Architectural Styles

We've all heard the old adage "A man's home is his castle." But what makes a home a "mansion" ? I saw this term used on the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's website as an architectural style for a particular home I was researching.

I started to wonder what the criteria was that professionals use to actually classify a home as a "mansion." Is it a style, is it size, is it the number of bathrooms and bedrooms? A quick inquiry to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser and now I know. In Hillsborough County, Florida (at least), a home is considered a mansion if it has over 10,000 square feet of heated living space.

There are LOTS of different architectural styles.

• We've all seen the cute bungalows in St. Petersburg.

• How about the ranch house with the requisite picture window?

• And we all know a Victorian when we see one.

But there are many other housing styles - some are prevalent only in certain regions of the United States. Click here for a quick guide to architectural styles.

Peggy Edwards, Realtor®

Tampa, Florida

(813) 787-2923