So you’re ready to go retro and shop around for a home that brings back memories of the old neighborhood. If the ‘60s and ‘70s are your style, hop on the nostalgia train and take a closer look at split-level or multi-level house plans.

Who would have thought that the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair would catapult the Prairie Style into prominence? High expectations for fresh, new designs were dashed when European forms dominated. Change was inevitable once a group of architects led by Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright seized the moment and introduced the Prairie Style.

Perhaps the most difficult architectural design to define and describe – because it is an amalgam of several styles – try a mix of Colonial, Colonial Revival, Cape Cod, Ranch, Tudor, and Victorian – the traditional house plan is never boring or dull. Traditional homes display a casual, relaxed, homey, and friendly feel that is pure American.

What’s so fascinating about a colonial style house? With its roots in the 1700s, the “Colonial” exudes the warmth, charm and tradition of early American life. Perhaps the most popular and timeless architectural style in the country, the “Colonial” is the result of the imagination and culture of various European settlers. So, symbolically, it is a depiction of the once-and-future-diversity of America.

With its turrets, gables and ornate trim, the “Victorian” house may be deemed as Bleak House or The House of the Seven Gables as depicted in classic literature. Quite the contrary. Perhaps the most colorful, romantic and vibrant architectural style, the “Victorian” took flight during the reign of Queen Victoria and continues to excite and delight homeowners and architecture fans today.

If you have ever been to Palm Springs, California you will know that this resort town has always been known for its inspirational modern house plans. The town is located about a hundred miles southeast of Los Angeles.

No other house style can be more innately American than the farmhouse. If beauty in its simplicity defines the ranch house, then classic American ingenuity and creativity epitomize the farmhouse.

Today’s Cape Cod house plans are often much more than first meets the eye. Sure, the house designs are steeped in tradition and practicality – that’s what made them so popular for generations. But today’s Cape Cod home plans offer a certain elegance and even modernity in their floor plans design that has homeowners more excited than they have been in decades.

No, it’s not Elvis... but the triangular A-Frame house plan with its striking, dramatic and steep rooflines was taking the country by storm in the 1950s -- and it is finding plenty of fans today in it form as an affordable vacation home or mountain retreat.

So why a one-and-a-half story house? Well, in addition to being visually appealing, the 1 1/2 story house plan allows for a great deal of flexibility at a relatively lower cost if you want to expand your home in the future.