A-Frame House: Everything You Need to Know About the Quintessential Vacation Property

A-frames are ideal for cold climates because “their steeply pitched roofs prevent snow from collecting,” says Hammer. Daly, who’s based in Lake Tahoe, California, has experienced this advantage first-hand. “A-frames are uniquely positioned to weather snow and rain better than many other house styles because the roof does nothing but shed the precipitation,” she confirms. “In March of last year, the region saw over eight feet of very dry snowfall, nearly all of which piled up on rooftops. The steeply sloped A-frames fared far better than their more traditional counterparts.”
But Daly’s favorite aspect of A-frame houses is their iconic charm. “I posit that no other architectural style is as playful, quaint, and instantly recognizable—all at once—as the A-frame,” she muses. “Many people probably couldn’t tell a Tudor home from a Neoclassical one, but they could point out an A-frame by name, and may even have fond memories of vacationing in one as a child.”
What are the disadvantages of A-frame homes?
The sloped walls that define the A-frame silhouette are also the architectural style’s biggest downside, causing wasted living space. “You can’t put much furniture at the outer corners, nor can you walk there, so those areas tend to be underutilized,” shares Daly. “This can lead to the interiors feeling cramped—everything’s pushed to the center of the room—which is then exacerbated by limited natural light. Opportunities to hang art are limited too.”
Storage is also a challenge, so A-frame dwellers like Hammer must get creative with making room for their belongings. “This means finding ways to use some of the compact corners, for example,” they say. “For me, also making use of the tall vertical surfaces has been crucial since the footprint of the A-frame is quite small.”
Todd notes the difficulty of temperature regulation in A-frame houses, even though they tend to be energy-efficient due to their compact size. “Because of their open framework assembly—meaning there’s no roof cavity—there’s often not enough insulation to regulate between temperature extremes, which means it can be very cold and very hot,” Todd explains. Hammer agrees, adding that “heat rises, so the upper levels are especially warm during the summer months. It would be best to place cooling systems on the upper levels, if possible, since cool air sinks naturally.”
Why are A-frame houses often vacation homes?
As previously mentioned, many A-frame houses were built as vacation homes rather than primary residences in the mid-20th century, so the architectural style has “retained that association in our minds as the archetypal weekender home,” says Daly. “From a modern perspective, they’re not nearly as practical for full-time living for the typical family. Unless you crave the whimsy and uniqueness of the style itself, they just don’t make as much sense as a traditional square-walled home. Storage, head height, and floor space are all challenges presented by A-frames that might become a real point of contention over the long term.” For shorter getaways, however, A-frames can be ideal. Their tiny-house vibes feel like an escape from reality, which is why you can often find them on Airbnb and other rental sites.
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