Spanish Colonial homes are usually one-level or split-level homes that tend to sprawl out invitingly, often with more intricately carved doors than usable windows. With red-tiled roofs and stucco walls, Spanish Colonial homes offer an exterior facade that has an exotic atmosphere and an interior that is wide and open.

Practical Design
The distinctive thick adobe walls and red-tiled roofs of these dwellings are beautiful, but they have another job: temperature control. The difference in temperature can be felt within a few steps of entering a dwelling of this type.

Styled after palm-thatched homes found in and around Mexico and Spain, with early American Colonial influences, Spanish colonial homes were quite popular in the early 16^th century before their high cost caused them to lose favor to less-expensive homes. The Spanish Colonial Revival style became popular in the early 1900s and has continued to grow in popularity, particularly in areas where heat is an issue. Spanish Colonial designs remain common in coastal vacation areas and tropical locations in the United States, as well as in arid locales such as Arizona and Texas.

Spanish Colonial Villas
While this particular style of dwelling is generally one-story, Spanish Colonial villas or mansions often have two or three levels, along with some type of split-level inclusion. The massive size of a Spanish Xolonial mansion almost always means there will be several exterior courtyards and at least one interior courtyard. You'll also find many intricate doors and doorways, tall, spacious windows, often with wrought-iron grills or bars, tiled or adobe walls with hand-painted patterns and verandas on the upper floors that span the entire length of the house.

Spanish Colonial revival architecture has much in common with dwellings created in the West and Southwest, where Pueblo-styled homes dot the countryside. The Pueblo style can be recognized by the distinct addition of smoothly finished stucco walls and chimneys, low roofs, expansive porches and verandas and rectangular or L-shaped floor plans. To carry the theme throughout, oftentimes decorative wrought iron trim and terracotta pots can be found in both interior and exterior courtyards.

Landscaping
While the larger homes may be several stories tall, the floor plan is generally a large L-shape with plenty of landscaping. Displayed with much flair, doorways leading to and from exterior courtyards are often arched with roofed porches that provide shaded pockets and a respite from the sun.

Courtyards and patios with tiled floors are used as a place for children to play, as well as a place for adults to relax and entertain. Courtyards also act as connecting areas, much like hallways, that keep the flow going from one portion of the house to the next. To keep the atmosphere cool and inviting, fountains and small ponds are often placed strategically in the center of a courtyard.

Interior Floor Plans
If the dwelling is two stories, the sleeping areas are usually placed upstairs. If the dwelling has only one level, the bedrooms will be in the back of the building, away from any noise that might interrupt an afternoon siesta. The L-shaped floor plan is generally wide open, with high ceilings and a variety of tiled floor and wall patterns that overlap and weave into one another from room to room.