Styles of Properties: Classic Bungalow

Working around SLC valley, people are often ask me the definition of property styles. Salt Lake City Utah properties are some of the most diverse in the country, and Sugar House is home to some of the finest old homes.

I would like to review some styles today, and sugeest some things you should be focus on:

Classic Bungalow: Bungalows are ubiquitous in Sugar House. Unpainted, the woodwork is a real attraction.

Most of these handsome Sugar House Utah homes were built between 1910 and 1930. They are defined by their big, shaded front porches. The focal point of the inside is the tile fireplace with an ornate metal grate. Hardwood floors, coved ceilings and arched doorways are common. Gumwood trim is a beautiful accent to the plaster walls,
although all too often this wood has been painted over.

Many Sugarhouse Utah bungalows were built on shallow foundations. Particularly on the valley floor, some have settled to either side. They are noticeably crooked.
Not to worry. Most settled 80 years ago and are as sound as any home built today. Basement ceilings are usually low and a dirt-filled concrete shelf runs around the perimeter, taking up hundreds of feet of otherwise useful space. Some people
dig these basements out to create another level of quality living space.

Quirks:

Unless a bungalow has been updated, it will have knob and tube wiring whose appearance is so archaic that it can freak out an uninitiated buyer. Don't despair. This is quality wiring. Old fuse boxes can be replaced inexpensively. Open junctions can be enclosed. This wiring has worked for a hundred years. It will work for a hundred more. Check the water pressure. Old iron Utah pipes can fill with deposits, restricting the flow. According to "Bungalow Nation," a book by Diane Maddex and Alexander Vertifkoof, bungalows are the most common house style in America. "At
the start of the twentieth century," the pair write, "the bungalow took America by storm. These small houses . . . were built throughout the country and helped fulfill many Americans' wish for a single-family home, equipped with all the latest conveniences and set in a garden, however tiny.

A bungalow allowed people of modest means to achieve something they had long sought:
respectability. Central to its popularity was the idea that simplicity and a sense of style could harmonize in an affordable home. One type of house that would fit many tastes, pocketbooks and climates, the bungalow for the first time extended democracy to the nation's architecture. . . .

What accounts for the bungalow's popularity? Marketing certainly played an important role. Bungalows were displayed prominently in the pages of popular magazines such as The Ladies Home Journal, and influential editors extolled the large windows, airy porches, built-in furnishings, open floor plans, and other features that made bungalows convenient and healthful."

Bungalow fans might want to check out American Bungalow Magazine's website. Sugarhouse Utah real estate is epitomized by the bungalow. http://www.ambungalow.com/