'Shotgun' is a long-established house style in the United States, best known for its narrow structure and linear layout. Dubbed shotgun due to its slender architecture that would theoretically allow a bullet to be fired from one end to the other, these houses are scattered across the country but are most common in southern states, namely New Orleans.
A house style that popped up in the 19th century, shotgun houses were a popular architectural style that was easy to design and construct, a solution to housing shortages during the Civil War. While shotgun houses vary in style, almost all are less than five meters wide, composed of a distinctive wood frame, and are raised slightly above the ground.
