Gaga for Bungalow / Craftsman / Mission

A Lot Of "Federation Era" or 'Californian Bungalows' here in Australia









Art Deco Society Walking Tour Of the Menora district of The Swan River Colony

If there was any house I could end my days in, it would be a California airplane bungalow along the lines of this one. I just love those. Unfortunately, I, too, live in a stucco box!

MPicciotto said:

Gutters are a PAIN in the behind. Much better to have a ground level gutter and just sweep the leaves occasionally then going up on a ladder to clean them.

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I'm not familiar with ground gutters. Can you illustrate?

This topic got me thinking, and therefore researching. I discovered these architecturally sensitive gutter brackets for homes with exposed rafter tails. Gorgeous!

-Dave

Dave,

I'll try to hunt up some pictures for you later. But I've seen a couple of methods for ground level removal of water. The most expensive/hardest to build are concrete swales or broad shallow "ditches" next to the house and sloped towards drains. So the water cascades off the roof and right into an open "gutter" as in a smaller version of a street gutter/dtich. Others have been river rock or decorative pea gravel over what I assume are French drains. Even though I have gutters on my home I'll be putting down the river rock so that overflowing gutters don't disrupt my mulch in the flower beds. Also keeps mulch (ground up wood) away from the foundation and therefore puts a bit of a barrier between your house and termites.

Don't forget if going for no gutters on the eves to put a shallow V shaped set of boards on your roof above doorways to direct water to either side of the entrance, lest you or your house guest find themselves dashing through a waterfall.

Matt

River rock over French drains would certainly be my choice. Of course, having a gable over every entrance is only good sense as well as good design.

I've always liked this one- in Shepherdstown, WV

Mmmm . . . Nice! Burnt brick, elephant pillars, porte-cochere, the works. It needs better shingles, though.

"Elephant Pillars" is a new term for me. Kind of like "Elephant Bell" pants! The brick is a very Chicago look to my eye, though the lot is perhaps a bit big.

I'm still hoping to find somebody reproducing the old Aladdin designs. I was toying with using a new bungalow design with historic type materials (standing-seam metal roofing, rockfaced block, etc.), but the open floorplans and odd rooflines just leave me a bit cold. Why is it so hard to just follow the old designs??

-Dave

David Conwill said:

I'm still hoping to find somebody reproducing the old Aladdin designs.

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Well, I thought I had found somebody close, but alas, it appears the website has not been updated since early 2010, so they may be another victim of the economy.

It's too bad, too, as The Zinnia, Tulip, Fox Tail, Sage, Magnolia, Elm, and Mount Baker are all pretty convincingly vintage. No high-ceilinged "great rooms" in most of these designs.

Another lead is that the north side of Kalamazoo is now mostly owned by the land bank, and is having a local architect create bungalow infill there. So maybe I can find somebody semi-local who knows how to make new houses look and feel vintage.

-Dave

imoldfashioned said:

Scotrace, did you know that Hometime did a series of shows building your dreamhouse? http://www.hometime.com/Admin/shopsite/dvd_6205.htm They've got study plans and other accessories too. Lots of fun and I love the Minnesotan accents-makes me homesick.

I'm another one who loves Arts and Crafts and particularly bungalows. I've got the full run of American Bungalow magazine--it's one of my prize possessions.

When I was in the market for a house I specifically asked to see bungalows but the style isn't especially popular in Boston. I did see a tiny one that needed to be completely redone for $550k at the height of the real estate madness out here. My dream is to win the lottery and find a cute little bungalow by the ocean in Maine.

Sites I like:

http://www.bungalowcompany.com/
The Warren Hile Studio--I covet his desk; several years ago it retailed for $12k

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Can't believe I didn't gush in reply to this. Thank you!

My hope is to buy a craftsman in the next couple of years. Oakland Ca has many craftsman and Victorians, but the areas might not be the safest. Has anyone visited calbungalow.com?
Mike A

This is my favorite Bungalow! It was for sale last year, just in my price range. Unfortunately two giant problems, first, a one car garage, if that wasn't bad enough, it was attached to the neighbors, two car garage, oh fun! Second, it was on the corner of one of the busiest intersections in town. After i toured it, we were on the front porch, and I literally had to scream at my realtor, not because I was mad at him, it was just that loud. Of course, if it was one block west, ti would be worth at least $100,000 more. Location, Location, Location!

Oldsarge said:

In SoCal, we are rather the heart of the Arts and Crafts bungalow country. Should you come down for a visit, don't forget to spend some time driving around Pasadena and Bixby Knolls (Long Beach). And you absolutely must visit the Gamble House.

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I went right through that house with my (late) American/Aussie war bride cuz back in the 80s. I still have some Greene and Greene posters somewhere. The joinery was outstanding as you expect with the A&C style. My son was in Scottsdale a couple of years ago and I got him to go out to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West. He even brought me a pebble back from it.

Sorry, deleting double post

A little more than a year ago we bought a tried 1963 ranch on the top of a hill that overlooks a peaceful valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwestern Virginia. The house had fire damage, as the previous owner was not pleased that he was losing it to the bank. The house had set empty for more than a year. After we closed on the property started the slow, but steady, transformation into a Craftsman style Bungalow. After two twenty-yard dumpsters we had the house completely gutted to the studs. Next we had a 200 amp buried service installed with the meter box going through the foundation so as not to interfere with the future shake siding of the home. I also had a spare buried conduit run at the same time for future telephone and possible cable needs. We had the postage stamp size 8’ square front porch taken off, and a new porch that is 10’ deep on the right, and 12’ deep as you face the house, the length being 38’. Since we were squaring off the house so as to be able to have a roof with a clean rake from the ridge to the edge, we were able to close off the old back door and added an 8’ by 20’ back porch. The old roof was torn off as the massive by comparison new roof went on. I searched and found some 100-year-old imported English Craftsman glass for the house. First I found 8 wonderful rectangular windows with green and amber glass. These I had paired in groups of two, which will be used in the rear of the house as static widows above Prairie style double hung windows in the bedrooms and kitchen. As the bathroom faces on the front of the house, I found two square widows windows with privacy glass that I had made into a double hung window. Next came along a large rectangular window with a heart in the centre that has been installed in the front living room wall next to the Prairie style French door. Lord willing, there will be a matching French door installed on the far end of the porch in shortly. I am waiting the arrival of 4 more 20” square heart windows that complement the living room heart window. I got these from the same dealer, and it is evident that they came from the same house. These are going to be made into 2 double hung windows and placed in the living room and dining room walls. This will make for 15 pieces of 100-year-old English Craftsman glass so far. There is still a long list of things to do, but we love being there to work on the place. I will post updates from time to time when I can. In the end we will be like the old Guy Lombardo song “The Folks that live on the Hill.”
[video=youtube;8d3tblPYAoI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d3tblPYAoI[/video]

Sorry, see above. It could not get the pictures of the windows to post!

Here is one of the four 20' by 20' the windows that will be made into two double hung windows for living & dining rooms

Hi Tom,
Long time, no chat. Were you ever able to acquire this nice little Craftsman? And if so, does it have enough room for your fleet of cars?

AtomicEraTom said:

This is the fixer-upper I'm trying to get my hands on right now.

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