After the English drove the Dutch out in 1674, the Dutch influence and Dutch settlers remained.
The roofs of houses were
gambrel, often thatched or shingled, but sometimes the builders used bright red and blue tiles. Often the lower pitch had flaring
eaves (spring or bell cast) extending over a gable roofed porch.
See also Curved Roofs.
As was practical, local materials were used to build houses. Clay tiles and brick were commonly used along the Hudson
River.
Early homes had a single room, typically twenty by twenty, with later additions added to each end in a linear pattern.
Consequently, there were no interior hallways until later houses were built. They were constructed over a cellar that sometimes
served as the kitchen.
The three- or four-storey homes were generally made of stone or brick (New Jersey and the Hudson) or even covered with
shingles. Weatherboards and wood shingles were used on Long Island.
Southern houses were generally one-and-a-half storeys high to regulate the heat. The attic was used for storage
and servants.
Dutch colonial houses sported stoops, which were stone steps raised over the cellar with seating at
the front door. The above picture is a terrible example because I couldn't figure out how to make the stoop in perspective.
Here's an edit, done in Goggle's SketchUp. Hopefully it's a little better, but I had to play with the curved back legs of
the seating. (No, it doesn't look Dutch to me either.)
