doorways, and proportioned windows. Another theory relates the Saltbox house’s design to the widespread use of a lean-to structure that served as an addition to existing houses. The lean-to typically had a sloping roof, which inspired the design of the Saltbox. Discover the fascinating history of the saltbox house, known for its distinctive roofline. Saltbox homes are still popular today, and the style has even been adapted by many new-age architects. Whether you're in the market for a historic, traditional-inspired design or a sleek, angular modern space, the saltbox layout can be used for a variety of different home types.
Common Characteristics of Saltbox Houses
In these houses, the back extension of the roof added extra space on the second floor, accommodating additional bedrooms or storage areas. The unevenly sloped roof (though unintentional) ended up being a godsend to New Englanders who, winter after winter, had their homes buried in heavy snow. The pitch allowed snow to melt more quickly in the sun, and it helped deflect the brutal winds that are common in the region. The Plymouth saltbox was the first to put the door on the front of the home — others almost always had the door on the back. Popular in the early 1700s, the Plymouth style house also has five windows on the exterior. Original hand-riven oak clapboards are still in place on some of the earliest New England saltboxes, such as the Comfort Starr House and Ephraim Hawley House.
The Saltbox house style flourished in Colonial New England and left a lasting architectural legacy. The design spread throughout the region, particularly in states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, where a rich concentration of historic Saltbox houses can still be found today. One theory suggests that the design may have originated from English post-medieval houses.
The framing was often held together using mortise and tenon joints, which allowed for flexibility and ease of construction. The slope of the roof serves an important purpose in areas with heavy snowfall, such as New England. By allowing snow to slide off easily, the roof prevents excessive weight accumulation and reduces the risk of structural damage. Historically, the fireplace was located below the central chimney and heated the whole home from the center out.
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Newer saltbox builds are much easier to purchase in the 21st century—and you'll find that recent designs often take on more modern architecture (both inside and out) than their colonial ancestors. Many colonial homes were designed with a simple layout that left space to build additions. Since the settlers' wealth and family sizes were consistently growing, it was important to have the option to add more space as time went on.
Saltbox houses have two levels in the front and only a single story in the back due to the lower slant of the pitched roof. Early 17th-century saltbox home examples are frequent expansions; subsequent structures were built with the slanted roof and more living areas integrated from the beginning. As saltbox houses come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet. This design choice, however, may have roots deeper than mere functionality or aesthetic appeal.
The sloping roof, with its extended back section, provided a solution to combat the heavy snowfall prevalent in the region. The Saltbox house design was also influenced by Dutch architecture, particularly the “steile” or “stool” roof often seen in houses in the Netherlands. Dutch settlers in New York and New Jersey introduced these roof designs to the colonies, where they were adapted and modified to suit the local conditions.
Saltbox houses are named after saltboxes because they have a similar shape with its sloped roof. The angular roof style of saltbox homes is also commonly referred to as a catslide roof, describing a design in which the roof itself extends below past the home's eaves. This is particularly helpful to ensure proper drainage, allowing melting snow to slide easily off the roof and avoid pooling up at the home's foundation. Colonial saltbox houses were constructed with timber framing due to the cost of metal nails, and typically featured a flat front exterior wall and central chimney. These simple, clean-lined structures were built by early settlers using local timber and post-and-beam construction that limited the need for metal nails, an expensive material at the time.
The saltbox design is not only historically significant, it is also attractive and practical, which is why it's still incorporated into modern architectural projects. Often these newer saltbox homes will use elements of 17th and 18th-century styling, such as clapboard shingles, or multi-paned windows, in keeping with the traditional roots of the saltbox. The saltbox house was fairly popular throughout the New England area, and some that remain have become historically important and are included in the National Register of Historic Places. There are still historic saltbox houses serving as dwellings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and New York. Two American presidents were born and raised in the same saltbox house in Quincy, Massachusetts – John Adams, our second president, and his son, John Quincy Adams, who became our sixth president.
They’re very similar to each other but vary in details and the number of windows. Below are the most common styles of saltbox houses listed in chronological order, so you can see how they evolved over time. This new build in Bridgehampton, New York, designed by architect Sarah Jacoby, demonstrates a contemporary spin on a simple saltbox form.
You won’t be able to support a saltbox with the structural weight since the upper level is longer than the width. Saltbox houses are most commonly found throughout New England, with the highest density being in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Additional examples can be found as far north as Labrador and Newfoundland in Canada. Additionally, the steep slope of the roof allows for better drainage during rainfall, helping to keep the house dry and preventing water damage. The extended back section of the roof provides added protection to the rear of the house, shielding it from wind and rain. It has the lines and form of a modernist house coupled with the environmental efficiencies of a centuries-old vernacular style.
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