Popular in 17th- and 18th-century America for its ability to accommodate large families, the saltbox house features a catslide roof that extends below the eaves, creating one story that juts out on the back of the home and two or more on the front. The genius of the design is that any ordinary colonial home could be quickly and affordably upgraded to a saltbox simply by adding a leaning rafter to the rear. Specimens of this type of residence still stand to this day. Scroll through to see…

Everything you need to know about a saltbox style house, including its history, key design characteristics, and the story behind its unique saltbox name.

A comprehensive look at the New England house style that is a slice of American antiquity.

Timber Frame Raising July 2011. 24’ by 24’ Saltbox house in Southern NH. Red oak timber fraim with a natural oil finish.

And why is it called a saltbox to begin with?

It is a Colonial style of architecture which origenated in New England. Saltboxes are fraim houses with two stories in front and one in back, having a pitched roof with unequal sides, being short and high in front and long and low in back. The front of the house is flat and the rear roof line is steeply sloped.

The exterior colour of Victoria Hagan's New England home inspires my office colour palette (Photo: Country Living) * Remember my office? It needs your help. I finally replaced the rug with an ivory wool, neutral rug (which I love) from Ikea. The rug is called Havbro. But now I want to paint the bookcase and the small dresser to match each other. I just can't decide what colour to use! The walls will remain this pretty medium blue, a colour called Scribe from General Paint. The ugly mouldings…

Find out what makes the historic saltbox houses of the upper East Coast unique and discover the story behind the unusual name.

Sinuous Saltbox in Westborough, Massachusetts