This home style is named for its mansard roof, which appears to extend down over the entire second story of the house, broken up by small windows. Mansard houses are usually square. These elegant brick houses resemble small French castles, with the entry through a two-story tower complete with a tiny balcony. A steeply pitched roof is common, often accented with flared eaves. It features a flat or shallow-pitched roof with broad overhangs, bands of casement windows and decorative banding along the exterior walls.
Stained glass is a popular accent, often with a simple, geometric pattern.
Most popular in the Southwest desert, these distinctive adobe and stucco houses resemble Indian pueblos. Common accents include rounded edges on exterior walls, a flat roof and rustic support beams that extend through the walls. The homes are typically earth-colored. Common features include a round turret, wrap-around porch with gazebo, bay window and gables. The exterior emphasis is on horizontal bands of varying textures and materials.