Quaint. Traditional. Charming. Regardless of when or by whom they’re written, most articles and books about Abaco include these adjectives. The charm and character of Abaco’s traditional island homes clearly form a significant part of the area’s appeal.
Sadly, among the hundreds of Abaco buildings destroyed by Hurricane Dorian were many traditional island homes. And as Abaco continues to recover and new homes are built, it’s important — both for aesthetic and economic reasons — that we do our best to protect Abaco’s traditional charm.
Thanks to Mara Rempel, a former Texas A&M Architecture student, those who wish to preserve and incorporate island tradition into their Abaco homes have a wonderful guide.
In 1997, Ms. Rempel undertook a professional architectural study of the town of New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay as her master’s thesis.
After studying New Plymouth’s historic structures, she identified the most common styles of traditional island homes and noted the historically significant design elements of each. From there, she assembled a set of guidelines designed to help New Plymouth protect its historical character.
Though Ms. Rempel’s study centered around New Plymouth, the architectural styles she identified are similar to those found throughout Abaco. As such, her recommendations are equally useful throughout the region.
Tom and I have found her recommendations helpful as we’ve worked to repair Fish Hooks Cottage, and we thought they might be of help for others who are repairing, restoring or rebuilding.
Styles of Island Homes
Essentially, Ms. Rempel’s report identified three styles of traditional island homes:
1. The Hall and Parlour
The hall-and-parlour style was common in early-modern to 19th century England and in colonial North America. Essentially, these were small houses two rooms wide and one room deep.
The “hall” typically served as the center of family activity, while the “parlor” was used as a bedroom.
Often, a stairway led to a loft or attic, which could be finished and retrofitted with dormers or end windows to create additional living space as the family grew.
2. The Extended Hall and Parlour (aka The Cape Cod)
From the Hall-and-Parlour style evolved the Cape Cod, a low, broad, single-story structure with a moderately-steep-pitched gabled roof and very little ornamentation.
Originating in New England in the 17th century, this simple, symmetrical design features a central front door flanked by windows. Though it was often unfinished, the space above the first floor sometimes featured dormers and/or windows on the gable ends.
3. The Palmdale
Palmdale homes are more complex, often created from concrete blocks, with angles defined by decorative quoins. Unlike the hall and parlour or Cape Cod structures, Palmdale homes often have asymmetrical facades and porches. They may be two or three stories.
(As an aside, I can’t help but notice the “Palmdale” style closely resembles many of the houses in Nassau’s Palmdale area, which was home to many former Abaconians during the mid- to late-1900s. I wonder whether the neighbourhood took its name from the style, or the style from the neighbourhood?)
Mara Rempel’s Tips for Preserving the Historic Look and Feel of Island Homes
Whether you’re restoring an existing home or starting from scratch, here are some common features of traditional island homes, noted in Ms. Rempel’s report, that could be utilized to help maintain Abaco’s quaintness and charm.
Building Materials
Hall and Parlour and Cape Cod homes traditionally had wooden walls with horizontal lap siding, with widths ranging from 4″-13” and averaging about 6”. (The widest siding was found in the older homes, not surprising given that they were likely built with first-growth Abaco pines, which were of much greater circumference than those harvested today.)
Palmdale style homes were most often crafted of concrete and stucco siding.
Originally, Rempel’s report says, the roofs of island homes would have been covered with wood shingles. However, she notes that by the time of her study, most roofs observed had been redone with asphalt shingles.
Scale
Particularly in the small, historic settlements, Rempel’s report reinforces the importance of scale. The average island home observed during her study ranged between 1.5 (one story plus attic) and 2.5 stories (2 stories plus attic.)
Foundations
Most of the traditional island homes Rempel studied rested on raised piers, often made of stone. Presumably, this would have protected houses against flooding, and — by allowing air to circulate beneath — kept them cooler in the days prior to electricity and air conditioning.
Many raised foundations were enclosed, generally with painted wood lattice.
Rempel notes that newer buildings, such as Palmdale-style houses, had slab-on-grade foundations.
