I've been searching for a definition of "bungalow" that allows me to differentiate between bunglaows and non-bungalows. So far, I've only been able to establish that a bunglaow is a relatively small one to one and one-half story house with a porch, that should have an interior arrangement that groups the rooms around (?) a living area. Surely every house that fits this definition isn't a bunglaow. What's the difference between a bungalow and a cottage? What are the defining characteristics of a bungalow, other that the ones mentioned here. Please don't refer me back to the definition on this Web site--its worthless. Thanks in advance. <br> <br>

Isn't there also an important historical context to the way "bungalow" usually gets used? It was a design that originated and was popular from the turn of the century through the 1930's. Bungalows usually have a certain amount of Arts and Crafts influence, even if they aren't craftsman-style bungalows in the strict sense. A chicago bungalow or tudor-revival bungalow, to me, still has obvious A&amp;C elements that define its bungalow-ness. My own house is a Chicago-influenced half-brick craftsman hybrid kind of a thing. <br> <br>Now, not every house built during this era is a bungalows, but as I see it virtually none built outside this era are bungalows, with the exception of the fairly recent phenomenon of new bungalows. And these are specialized, very intentional revivals of the early 20th century designs. So a 1940's or 1950's or 2000 house that happens to be 1.5 stories, have a porch, and has some kind of built-in isn't going to be a bungalow. <br> <br>

Good point. While there may have been some true bungalows built into the 40's by the 50's attitudes, materials, and needs had changed and the niche bungalows had filled, affordable housing, was replaced by ranch houses in the suburbs. A lot of things changed after WWII, like lot sizes, transportation, mobility that just made bungalows obsolete. While they were "modern" in 1900, by the 50's people wanted to be part of the space age. My parents bought a brand new, solidly built house with oak floors in 1954, but it was a ranch house in a development on the edge of town, not a bungalow. <br> <br>

With bungalows it's a case of I can't define one, but I know one when I see one. <br> <br>Part of the problem is that there are different kinds of bungalows, and "bungalow" in Pasadena, CA doesn't mean the same a "bungalow" in Chicago. <br> <br>Bungalows are either one or one and a half stories, though some of the grander ones do push the upper half story limit. They usually have an open floor plan for the public rooms with the entry running right into the living room running into the dining room. They usually don't have the left/right symmetry of a colonial style house. <br> <br>Other features such as low pitched roofs, brackets under the eaves, built in cabinets, wide interior wood work, wide front porches, and a fire place along an outside wall of the living room are found in many bungalows, but not all. Of course, many of these features are also found in other homes of the same period such as four squares, which however nice they are most people agree are not bungalows. <br> <br>I could draw up a plan for a house, and most people on this forum would agree "Yep, that's a bungalow". I could then draw up a completely different plan and it would still be a bungalow. In some ways, "Bungalowness" is more a feeling and a design philosophy rather than a set of arbitrary criteria. <br> <br>&gt;I've been searching for a definition of "bungalow" that allows me to differentiate between bunglaows and non-bungalows. So far, I've only been able to establish that a bunglaow is a relatively small one to one and one-half story house with a porch, that should have an interior arrangement that groups the rooms around (?) a living area. Surely every house that fits this definition isn't a bunglaow. What's the difference between a bungalow and a cottage? What are the defining characteristics of a bungalow, other that the ones mentioned here. Please don't refer me back to the definition on this Web site--its worthless. Thanks in advance. <br> <br> <br>

Other things I've read have talked more specifically about the bungalow floor plan as being front-to-back rather than side-to-side. In a bungalow, you'd enter the house into a large room (although of course there may be a small entrance foyer), and then there would be other rooms behind it, like a dining room and kitchen. In a cape, by contrast, you'd enter into a center stair hall with rooms on either side. The bungalow plan is more space-efficient with more living space on the first floor--a major feature of bungalow life. <br> <br>

Some of the characteristics that most all bungalows share are: <br>low pitched gable roof <br>wide, overhanging eaves <br>rafter ends (raftertails) exposed, no facia boards to cover them <br>joist beams protruding from the walls, often with decorative braces or brackets attached. <br>usually a fireplace <br>Items such as bookshelves, pantries, china cabinets, window seats, etc. built into the walls <br>pillers or columns supporting the porch gables <br>the living room is almost always the largest room in the house. <br>