164 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



May, 1908 



Monthly Comment 



(CERTAIN general understanding concern- 

 the meaning and nature of the bungalow 

 may be supposed to be tolerably prevalent. 

 As a matter of fact, like many words orig- 

 inally applied in a definite manner to a defi- 

 nite object, it is frequently used in an 

 indefinite way and without any real rela- 

 tionship to precision of significance. That it is a one-storied 

 house will be agreed to on all hands; but in the common em- 

 ployment of the word in American usage its primitive mean- 

 ing is somewhat lost sight of, and it is more generally ap- 

 plied to a type of house rather than to a particular kind. 

 Surely there can be no great harm in this, for the typical 

 bungalow of English India, from which the American bunga- 

 low is derived, is a quite different structure from the native 

 bungalow which, to all intents and purposes, is the original 

 bungalow of all bungalows. Fortunately we do not have 

 to return to that primitive structure to be precise; nor need 

 we, if there be a common agreement as to general termin- 

 ology, discuss at further length the dictionary aspect of the 

 word. 



In a general sense, therefore, a bungalow, as is told many 

 times and as amply illustrated in the following pages of this 

 magazine, is a dwelling of one story; that is to say, a house 

 in which all the rooms are on one floor. In a strict sense this 

 alone is not sufficient to constitute a bungalow, but with the 

 one-story plan must go — or should go — a definite simplicity 

 of treatment that is at once characteristic of houses of this 

 class, and which can not be obtained in so direct a way in 

 dwellings of any other type. It is on these two points that 

 the definite character of the bungalow depends and it is 

 exactly on these aspects that the best work in bungalow de- 

 sign is being done in America. It is true there are bungalows 

 and bungalows, some very expensive and costly structures, in 

 which everything that savors of simplicity is overlooked save 

 the one-floor principle, and even that is sometimes forgotten 

 in certain parts of the great structure. But these buildings 

 stand apart, exactly as the colossal mansion stands apart, and 

 those intent on comfort and convenience, on simplicity and 

 economy, may still have their bungalows without burdening 

 themselves with undue or large expense. 



Bur the question of expense should not be ignored in 

 building the bungalow any more than it can be passed over 

 in erecting any sort of a dwelling. The days for cheap build- 

 ing are, apparently, at an end, for the present at least, and 

 perhaps permanently. It is needless to inquire into reasons, 

 the facts are apparent to everyone who sets out to build, and 

 are particularly evident to those who must pay the bill. 

 Labor and building materials are costly enough, and some- 

 times the skill of the all but essential architect adds to the 

 total amount, so that the person who desires a cheap and in- 

 expensive home is very apt to find he is looking for something 

 that does not exist. The bungalow, however, offers certain 

 economic advantages which many builders will hail with de- 

 light. It is never necessary to boast of expense in building 

 a bungalow, and many makeshifts in construction and ar- 

 rangement which would be intolerable in houses of other 

 types are hailed with delight in the bungalow. 



Other economies are dependent in large measure upon the 

 mode of living practised within the bungalow. Some families 

 dispense with domestic help altogether in such structures, and 

 the bungalow readily lends itself to that mode of housekeep- 



ing. This method will not, of course, do for every one; for 

 housekeeping is often hard work, and the most zealous in- 

 terest in this direction is apt to yield at times to a desire for 

 a more restful existence. There may, also, be economies in 

 furnishings, which are often a welcome help, for the bunga- 

 low frequently implies an informal style of living in which 

 many luxuries can be dispensed with without any hint of 

 criticism. 



To build a bungalow implies ownership or possession of a 

 certain amount of land. Naturally it is a type of house that 

 covers considerable space. This is true whether the bunga- 

 low be large or small; for a house with all the rooms on a 

 single floor obviously requires more floor area than one in 

 which the rooms are superimposed one above the other. 

 Moreover, the bungalow seems, by its very nature, to require 

 space around it, space enough to give it individuality, space 

 enough to form a setting for it, space enough for trees and 

 shrubs and flowers to grow and bloom beside it and effect 

 a real relationship between it and the landscape. 



The bungalow is a true country house; the city has no 

 place for it; the suburbs scarcely know it; the open country 

 alone, the hillside, the shady spots beneath the forest trees, 

 the sloping rock above the waters of the sea — here is its 

 natural place, and here it may be looked for and found. 

 Whether it bears any relationship to its East Indian proto- 

 type is something quite immaterial : it is much more to the 

 point that here is a distinct type of dwelling that many per- 

 sons consider especially adapted to their living requirements; 

 which may be fitted up in a more or less informal manner; 

 that is eminently suited to quiet country living; and which 

 in completely satisfying the owner may, perhaps, please the 

 passerby fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of it. It is 

 difficult to find fault with a structure that affords so many 

 advantages. 



The bungalow is not only a true country house, but it is a 

 true summer house. Save in California and the far South, 

 it is not adapted to use throughout the cruel months of 

 winter. This, so far from being a drawback, is a distinct 

 advantage, since it serves but the more to heighten the indi- 

 viduality of the bungalow and impress more definitely the 

 special uses for which it is intended. Almost any kind of 

 a country house is a distinct type of building; but it is per- 

 haps well to remember that while many kinds of country 

 houses can be lived in during the winter, the light construc- 

 tion of the bungalow, the absence of cellars and foundations, 

 which is characteristic of many of these structures, renders it 

 impossible to use them save in the warm season. As, how- 

 ever, those who build these dwellings do so for precisely this 

 period of the year, their definite value is not lessened by this 

 circumstance. 



Accepting the single-story dwelling as the American type 

 of bungalow it is apparent that it has come to stay. It is not 

 very long since when the bungalow was confined to the warm 

 sections of America, to which it not only seemed especially 

 adapted but where it met a real and pressing need. This 

 limitation no longer obtains to-day. The bungalow type has 

 penetrated to all parts of our country, and the end is not yet. 

 It is a building that may be designed by a skilled architect 

 or, if his ingenuity is sufficient, by the owner himself, with 

 no more accomplished aid than an intelligent builder. It 

 may be a house of large cost or one of quite moderate expense. 



