- Houses were generally one room deep to hold the weight of the roof
- Little attention to outward display and style
- Asymmetrical arrangements of buildings looking over the courtyard.
- Most people had a shop on the lower level and lived above.
- Many houses were not decorated as most of their money went to the church until the Reformation around 1520.
- Houses were made of timber and mud.
- Wealthy owners had decorative timbers set into the panels, and more timbers in the house were a way to show off their wealth.
- Jetties (the little bit that over hangs over the lower floor) were another way to add space but also show off their wealth.
- Houses made of brick used them to create patterns.
- Decorative chimneys were fitted to show off that they had a a fireplace.
- Wealthy houses were centred on the hall, and one wing would have the private rooms and the other would the kitchen and service rooms.
American to Britain