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Casa montañesa is a form oftraditional construction of La Montaña in the communities ofCantabria, east ofAsturias and northernCastile and León in northernSpain. It should not be confused with casona montañesa, which differs due to its grander style and incorporation of other features.
This housing style developed from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries and becoming widely seen by the end of the nineteenth century, when it was popularized by the Spanish architect Leonardo Rucabado. It was widely seen across Cantabria.[citation needed]
This type of traditional country house is the most characteristic of Cantabria. It highlights the south façade, open to the sun, with the other walls made of thick roughmasonry. The corners are usually ofashlars with re-enclosure at all thespans. The entrance is through a gate of one or two arcs, sufficient to allow passage of a cart into an entryway, leading to the kitchen (although in some houses the kitchen is on the upper level), stables, wine cellar, pantry and stairs to the upper floor. In some areas, there are passageways to enter the upper floor from the outside.
The upper floor contains the bedrooms, two of which face the balcony. The interior walls originally are usually made of wood, although in recent times have been replaced by brick.
The sun area is the most typical element of this construction. It is abalcony run with woodrail protected from wind and rain by the overhanging roof and the projecting sidewalls.
The walls are usually topped by woodentrim pieces rough but of classic profiles, serving to supportbeams of the edge as securing thecanes that form theoverhang. The wood is usually painted dark brown.
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