Charles Graves House via Wikipedia

Established around the 1700s or so is where you’ll first find the Single House style of architecture coming into existence. It is an adaptation of the Row House and has features which we should discuss.

Climate. The warm and muggy climate called for solutions. Architects built homes that would answer this problem, and in the Single House style, you’ll find these features that speak to that issue.

1. Tall ceilings so the air could circulate more efficiently.

2. More southern or western facing windows as that’s where the direction of the breeze.

3. Piazzas were not found typically on the earlier Single Houses. They appeared later on. This feature provided an answer to the heat that came from the southern facing windows, and it caught the refreshing sea breeze as well.

Lot Size. The lots in Charleston were laid out early, and as they were long and narrow, the style of the Single House was an easy solution. They would typically be built along one edge of a property, leaving a carriageway along the opposite side of a narrow lot. The Single House was built tall and skinny, and the skinny side was always facing the street, which created a pleasing vertically proportioned viewpoint. The windows are also typically tall and skinny, and the whole result is very pleasing to the eye.

Community. Arguably whether the intention was there or not, the Single House design welcomes a warm embrace with the surrounding community. The piazzas, the orientation of the Single House layout on the lot lends a welcoming vibe that comes from this particular type of residential architecture.

Floor Plan. A front door was typically placed on the long side of the house at about halfway along the street facing side. This door would open onto a short central hall with a staircase. There would be one room on each side of the hallway. One would be on the street side, and another would be toward the rear of the house. The result is a building which was only one room wide when viewed from the street, and this was where the famous name came about. Each floor contained two rooms, and the floorplan was duplicated on each upper level.

Variety of Styles. There are quite a variety of styles when it comes to this particular design. They come in 2 – 2 ½ - 3 – 3 ½ - 4 – 4 ½ and the exterior could be brick or wood, and the overall styles could be Victorian or Federal. We think this makes these type of homes unique and special to the owners.

There are a few historic Single Houses which are worth mentioning for those who might like to dive deeper into this type of architecture.

1. The Thomas Legare House, ca 1759. A remarkable case of an early Georgian style Charleston single house adjusted to the thin parcel obtained in 1752. In 1816 an adjacent house was demolished to give space to the walled greenhouse and rich Regency piazzas.

2. The Charles Graves House at 123 Tradd Street, Charleston, South Carolina. A truly classic example of a single house, with its narrow end facing the street, a false front door screen, a piazza, and an actual front door halfway along the longer side of the house.

3. The Ann Peacock House, built ca. 1760. The front portion of this Charleston Single House was built on part of the original lots in the Grand Model of Charles Towne.

4. The Douxsaint House, part of the Grand Model, a Charleston single house of French type construction appears to have been built in the mid-1700s and is one of the two houses in its block that escaped the Great Fire of 1775.

Examples - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_single_house

Also, take a Historic Homes Walk yourself to really get a feel for Charleston.

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