The Bungalow (1930’s – 1940’s)
Yesterday I talked about the Villa. The Next to Come in New Zealands Housing History was the Bungalow. The evolution from villa to the bungalow was interesting. The ceilings were lower and double-hung windows replaced with casements, lead lights made an appearance, fretwork was phased out, the front door moved to the side of the home, the entrance adorned with a porch. The gable ends and the roofs over bay windows were shingled (timber tiles) and the eaves were exposed. Halls and lobbies were still panelled in Rimu or Kauri and a telltale sign of the bungalow is the old picture rails being replaced by a shelf.
For the first time the houses were oriented towards the sun and the floor plan more user friendly and for the first time New Zealanders could order window frames, doors and balustrades out of a catalogue.
Good Points:
· Solid Concrete Foundations and native timber framings firmly attached these houses together
· Strong level native timber tongue and groove floors, often separately constructed on spaced floor joists.
· Sufficient Roof Angles ranging from 12 – 15 degree angles. Usually iron or tiles
· Rain deflecting eaves and eyebrows. Window frames built to let wood expand and contract.
The Not So Good Points:
· Functional, but fairly standard floor plans.
· Can be very dark if not north or east facing.
The bungalow in my view is a great New Zealand home to get hold of. They have stood the test of time and if well looked after will last for a long time to come. They are of high demand by many. The people who love them think they are cute and for this reason most owner occupied bungalos are in very good condition and these houses look great with a nice garden.
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We have a house built in 1929 and have just started renovating it. On stripping and polishing the hall floor, notice that there are different timbers – as it was added to in prob the 50′s. The floor in the main entrance and ‘hallway’ approx 2m x 4m and 2m x 6m there is a light wood. We don’t think it’s pine, although it has a few boards with knots and ‘weaving’ (dont know if that’s the tech word!), but it has other boards almost totally smooth and others with straight grain in it … any ideas of what it might be or where we might find out? It’s a lot lighter than rimu, but has discoloured by the bathroom, where its got wet at some point.
Thanks
Useful info on your site!