Cape Cod house design with AI

Cape Cod House Design: See Your House as a Cape

A Cape Cod house is easy to recognise and hard to picture on your own house: a steep side-gabled roof that holds a half-storey, a front that is usually symmetrical, dormers that light the upper rooms, a chimney near the middle and cedar shingles or white clapboard on the walls. Upload a photo of your house in the editor below, then describe the Cape details you want in one or two sentences: the dormers, the siding, the shutters, the entrance. ArchitecturesAI draws an idea picture of the same view. The picture is not to scale and does not know your roof frame, your site or your local rules, and it is not a plan or a quote.

Try a Cape Cod look on your house photo

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Front of a one-and-a-half storey house with white vinyl siding, a steep grey roof with a front-facing gable and a chimney, a centred white door with a white-framed window on each side, a lawn and a concrete path — Both images are AI-generated with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo of a house; it is not a real house. We ran this one once. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the roof and the siding: add two gable dormers with white-framed windows on the front roof slope, one on each side of the chimney, and replace the white vinyl siding with weathered grey cedar shingles with white corner trim. Keep the steep roof, the chimney, the front door, the windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: two small gable dormers with white-framed windows now sit on the front roof either side of the chimney, the walls are covered in grey shingles with white trim, and the steep roof, the chimney, the door, the windows, the lawn and the path stayed. What differs from the prompt: the shingles also cover the front gable, which we did not ask for, and they look patchy and weathered rather than neat. The dormers sit close to the ridge.

The same house with grey weathered cedar shingles on the walls and on the front gable, two small gable dormers with white-framed windows on the roof either side of the chimney, and the same door, windows, lawn and path — Both images are AI-generated with our own image model. The "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo of a house; it is not a real house. We ran this one once. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the roof and the siding: add two gable dormers with white-framed windows on the front roof slope, one on each side of the chimney, and replace the white vinyl siding with weathered grey cedar shingles with white corner trim. Keep the steep roof, the chimney, the front door, the windows, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: two small gable dormers with white-framed windows now sit on the front roof either side of the chimney, the walls are covered in grey shingles with white trim, and the steep roof, the chimney, the door, the windows, the lawn and the path stayed. What differs from the prompt: the shingles also cover the front gable, which we did not ask for, and they look patchy and weathered rather than neat. The dormers sit close to the ridge.

What makes a house a Cape Cod

The Cape Cod style comes from small New England homes, and the same few features show up in almost every example. The roof is steep and gabled at the sides, which keeps the upper floor inside the roof and sheds snow. The front is usually symmetrical, with a centred door and windows on each side, though a half Cape has the door off to one side with two windows on the other. Dormers, either gable or shed, add light and headroom to the upper rooms, and a chimney often sits near the centre. Walls are traditionally cedar shingles left to weather grey, or white clapboard, with shutters on the windows.

Newer versions keep the shape and change the details. Published modern Capes add a bay window by an off-centre door, darker siding, a covered porch or portico and a darker roof for contrast. This page is about the form and the details above. Paint colours and exterior colour schemes are a different job and are not covered here.

How to see your house as a Cape Cod with ArchitecturesAI

In the editor above, the mode is Render Architecture and the type is Residential. This mode has no prompt box: you start from a photo.
Under Select Image, upload a JPG or PNG of the front of the house. Use a level, daylight photo with the whole roof in frame and as little clutter as possible.
Pick the Style closest to the look you want and click Generate. Traditional is the nearest choice in the list, because there is no Cape Cod style in it, so the Cape details come from the next step. Free accounts can only use Low quality (Medium and High are marked PRO). Sign in with Google or email when asked.
To add the Cape details, click Edit Image on the result (the box is called Edit Instructions) or use Custom Action, and describe them in a sentence or two: the dormers (gable, shed, how many), the siding (cedar shingles or white clapboard), shutters, a portico or porch, and what must stay the same. Each edit is another render and uses credits. Run it a few times, since every result differs.
The three examples on this page ran directly on our image model, starting from an image, with the written instructions shown. They did not go through the editor above, so your own results will differ.

