Richmond, VA., Jeremy Rowan
In spite of a decade of neglect, this 1937 Spanish Mission style-stucco bungalow was a diamond in the rough. Built to last entirely from concrete, the house has a Spanish arcade of graceful arches topped by a terra-cotta roof. The interior features additional arches, linoleum tiles, built-ins throughout and stucco walls. The windows and Craftsman doors are handsomely tripped with Douglas fir. We’ve enhanced original features and replaced ones damaged or removed — period light fixtures, tile work, kitchen and bath fixtures, stained glass — and created a new eat-in booth in the kitchen. At Christmas we finished our glassed-in side porch, now a playroom for our new baby boy.
Pasadena, Calif., Timothy Roberts & Caroline Smith
Our 1920 Craftsman home had good “bones,” but the interior was hideous. Every room had been wallpapered in Victorian farmhouse style and the kitchen was virtually gutted. We are working to return the house to the condition that it was when new. Eliminating the paint from the woodwork is revealing the beautiful grain of the curly pine of the built-ins and moldings. New kitchen cabinets match the other built-ins. A ceramic artist’s custom Batchelder-style fireplace replaces the damaged original salt-and-pepper brick. It is a long, slow process, but we are enjoying every step that returns our home to its gracious original state.
Salem, Ore., Kathy Schutt and Steve Oulman
We are 10 years into our five-year restoration plan for our 1920 bungalow — and loving every day. We believe we have a kit house, but haven’t yet determined the original manufacturer. we stripped the entire exterior by hand, replainted with a more period color scheme and replaced the lawn with xeriscaping and an organic garden. We’ve restored original woodwork and “fixed” a previous kitchen remodel. Like all projects there have been surprises, but non like finding an English-language Latvian newspaper crumpled inside basement walls. It’s been an adventure!
West Jefferson, N.C., Bill and Ginny Tobiassen
Built in 1908 by prolific local architect Emil Schacht, our home has been described as a large Craftsman-stule bungalow, although it may not neatly fit this classification. It features river rock fireplaces with Rookwood tile, old-growth fir paneling in the library and dining room (with box beam ceilings), mahogany paneling in the living room, many built-ins and window seats, oak floors with mahogany inlays and fir floors. It is located on a beautiful expansive lot with towering mature maples, conifers and beech trees — an urban getaway. Currently we are removing paint from interior woodwork and hanging beautiful Arts and Crafts wallpaper. A continuing labor of love!
Wyoming, Mich., Dan and Jennifer Smith
Our American Foursquare home is located on the upper westside of Helena, an area with many fine bungalows and older homes. We discovered our house was built in 1915 during renovations to our dining room, when we removed a piece of wall trip signed and dated by one of the builders. Our home has large rooms, maple floors, leaded glass windows, an abundance of dark fir trip and a beautiful pair of built-in quartersawn oak china hutches. Since buying the home in 1999, we’ve spent many hours learning about Craftsman homes and renovating, furnishing and landscaping our house.
Petaluma, Calif., Steve and Judy Collins
Our 2,700-square-foot Craftsman-style home was built in 1921 on what was then a chicken ranch. Thankfully, when we bought it in 1980 it had not been butchered with add-ons. After repairs, upgrades and converting a bedroom into a second full bath, we tackled baring the previously painted Douglas fir woodwork. In 1996 our home was featured locally as a Heritage Home. Recently we built a matching detached garage and upgraded the living room fireplace with Batchelder tiles. We are only the second family on record to own this property and it is our hope that it will stay in our family for generations.
Bellevue, Pa., Theresa Gallick
My two-story bungalow just outside Pittsburgh shows Swiss Chalet influences, with diamond-paned original windows throughout and decorative balconies on the second floor. Built in 1913, the house features six tiled fireplaces, many built-ins, an inglenook and an impressive box-beam ceiling. Unfortunately, when I purchased the home in 2000, the kitchen and bathroom were ghastly, but ideas from American Bungalow inspired revamping of the kitchen. This year’s projects focused on the home’s exterior and gardens. I hope to tackle the ’60s bathroom next year.
Holland, Mich., Ron and Deb Kooistra
In the two years we spent planning and building a new home we referred to your magazine many times. In an Arts and Crafts home plan book we found the bungalow design to fit our budget and our lot — we wanted our home to be very different than the “cookie cutters” in our area. Everything from our windows and hardwood floors to paint colors and wood interior doors to our replica fireplace was picked for their Arts and Crafts look. Our beautiful bungalow looks small outside but has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,800 square feet inside.
Tags: Bellevue, Holland, Pasadena, Petaluma, Richmond, Salem, West Jefferson, Wyoming
