The traditional Saban cottage is one story in height and made of timber-framed construction on a stone foundation. The exterior walls are covered with white rectangular wooden shingles. Sash-windows are provided with storm shutters that are generally painted green and white. Shingled roofs are painted red, but through the years many dwellings have replaced their original wooden shingles with galvanised roofing sheets. The typical 35 degree pitch of the roofs prevents leakage through the shingles. Also, the customary mortise and tenor joints form rigid connections between up-rights, roof beams, creep-in rafters, and corner-braces. These firm structural conjunctions withstand strong forces, including winds caused by the yearly tropical storms and hurricanes.

The building styles and features have been somewhat influenced by the degree of prosperity of the owner. Many men in Saban history took to the seafaring life. From their journeys, they brought home new materials and new ideas from faraway countries. The first European settlers who came to the Caribbean brought building methods from their home countries. On Saba, the predominant influence is that of the British. The similarities include wood building techniques, materials, shape, ground plan, and roof. English inspiration can still be seen through the present Saban architecture as well as heard through the English language that is spoken throughout the island.

In the old days, most Saban houses had a fire hearth equipped with a brick chimney. The wealthier people also had a brick oven. All cooking was done on wood fires until kerosene stoves and refrigerators were introduced in the late 1950s. Today, some of these old kitchens have still been preserved. In these cases, the roof is usually hipped on one side with a gable end on the side of the stone fireplace with its traditional chimney.

In the past, almost all building materials had to be imported because there was a low supply of local timber and wood was brought in by ship. Due to the lack of docking facilities, the lumber would be thrown overboard near Fort Bay, rowed ashore and carried up to the villages by donkey or manpower. Lumber for Hell's Gate was towed by rowboat all the way to Cove Bay where it was then carried up to the village. It is believed that the Hell's Gate houses may be more rot and insect resistant since the lumber was soaked in the salt water for almost half a day.

Small private graveyards are commonly found in the Saban gardens. The first European settlers adopted this tradition from the early Indian inhabitants that they met upon their arrival to the island.

There is no running water on Saba so residents must gather rainwater in stone cisterns. Some of the cisterns have a collecting basin while others are filled through roof gutters. Water conservation is extremely important on Saba and local people rely on the rainfall for a regular water supply. Saba has changed over the years, but the different origins and cultural influences of the first settlers have made it what it is today. The cultural and architectural identity has been derived from a very mottled and diverse past with significant contributions originating from many other parts of the world.