When George and I bought our home near the University of Puget Sound, we favored the look of the bungalow, a cozy little house, with enough yard for a summer garden and within walking distance of my work. The location was perfect - a mile from work, three blocks from the bank, a grocery store and drug store, and two blocks from a garden center. We wanted something very small, for a retirement home. With our kids ready to head off on their own, we settled on a remodled bungalow, new on the inside yet keeping many of the features of the bungalow. (photo above is not our home...when I'm walking, it is 45 minutes away.)
Promotional literature in the early 20th century almost always noted the chief purpose of the bungalow was to place most of the living spaces on one floor. This simplified the building process. If bedrooms were upstairs, they were often very small, and could be used as small offices or guest rooms. Safety was at a premium because, in the event of fire, windows as well as doors offer easy escape. 
Between 1890 and the mid-1900's, the bungalow became so popular that companies like Sears, Roebuck & Company and Montgomery Ward offered mail-order houses that were pre-cut in factories then shipped out for fabrication on site by local carpenters. These houses, some costing as little as $900.00, allowed families to own a portion of the American dream, their own little home.You can recognize a bungalow by these features: One, or one and a half stories. Modest front porch. Focus on a garden or perennial beds. Exposed roof structure (beams and rafters). Low sloping roof, either gabled (front or side), or hipped, often with wide overhangs. Exterior proportions are balanced, rather than symmetrical in arrangement. Open, informal floor plan, often with a central hearth. Often built-in furniture, predominantly wood.
On many of the homes, I noticed that the front porch affords another room, albeit outdoors. It allows socializing, reading and relaxing. A bungalow's exterior might be brick, board and batten, cedar shingles, clapboard, stucco or stone depending on the owner/builder's preferences and the availability of materials.
There was never a strong vertical profile to the bungalow, no feeling of height. The focus was on a compact, utilitarian home, which was easy to manage.
I will finish this indulgent tour with this charming little front porch - I can just imagine how sweet this entrance looks with the porch light on at night.
