Bungalow

A bungalow is any single story house. The word derives from Hindi word bangla from 1676. It literally means a house "in the Bengal style".http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=bungalow Such houses were traditionally small, only one story, thatched and had a wide veranda. http://www.bartleby.com/61/12/B0551200.html Bungalows today are simply any single story house and can be quite large. (A joking alternative explanation for the name is that it was invented by a team of house builders who ran out of bricks after constructing the first story and had to bung a low roof on top.)

Related Topics:
House - 1676 - Veranda

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bungalows are very convenient for the homeowner in that all living areas are on a single story and there are no stairs between living areas. Bungalows can be more easily converted to a wheelchair-accessible home. Neighbourhoods of only bungalows offer more privacy than similar neighbourhoods with two story houses. With bungalows, strategically planted trees and shrubs are usually sufficient to block the view of neighbours. With two story houses, the extra height requires much taller trees to accomplish the same and it may not be practical to place such tall trees close to the house to obscure the view from the second floor of the next door neighbour.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a per unit area basis (e.g. per square foot or per square metre), bungalows are more expensive to construct than two story houses because a larger foundation and roof area is required for the same living area. The larger foundation will often translate into larger lot size requirements as well. This is why bungalows are typically fully detached from other houses and do not share a common foundation nor party wall. If the homeowner can afford the extra expense of a bungalow relative to a two story house, they can typically afford to be fully detached as well. Though the "footprint" of a bungalow is a often a simple rectangle, any foundation is possible. For bungalows with brick walls, the windows are often positioned high and are right to the roof. This avoids the need for special arches or lintels to support the brick wall above the windows. In two story houses, there is no choice but to continue the brick wall above the window (and the second story windows may be positioned high and right to the roof.)

Related Topics:
Brick walls - Arch - Lintel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~