Roofs and Dormers
Typically, the houses studied had simple, moderately pitched (7:12-12:12) gable roofs. To increase attic space, dormers were often used.
Palmdale homes also had gabled roofs, but often in more elaborate configurations.
Porches and Railings
Ms. Rempel’s study indicates that open porches are a common feature of traditional island homes.
Again, I suspect this was a practical choice to keep homes cooler. Not only would a porch provide a covered area in which to enjoy a tropical breeze, but the shade would reduce the amount of direct sunlight coming through the windows.
According to Rempel’s study, the majority of porches on traditional, wooden island homes spanned the entire front façade of the house.
Palmdale homes often had asymmetrical, concrete-block front and side porches, with low railings that typically include decorative blocks or voids.
When it comes to porches and railings, Ms. Rempel recommends avoiding the use of non-historic materials such as unpainted lumber, or wrought iron or other metals.
Paint and Colour Schemes
Traditionally, says Ms. Rempel, island homes were painted white, with an accent colour, often a pastel, used for shutters, doors and trim. According to her study, “Elaborate colour schemes using more than two colors are not historically associated with this area.”
More recently, as in the example of Cap’n Sam’s cottage below, homeowners are choosing pastels as their base colour and using white for trim.
Shutters
Commonly used on both windows and doors in traditional Abaco homes, shutters contribute to a building’s character while providing security and protection from the weather.
Ms. Rempel’s report notes two main styles of shutters — an awning variety, and, more commonly, a middle-split, side-hinge style.
In the latter type, the shutter exterior was often plain and painted to match the trim color, while the interior had two sunken panels and was painted with both the trim and base colour (as with Miss Sybil’s Cottage, pictured at the top of this post.)
Solid shutters are more historically accurate, according to Ms. Rempel, than louvered shutters.
Doors and Windows
When you’re restoring an island home, Ms. Rempel’s report advises against changing the position, size or function of the original doors and windows. It recommends against using aluminum doors, as they are not historically appropriate.
Windows in the island homes Rempel observed were of two types. Vertically proportioned, double-hung windows were most commonly found in wooden structures, while Palmdale-style homes often featured jalousie windows, either alone or combined with square glass windows to form picture windows.
Fences and Walls
The majority of fences Rempel observed in her study were low and fairly transparent, seemingly used to delineate spaces rather than provide any degree of privacy. Fences were constructed of painted wood pickets or decorative concrete blocks, with some solid concrete block walls, particularly with Palmdale homes.
Rempel advises that since a fence is an extension of the home, it should reflect the home’s character and style.
Detail and Ornamentation
Most island homes observed in Rempel’s study incorporated only simple ornamentation such as the use of quoins on Palmdale homes, or scalloped frieze board applied to Cape-Cod-style structures.
In keeping with tradition, Rempel advises against adding non-traditional or excessive ornamentation.
Based on her study, Ms. Rempel’s report summarizes: “The historical character of the town is a draw for tourists, and … there is a critical tie between the community’s character and its economy. Therefore, it should be preserved to the greatest possible extent.”
Of course, practicality, budget and availability of building supplies will always play a role in decisions related to repairs and rebuilding.
Tom and I certainly struggled to balance history and character with cost and practicality when repairing our own house, Fish Hooks Cottage.
After much thought, we did make some modern, practical choices. For reasons of durability, maintenance, availability and budget, we chose fiber cement siding and vinyl plank flooring. And while my ancestors could only have dreamed of doing so, we insulated and air conditioned the entire house.
That being said, we know how important it is to maintain Abaco’s charm, and we’ve worked to maintain a tradition island look and feel.
The siding we chose has a wood-grain pattern to mimic traditional siding, and we opted for wooden shutters (the middle-split, side-hinge style) on the windows and doors. We selected historically accurate colours (white as a base, and navy blue as trim) and of course, we’re rebuilding our charming white picket fence.
More than a decade ago, long before we even finalized the purchase of Fish Hooks, Tom and I borrowed a copy of Mara Rempel’s entire report and photographed it.
Ms. Rempel has given me permission to share these photos, so if you’d like a copy of her report, get in touch and I’d be happy to email it to you.
