Craftsman Bungalows

(photo: Bungalow in Baltimore's Lake Walker neighborhood)

If you can't already tell I'm a huge fan of craftsman style bungalows. Craftsman homes were primarily built from 1905 to 1930, making many of today's bungalows at least 100 years old. This style of house grew out of the broader Arts and Crafts Movement, an attempt by artisans to bring simplicity and design integrity back into the mainstream. The movement rejected prevailing trends of the day that centered around heavy ornateness and mass produced cheaply made homes. It emphasized the importance of structural integrity, beauty, function, and making things by hand.

Here in Baltimore there are multiple neighborhoods that feature craftsman homes, Lake Walker of course being one of them.

Across the nation we are seeing a resurgence in the popularity of these homes amongst many buyers who value quality over quantity. Though typically much smaller than newly built suburban homes, craftsman bungalows offer a level of workmanship uncommon in the new homes of today. Because of this, many homeowners and developers are purchasing and restoring these older homes.

Figuring out how to improve a historic property, while keeping its integrity and character can sometimes be difficult. So I’ve decided to write a series about how to best do this, and where you can find helpful resources. For those of you who have an interest in restoring bungalows, stay tuned for more!

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort." ~John Ruskin

Won't You Be My Neighbor?: 608 Cedarcroft, Baltimore, MD 21212

A charming new bungalow just hit the market in Lake Walker. It's been recently lovingly renovated and features some wonderful mission details. It's on a nice shade filled block of Cedarcroft. The asking price is only $294, 500 so I think it will sell fast. Have a look around...

The living room features nice custom cabinetry as well as a heating oven.

The kitchen has beautiful newly installed mission styled oak cabinets and a handy breakfast nook.

 The basement has been refinished with new carpet, recessed lighting, and a new bathroom equipped with a shower. Plus there's plenty of room for a guest to stay and children to play.

The view out of one of the upstairs bedrooms is great and will be even better in a few weeks when all of the trees and flowers are in bloom.

One of three upstairs bedrooms currently houses two children, with more than enough room and a good sized closet.

A spare bedroom is being used as a home office and contains a lovely stained glass light fixture.

The master bedroom has wonderful views of the neighborhood as well as original hardwood floors and a large master closet.

The upstairs bath is painted a nice cheerful yellow and has warm cottage details like a traditional pedestal sink and beadboard.

French doors in the dining room lead out to a sizable deck which looks out onto the nicely landscaped yard. The yard has plenty of room for kids to play and for gardening.

Well, that's it. If you're interested, you can find the listing HERE.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?: 709 Highwood Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21212

For those of you in the market for a new home, there's a lovely new Lake Walker charmer on the market. The cute cottage features two beds and two full baths, and is listed at the bargain price of $219,000. It's the perfect size for someone who's single, or up to a small family. It's been renovated very nicely, and retains the original architecture of the home. Take a look around and let me know what you think? You can find the MLS listing HERE.

Several of the rooms have cute shutters.

The home also has wonderful architectural details like the archway to the dining room.

The kitchen is small yet functional.

You get a nice view of the backyard from this kitchen window.

This newly updated full bath features marble floors and nice new nickel hardware.

The master bedroom is on the second floor and features a gorgeous alcove ceiling and newly installed full bath.

I hope you enjoyed the tour! Go check it out if you might be interested, but hurry, I don't think this one will last long.

Full Bath Update

Although our master bath was in good condition when we moved in, I decided to make a few changes to put our mark on it. Here's what the bathroom looked like before.

To improve things I got rid of the ugly pink paint, and switched to Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. I used a sample can to paint the small room to save money, it was on sale for only $5. I painted the vanity as well, and changed the knobs, which really helped it to look less cheap. For $150 bucks I highly recommend this vanity. Next I added a carrera marble countertop from a place called European Marble, which ran me $400. Then I added a chrome shower bar and chrome faucet, lighting, and accessories from Restoration Hardware (sidenote: it's a good idea to look for these items on Ebay for a discount). Though high-end fixtures are pricey, I think they're worth it because they have integrity and can last a lifetime (or two or three for that matter). Plus, since the bath was already small, the cost to install them wasn't too bad. I threw in all white linens to keep things feeling classic, open, and spa like.

The faucet is from Restoration's Asbury line. I like the timeless look of it, but be for warned that if you're considering installing it, because of all the crevices it's hard to clean. I use old toothbrushes and a t-shirt to get it back in shining condition.

As you can see bungalows don't come with huge baths, but that doesn't mean you can't make the most of em'. As they say....appreciate the small things!

Lake Walker Bungalows

Since moving into our little yellow cottage, I have grown an extra appreciation for bungalow styled homes. One of the things I like most are their efficiency. The rooms are not too big and not too small. They harken back to an era where people used what they needed and not much more.  Though they are smaller they have materials with integrity that last for decades when taken care of, not to mention all their character! Living in my bungalow has taught me how to appreciate the small things. When I sit on our front porch underneath our giant Sycamore tree, I feel like I've found a piece of Heaven on Earth. I'm happy to see more people are coming into the city and restoring these homes. Here's a look at some of the cuties in Lake Walker.