Bungalow Defined

• A bungalow typically is a detached house of 1 or 1 1/2 stories with a low-pitched roof, broad eaves and strong horizontal orientation that gives the house a ground-hugging appearance. Bungalows tend to be small houses, running around 1,000 square feet of interior floor space, but with up to three bedrooms. They typically feature lots of built-ins that replace free-standing cased furniture and help organize rooms. Often, a bungalow has a broad front or side porch that can serve as an outdoor room.
  
  

Open Floor Plan

• A major feature of the bungalow is an open floor plan that allows traffic to flow from room to room without space-wasting hallways or staircases. The entry door typically opens right into the living room while other doors open directly onto patios and outdoor spaces. Bungalows also feature lots of windows placed to maximize air flow and cross-ventilation through the open rooms. This makes bungalows comfortable in all but the hottest spells of summer. Many bungalows were oriented to take advantage of passive solar heat in winter while the broad eaves kept out the blazing summer sun.
  
  

Bungalow Advantages

• Bungalows offered middle-class Americans a house with low construction costs but high style. Because they mostly were single-story dwellings, bungalows needed less lumber, and the building process was simpler as was installation of wiring and plumbing. Their low design made them safer. Windows as well as doors offered escape in case of fire, and having everything on one floor made slips and falls less likely, a boon for the elderly. Bungalows could be finished inside and out in any style that pleased the owner.
  
  

Origin of Bungalows

• The bungalow architectural type has its roots in upper-class residences built in India and Japan in the late 19th century. These homes were designed to cope with blazing hot summer weather. Since air conditioning was yet to be invented, these homes relied on natural cooling ventilation through plenty of windows and an open floor plan, and on shade from wide verandas to keep the sun out. The name "bungalow" was derived from an Indian Hindi word describing a small, open, thatched shelter for travelers.