Try a Cape Cod look on your house photo

Details to ask for

Things to say, because they decide whether the result looks like a Cape or just a house with a steep roof:

A steep side-gabled roof, with gable ends rather than hipped ends.
Two or three gable dormers across the front slope, or one wider shed dormer at the back for more room.
Weathered cedar shingles or white clapboard on the walls.
A centred front door with a window on each side, shutters and a small gabled portico on columns.
A central chimney on the ridge.

Restyling a different house as a Cape

The second example starts from a low brick ranch and asks for a full Cape rebuild. The third only adds an entrance and trim to a small cottage. Compare them with what you asked for: the model follows the dormers, siding and shutters well, and the roof form less well.

Front of an ordinary single-storey ranch house with tan brick walls, a low-pitched grey hipped roof, a white front door in the middle, a window on each side, shrubs along the base, a lawn and a concrete path — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model; the "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo of a house, not a real house. We ran this one once. Edit prompt used: "Rebuild this house as a Cape Cod house: a steep side-gabled roof with gable ends instead of the low hipped roof, two gable dormers with white-framed windows on the front roof, a central brick chimney, white clapboard siding instead of the brick, black shutters beside each window. Keep the footprint, the centered front door, the window positions, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the roof is much steeper and carries two gable dormers and a brick chimney, the brick walls became white clapboard, black shutters appeared beside both windows, and the door, the window positions, the lawn and the path stayed. What differs from the prompt: the ends of the roof still slope away (hipped) instead of ending in gables, a panel of brick stayed around the front door, and the house looks taller than one and a half storeys. Turning a low ranch into a real Cape means a new roof frame; the picture shows none of that.

The same house with a much steeper grey roof, two gable dormers with white-framed windows, a brick chimney on the ridge, white clapboard siding either side of a brick panel around the white front door, and black shutters on the two windows; the lawn and path unchanged — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model; the "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo of a house, not a real house. We ran this one once. Edit prompt used: "Rebuild this house as a Cape Cod house: a steep side-gabled roof with gable ends instead of the low hipped roof, two gable dormers with white-framed windows on the front roof, a central brick chimney, white clapboard siding instead of the brick, black shutters beside each window. Keep the footprint, the centered front door, the window positions, the lawn, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: the roof is much steeper and carries two gable dormers and a brick chimney, the brick walls became white clapboard, black shutters appeared beside both windows, and the door, the window positions, the lawn and the path stayed. What differs from the prompt: the ends of the roof still slope away (hipped) instead of ending in gables, a panel of brick stayed around the front door, and the house looks taller than one and a half storeys. Turning a low ranch into a real Cape means a new roof frame; the picture shows none of that.

Front of a small cream clapboard house with a dark steep roof and two front-facing gables, a pale front door on a bare concrete step, a window on each side, a lawn and a concrete path — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model; the "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo, not a real house. It is a small cottage with front gables, so it is only a loose Cape. We ran this one once. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the entrance and the trim: add a small gabled portico with two white columns over the front door, add dark green shutters beside the windows, and add a low white picket fence along the front of the lawn. Keep the roof, the cream siding, the door position, the windows, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: a small gabled portico on two white columns now covers the door, dark green shutters sit beside both windows, and the roof, the cream siding, the door position, the windows and the path stayed. What differs from the prompt: the fence runs tight along the base of the wall like a low lattice instead of across the front of the lawn, and the portico roof merges into the gable above it.

The same house with a small gabled portico on two white round columns over the front door, dark green shutters beside both windows and a low white picket fence along the foot of the front wall; roof, siding, windows and path unchanged — An AI-generated pair made with our own image model; the "before" is an AI-drawn stand-in for a photo, not a real house. It is a small cottage with front gables, so it is only a loose Cape. We ran this one once. Edit prompt used: "Change ONLY the entrance and the trim: add a small gabled portico with two white columns over the front door, add dark green shutters beside the windows, and add a low white picket fence along the front of the lawn. Keep the roof, the cream siding, the door position, the windows, the path and the camera angle exactly the same." What followed it: a small gabled portico on two white columns now covers the door, dark green shutters sit beside both windows, and the roof, the cream siding, the door position, the windows and the path stayed. What differs from the prompt: the fence runs tight along the base of the wall like a low lattice instead of across the front of the lawn, and the portico roof merges into the gable above it.

