The shotgun house is long and narrow. The homes have a one-story front porch, serving as an entry but also creates an important outdoor living space for a small dwelling. The house is one story high, one room wide and several rooms long with the gable end of the roof facing the road. This house has an addition in the rear. The name "shotgun" supposedly come from the theory that if you stand at the front door and shoot a gun straight through the house, the bullet will come out the back door.