Pre-1900 Bungalow?

[eclecticcottage]

Is there such a thing? Now I know build dates aren't always accurate but this says 1875, which is pretty far from the years I'm familiar with for bungalows. But, it looks like a bungalow to me? The inside is a disaster so it's of no help.



We *think* they moved the stairs so instead of being directly in front of you when you walk in, they are turned to the side. One way or the other, something is wrong. The upstairs is all wrong and so is the living room.



You can see the stairs through what is left of the built ins from this photo, taken in what I am guessing should be the dining room



I am pondering a seriously low ball offer on this place. It's a cute house that's been overtaken by what I believe is wisteria on the outside and someone with no sense of space on the inside, and it's been vacant for quite a while-and on the market the better part of a year. It's not a "hopping" area, resale is not great. It would have to be a "frugal" redo, with what is needed and minimal extras, but I'd like to save it. I think this is within my scope of abilities more than the brick farmhouse-it's smaller and wood framed. I am going to think on it though, I've got others to look at-I doubt it's going anywhere soon.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Tax records can't always be trusted, but this one looks to me like it might be a late 19th Century house that was renovated in the 1910-1920 era, which is the timeframe when the bungalow was king.

The bungalow itself has origins in British India in the 18th Century, though it was based on an even earlier design originating in the area of the Bay of Bengal. Although the first houses specifically called bungalows didn't really show up in the US until the 1890s, there was the odd house here and there built with long sloping roofs. Also, many non-descript cottages underwent renovations to turn them into bungalows. I grew up in an early 1890s house that was originally two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs. Around 1910 or so, it underwent an extensive renovation where a back wing was added and the roofline altered, essentially turning it into a bungalow.

I would look for clues in the room with the open ceiling. If there are telltale signs such as square nails, it's likely pre-1900, although the presence of modern wire nails could put it anytime from the late 1880s onward. That house looks to me like a mix of styles and not a bungalow in the traditional sense.

[eclecticcottage]

Some clues to age:

Basement:

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Dining room ceiling:

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Does anyone have a clue as to how this should be?? This is WRONG

stairs from upstairs

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overhang details

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The siding comes out further than the foundation...but it isn't covering something-it looks like it was built this way?

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window trim

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Closet?

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the closet? is what is on the other side of this door

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[eclecticcottage]

I might have lost my mind. I made the low ball offer. Oh my. Well, it needs a roof...and...uh...everything else. lol

look at this vine

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I just heard as I was typing this there might be another offer. Almost a year on the market and the DAY I decide to look at it, someone else does too. Well, if they get it I hope they fix it!

[1918ColonialRevival]

If the other offer is higher, let them have it. This is going to be costly.

That staircase cutout looks to have been done in the last 20-30 years and no sane human being would have made it that way. I'm wondering if it may have compromised the structural integrity of the floor up there. I'd be willing to bet it's developed a sag. The only way to tell what it originally looked like would be to find a "ghost" impression of what was removed underneath the stuff that's there.

I'm going with constructed in the late 19th Century (based on those beams in the basement), renovated in the 1910s or 1920s, and bastardized in the 1980s or 1990s.

[eclecticcottage]

Yeah, I offered low. Asking is 21K and I'm not in that ballpark. I imagine I'll be outbid, but I can't go higher. There is sag. That staircase/upstairs is actually frightening. I walked VERY close to the walls up there!

Who does this??

I've seen crazy stupid stuff before but this was at the top of that list.

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This would be a long term project if I win it. My contractor said the town it's in is easy to work with. I talked to someone that's lived nearby for about 30 years, it's been vacant about 10-but it really was a pretty house once. This would be my learning how to house-how to reglaze windows, etc. There's not enough margin to do much with it, but I would get a roof asap.

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I know I should run away from it, but it really calls to me. I can see such a charming house in there somewhere!

[eclecticcottage]

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Wisteria on the porch in 2007. Probably why it's missing some of the brackets now in the front.

Wisteria=bad for houses.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Any kind of vine growth is bad for wood frame houses. It isn't great for masonry either.

I still say whoever did that opening was on dope. If you do get it, I hope you get it dirt cheap, as I see this one getting expensive fast.

Looking at the picture from a distance, I'm going to revise my construction date estimate a little. I'm going to say it dates to the 19-oughts, probably around 1905-1910.

[eclecticcottage]

I'm honestly a bit surprised there's another offer. It's kind of how my luck goes-I was pretty surprised to get the Bungalow Project without any issues. The cape that led me to the bungalow was on the market for 4-5 months, and they got an offer the weekend before I put mine in (I looked at it Friday, called the town to check on code issues on Monday and when I called my agent to put in the offer she told me it went pending over the weekend!). It will be pretty cheap if I get it. I'm going to get the roof done asap and get all that vine off the house, then work on the outside to make it weather tight again (there are a couple windows missing/semi-boarded up)-and just gut the heck out of the inside. I'll use the same contractor as I did for the bungalow so I should be able to get some dumpster space from him, but I will probably need a second one since this one is going back to the studs so I can find the proper location for the stairs among other things (I think the kitchen was moved and I know the bathroom was). A friend of mine is an engineer so I'll have him out to help with putting it back to being structurally sound and safe. This one will be more than a year, possibly years, to do. There is a lot of exterior rot too, to deal with-one of the brackets from the front porch is sitting on the stairs. Not good! That's why I need it cheap, can't let the carrying costs cause an overrun. I don't think I'll even have the utilities on for months. I'm willing to bet I get outbid though. My offer went in this AM.

There is a (small, young) wisteria next to the porch on the bungalow. I hacked it down but I know it will come back. I think they are like Kudzu in the south. Evil. They are REALLY pretty, but they should have their own space, AWAY from structures!!

On the upside if I do get it, word is, there's one heck of a 4th of July celebration in town

[1918ColonialRevival]

The only way to eradicate vines (kudzu, wisteria, English ivy, etc) is to locate the roots and dig it up. Much easier said than done with the way this stuff grows.