See www.robinsonplans.com for nice new bungalows.

I've found that same thing. It's very discouraging, as we're planning to build a new bungalow, but I desperately want that "old" feel.

Ugh. My wife went on a house tour in the next town that is overflowing with beautiful old houses. Only one old victorian on the tour and several bland houses throughout the ages, including a monster "arts and crafts" box for a million dollars, complete with vinyl doors and cheap windows.

By any chance, was the tour in Montclair? It amazes me how many beautiful old homes in my area (northern Bergen County) are being torn down with one or two McMansions being built in their place. I'm not surprised ersatz "arts & crafts" has crept into that market, but big & fake is the antithesis of the Mission philsophy; I mean where do these developers think the term "arts & crafts" came from, anyhow??! <br> <br>I think it's possible for people to build a modern bungalow, after all, I think my 1959 split level has some of the elements (affordable, low profile at 1 1/2 stories, open floor plan, hip roof). My advice to anyone building a new bungalow is Keep It Simple (I'll leave out the last "s" because nobody on this discussion board deserves that title!).

I got a little off-message from your original post, Walter. My theory is that it is too expensive to hire craftsmen (or women) nowadays to give a bungalow the proper details of the period - most people don't want to throw a lot of money into a smaller home, they would rather pay for the square footage and the "flash" than invest in some quality features like plaster walls, oak or fir flooring and fieldstone fireplaces.

I think you've hit the nail on its head. I had trouble getting preferred home insurance for my little mutt of a house because the underwriters were concerned about replacing my interior features in like style and materials.....just the basic wood floors, plaster walls, wood cabinetry, molding and some built-ins.

Yep, Montclair, land of the double tax rate. An 1800's farm house down the block from my place was replaced with a spec house. While this house had better than average details (like actual wood doors and trim), it is still a big box spitting distance from it's neighbors. It is sitting empty a year later asking $800,000.

I'm in the same boat as you, I'm hoping to build a prairie style house in the next year. Fortunately, there are a few architects/builders in the area that seem sensitive to the style. I think a lot of the problem is that builders build what they think people want. If more people would say they want quartersawn oak and piano windows flanking a fireplace instead of a "great room" with a 20' ceiling and 500 sq. ft. bathrooms there might be better houses. Try looking for a sensitive architect/builder and be prepared to do some leg work finding what you want as far as details.

She doesn't necessarily specialize in bungalows, but someone who relates well to the bungalow philosophy (small, craftsman-intensive, detail-oriented, clever design, efficient and beautiful) is Sarah Susanka from Minneapolis http://www.notsobighouse.com <br> <br>Her books are excellent...her website is a not as fun as her books. <br>

My floors have quarter-sawn oak and my brother-in-law, who just happens to be an architect (who actually doesn't work in that profession) fell in love with <a href="http://www.moondansyr.com/houseext.htm">our house</a> just from the photos of the floors we'd taken on our first walk-through! I found one floor plan that my husband also liked: <a href="http://images.homeplans.com/plan/WWW_F1V_GIF/10287.GIF">first floor</a> <br><a href="http://images.homeplans.com/plan/WWW_F2P_GIF/10287.GIF">second floor</a> <br> <br>The only thing we'd really want to change would be the dimesions of the kitchen and the bedroom overhead. I'd like to have my porch wrap around the side to a kitchen door and have a carport off to that side ... and in doing that, I'd like to make that corresponding upstairs bedroom bigger, as well. We have two little girls (as seen on the first page of our house), and I don't think they're really "ready" for separate bedrooms yet. <br> <br>Although I was looking for a different style bungalow ... we all really seem to like the look of <a href="http://ah.bfn.org/a/archsty/source/9.html">this one</a> and it looks like it would go with the floor plan I've found. <br> <br>Yeah, so anyway ... what is WRONG with people? Everybody wants everything to be so big anymore!

It's been burned into our collective mentality that the bigger the house, the more successful you're percieved as being. So lots of people buy way more house than they can afford. One reason why foreclosure rates run so high, which increases the cost of a mortgage and makes them harder to qualify for. Personally I prefer a house where I don't need a map to get from room to room. <br>Rick

Here's a link to a development in my community that is being built right now. A lot of their promo stuff seems to say many of the right things, but as others have mentioned in this thread the cost of using clear lumber, and other craftsman features, is prohibitive. I'll be anxious to see how the houses actually turn out. I like the idea of building a "planned" community rather than see all the sprawl out into farmland that we have happening currently. <br> <br>Peninsula Development <br> <br>-Mike in Iowa <br> <br>

I just think of all the time it takes to clean a big house!!! UGH. <br> <br>I'd much rather have a house with rooms I will use and enjoy. I don't need a cavernous space, thank you very much. They're just cold and echo every sound. The only real drawback to older homes is that they tend to have smaller bedrooms that don't accomodate larger beds very well. Also, bathrooms were much more functional in the olden days. Today's bathrooms are real showplaces. My brother just built a home and his master bathroom is bigger than my second bedroom. They've got a jacuzzi tub that they never use because it's such a pain to clean.... Man, I'd be in that thing every night!

I can't tell you how many times I have been in these McMansions and only 1/2 of the rooms are even furnished because it is so expensive to furnish all of the rooms. I have a difficult time furnishing my small space without breaking the bank! Quantity does not equal quality.

A company that I think has the right idea for modern plans is called The Bungalow Company. They have an excellent website www.thebungalowcompany.com. Here's what they have to say: <br> <br>The “Arts & Craftsâ€Â