The A-frame house is, indeed, an architectural house style. The style features steep angled sides as the roofline that usually begin at or near the foundation line and meet at the top in the shape of the letter A. The triangle shape of this housing style has been present throughout history, but was more recently popular from the 1950’s to 1970’s.

Structurally speaking an A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight, economical manner. As an example, consider a saw horse which is designed to support a load bigger than itself while still be portable.

The post World War II popularity of the A-frame has been attributed to a combination of factors including American’s extra disposable income, the in-expensiveness of building an A-frame structure, and a new interest in acquiring a second home for vacationing. Given’s today’s renewed interest in mid-century, inspired design and tiny homes it seems a style worth revisiting. At Modern Asheville, we have been collecting images of past and present interpretations on one of our many pinterest boards here. Also, enjoy this collection published from from Dwell here. Enjoy!