Stone quoin-like projections and voussoirs are common around door and window openings. Windows are usually casement or double hung, with diamond shape quarrels often used as a design element. This revival style reflects a number of architectural features that first gained popularity in America in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Colonial Revival houses typically have symmetrical facades and floor plans. Porticos are used to emphasize the front entrance, and usually feature pilasters or supporting columns.
Entries often have distinctive sidelights and fanlights, and decorative door crowns and pediments.
Double hung windows with multiple panes are standard, with their placement typically reflecting a balanced design. Common exterior materials include brick, stucco, and weatherboard. Side gabled and hipped roofs are typical on Colonial Revival residences, and often include a series of dormers or one continuous shed dormer. Historic roofing materials were usually slate or wood shingles. Gambrel roofs, with either a full or partial second story, are a defining architectural feature.