An Inexpensive Bungalow 
BY Harr y N. H o l m e s 
The sloping roof lessens the appearance of height, but preserves considerable room space 
plot thirty-eight vised the work in person. 
covers a 
D esiring a small 
bungalow that 
should combine moder- 
.ate cost with large re¬ 
turns in comfort and 
satisfaction, we built 
the one illustrated on 
this page. It affords 
more room than a hasty 
glance would indicate, 
for there are three 
rooms and a pantry, 
with nine-foot ceilings 
down-S'tairs, while the 
second story, made in¬ 
conspicuous by the long 
.sloping roof, has three 
bedrooms and a bath, 
plenty of closets and an 
attic over the front 
porch. The height of 
this second story 
rang-es from five feet to 
.seven feet six inches. The bungalow 
feet wide and thirty feet deep. 
The individuality of the house is 
marked by the wide, rough clap¬ 
boards. a boulder chimney and an 
■enormous front porch. The peculiar 
long slope of the front roof lends 
■distinction and the deep brown 
stain of the clapboards, brightened 
by white painted window frames and 
■cooled by a green shingle roof, is 
restful to the eye. The smooth 
woodwork of the porches is painted 
brown. Although not clearly shown 
in the picture the upper part of the 
roof overhangs at the end, so tRat it 
surrounds the boulder chimney. The 
contour of the back roof is broken 
and improved by the projecting kitchen and a small dormer roof 
.similar to the one in front. 
Small windows in these light 
the bath and upper hall. 
We secured an impression 
■of space by using' the same 
■color scheme throughout the 
first floor and having very 
wide doorw.ays open from the 
hall into the main rooms. The 
walls are sand finished and 
tinted a rich, warm brown 
with ceilings that suggest 
■either cream or tan, according 
to the light. The flat wood¬ 
work is Georgia pine stained 
dark and finished so that the 
beautiful grain of the wood is 
brought out. The ceilings are 
Teamed, and the floors of 
Georgia pine are stained, var¬ 
nished and oiled. 
1 
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TUT 
First FJoor 
Second Floor 
The stairs are centrally located, and are readily accessible 
from all rooms 
nishing complete. 
The porch is given an added attractiveness and seclusion by vines 
trained at its ends, the front being left open 
In the upper hall in 
a recess just opposite 
the stairs is a built-in 
chest of drawers .and 
at the right of this is 
another closet. The 
large space above the 
front porch has been 
floored and a door 
leads into it from the 
smaller liedroom. In 
the front hall under 
the stairs is another 
roomv closet for coats 
and hats. Upstairs the 
ceilings a r e slightly 
broken at the sides by 
tbe slojie of the roof. 
Separate contracts 
were made with the 
carpenter, painter, plas¬ 
terer. stone mason and 
others, and I super- 
The contracts for materials were let 
by competitive bids. Plans and 
specifications were selected from one 
of the well-known books on small 
houses, but were considerably revised 
to meet our requirements better. A 
seven-foot basement with concrete 
wall and cement floor extends under 
two-thirds of the house and affords 
plenty of room for the hot-air fur¬ 
nace, coal bin and storage. 
The cost of this bungalow was 
$2,400, but, as materials were very 
expensive in this town, it is probable 
that it could be duplicated in some 
places for much less. Grading, sod¬ 
ding and cistern cost but little more 
than $100 and $500 paid for the fur- 
As lots vary so widely in price that is left out 
of the estimate, so it is not 
overstating it to set the cost 
of building and furnishing 
this home at $3,000. 
We did not consider our 
home finished, however, when 
the house was completed, but 
found the further expense of 
planting a small item. Quick 
growing vines, such as Kochia 
and Dutchman’s pipe, soon 
made a living curtain at the 
sides of our porch, and gave a 
pleasant, diffused light in 
keeping out the glare of the 
sun. 
The negative of the first 
picture was reversed, hence the 
chimney appears at the wrong 
side, compared with the plan. 
(23) 
