Saturday, February 23, 2008

Why did we create this site?

What we do to our homes in America is, in many ways, considered a God-given right. What some people fail to realize is that when those changes are visible from a public way, it is there for everyone to see. Some people may appreciate the hard work and attention that homeowners have taken to their property and others may react with stunned disbelief. The intent of this site is to create a record of those additions that give the affect of the latter.

The bungalow, by nature, is particularly prone to "inappropriate" muddling and additions. Intended as a modest building type, these homes can be found in any town in America and are typically small two and three bedroom homes. In many ways, they are an early architectural symbol of middle-class America. Usually one-story structures, they were built at a time before televisions and "media rooms", before king-sized beds, "great rooms", and over-sized stainless-steel appliances. As such, severe modifications are required to these homes if they are to meet the typical modern American lifestyle.

Bungalows were built by individuals and developers sometimes without the assistance of an architect. They are almost always well-conceived, well-built and well-crafted. The changes that are occurring to bungalows in recent years are of interest because they are still being completed by individuals and developers, usually without the assistance of an architect but examples that are well-conceived, well-built, and well-crafted are few and far between.

At the onset, we intend on posting one photo each week depicting a particularly funny, weird, or just plain bad home addition. If time permits and if enough examples exist, these posts will become more frequent.

This is intended to be both critical and lighthearted and we will do our best to keep it that way. If you know of a home that seems appropriate for this site, feel free to e-mail a photo to: bungledbungalow @ gmail.com. Address and location information will be removed from all photos.

We appreciate and encourage comments and hope you enjoy the site!

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