Greenville, S.C., Robin and Weston Blackwood
Located in East Park Historic District in the revitalized and thriving downtown of Greenville, our “Ashmore” Sears catalog home has been a delight to call home since 2005. The home was built in 1922 and was completely restored by its second owners in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places the year we bought it, and this piece of American history continues to delight our guests and us.
Lake Quivira, Kan., Bruce and Allyson Braun
Our neat little 1921 bungalow, located on the outskirts of Shawnee, resembles Sears Modern Home No. 147 from the Sears Archives 1908-1914 (searsarchives.com/homes/1908-1914.htm). The footprint dimensions and the location of the cellar door are nearly the same; ours has several added features. Except where a room was added to the rear for a modern kitchen, the house is largely original. Most of the wood trim and flooring is intact. The previous owners added a full bathroom and large bedroom suite in the basement, and there is enough room in the attic for another large bedroom.
East Millcreek, Utah, Ryan and Amanda Lufkin
When we purchased a lot in the historic East Millcreek suburb of Salt Lake City in 2005, we knew we wanted to build a home that had the design quality and attention to detail of a California Craftsman. For the exterior we used modern materials such as fiber-cement siding, composite decking and manufactured stone to take advantage of their durability and lower cost, but for the interior we chose cherry floors and Craftsman-style cabinets and built-ins. The result has been a home that looks like it’s been in the neighborhood for many decades.
North Hollywood, Calif., Meg and John Matthius
When we first saw our home in 1999, it wasn’t obvious that it was a bungalow because it had been shoddily remodeled. It’s taken eight years, but we have restored most of the interior and exterior, installed new wood windows and added new landscaping. We believe our home was built in 1920 and was one of the original bungalows in the neighborhood. Today, it is the only one, increasingly surrounded by McMansions. It is our home, though, that passersby notice.
Knoxville, Tenn., Doug and Faith McDaniel
We found our dream home in this circa-1915, 4,500-square-foot brick and stucco “bungalow mansion.” The four-bedroom, two-bath home had been remuddled into a duplex, but we discovered a 1920 photo that guided us in restoring the elaborate eyebrow upper porch, which had become a 1950s kitchenette. The wide eaves and nine-over-one windows, along with the striking eyebrow roofline, make the house distinctive. It has an elaborate Arts and Crafts interior with cherry woodwork, a colonnade, a Tudor-Gothic staircase and a green-glazed tile fireplace with a brass hood.
Park Ridge, Ill., Jon McKenzie
We purchased this 2 story bungalow in 1982. It had been badly neglected, but the oak floors had survived, and the original concrete tile roof only needed flashing, gutter and detail work. We removed layers of paint from the mahogany woodwork, masonry fireplace and stained-glass windows and installed Prairie-inspired cabinets in the kitchen. In a neighborhood where many great old houses have been replaced with big boxes, ours stands as one of the few originals.
Columbia, Tenn., Brian Sandlin
Our street is named for our unique 1920 bungalow, known as the Barrow House. The entire exterior is locally quarried limestone. I have never seen another bungalow like it. The original interior has been completely restored. The house has proven to be a real treasure.
Torrance, Calif., Gina Shearer
This 963-square-foot bungalow, my first home, is located in a new historic district. I’ve spent the past eight years restoring it. I stripped and refinished the oak floors, built-in bookshelves, fireplace mantle and buffet, re-roped the original wavy-glass windows and planted the landscape in the true spirit of the Craftsman garden. I am both lucky and very proud to live in my little bungalow.
Tags: Columbia, East Millcreek, Greenville, Knoxville, Lake Quivira, North Hollywood, Park Ridge, Torrance