What the AI keeps and what it may change

Use this as a checklist when you compare a result with your own photo.

Usually kept: the camera angle, the lawn, the path, the position of the door and the windows.
Often only partly done: the roof form (the ranch example kept sloping hipped ends) and the exact material (the shingles came out patchy).
Often added without being asked: shingles on the gable, a brick panel left around the door, an extra fence or a lamp.
Always missing: the roof frame behind a dormer, insulation, flashing where a dormer meets the roof, and the stair to the upper floor.
Never produced: dimensions, structural details or anything a builder or a permit office can use.

Before you plan a real Cape Cod conversion

Adding dormers or raising a low roof cuts into the roof structure, so it needs a frame designed to carry it, weatherproofing where the new parts meet the old roof, and usually new insulation and a way to reach the upper floor. Published guides on Cape dormers say gable dormers keep the original character, while a large shed dormer can overwhelm the roofline, which is why many owners put it on the rear. Local planning rules on height and roof changes vary, especially on historic houses. Use the picture to decide what you like and to explain it to a builder or an architect, who gives you the real options. For a dormer on its own, see our AI dormer design page.

AI picture, a builder or an architect?

ArchitecturesAI. Upload a photo, describe the Cape details, get a picture in minutes. Good for comparing dormers and siding; not to scale and not a design for approval.
A builder or a roofer. Knows what a Cape-style roof would involve on your house and quotes the work, but takes a visit and a wait.
An architect and a structural engineer. Drawings, roof frame and a permit. Needed before any change to the roof.

Free tier and plans

You need a free account to render. New accounts get 2 free renders, and free renders carry a watermark. In India this site does not include free renders, so a paid plan is needed there. Weekly, monthly and yearly plans for more renders without the watermark are on the pricing page.

The houses on this page are AI-drawn stand-ins, not photos of real houses. The examples were run directly on the model, not through the tool above, so your own render may look different. Each example was run once.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Cape Cod house?

A compact house with a steep side-gabled roof that holds a half-storey, a usually symmetrical front with a centred door, dormers for the upper rooms, a central chimney and cedar shingle or clapboard walls. A half Cape has the door off to one side.

Can AI show my house as a Cape Cod?

It can draw an idea picture. Upload a photo in Render Architecture mode, then describe the Cape details with Edit Image or Custom Action. It keeps the camera and much of the house and adds dormers, siding and trim, but it does not always change the roof form.

Is there a text box in the editor?

The prompt box exists only in Architecture Generator mode. The editor above opens in Render Architecture, where you upload a photo and change it afterwards with Edit Image (Edit Instructions) or Custom Action.

Is there a Cape Cod style in the style list?

No. Pick the closest style, such as Traditional, then ask for the Cape details in your edit instructions: steep side-gabled roof, dormers, shingles or clapboard, shutters and a portico.

Will the picture show if my roof can take dormers?

No. Whether your roof frame, insulation and local rules allow dormers is a question for a builder, an architect or your planning office. The picture shows none of it.

Does this page change my exterior colours?

It is about the Cape shape and details, not paint schemes. You can still mention a siding colour in your instructions, but the results are not a colour-matching tool.

Is it free to try?

Yes. After you sign in, a new account gets 2 free renders with a watermark, in Low quality. In India this site does not include free renders. Paid weekly, monthly and yearly plans are listed on the pricing page.

See the Cape Cod look on your house before you commit to it

Upload a photo, describe the dormers and siding, and compare a few versions. Your first 2 renders on a free account are on us.

Try a Cape Cod look on your house photo