Little stucco houses: 1935-50 era :)

[cfz2882]

smallish 1 or 2 bedroom houses that seen to have been mostly built in the "big band"/art deco era and have a stucco exterior-the stucco sometimes artfully textured and imaginative window treatment as well A few grandmas and aunts had these houses when I was a kid,and I would usually try and find the watthour meter right away and watch it operate:the eddy current disc and gears rotating slowly.A wringer washer was often found in the kitchen.There are a few of these homes left in my town usually with a single older occupant.

 

[rp2813]

There are many of these types of houses in the SF bay area, mainly the "Spanish" tile roof style, but also art deco and the more non-descript working class boxes from the 1940s with casement windows fairly common among them. 

 

In upscale neighborhoods, more and more these small homes are being remodeled and expanded, often saving and matching certain pleasing original architectural features (sometimes to the extent of salvaging and re-using the weathered original roof tiles on the street-facing new construction), but otherwise leaving no trace of the original structure on the more plain looking ones.

 

That said, there are plenty of them that still survive intact and original, including kitchens and bathrooms.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Fairly common here in Florida but more in 1940s-60s era. Usually find these with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and small carport with utility room at back of carport.

Here in FL all were built of concrete blocks, some of these have bullnose rounded blocks at the corners and around windows and doors. Sometimes decorative vented blocks in the carport with patterns.

Inside often with terrazzo floors and colored wall tiles and fixtures in the bathrooms.

Another common thing in 1960s/early 70s was too leave concrete blocks bare but to smooth out the vertical joints, leaving just the horizontal joints to look like horizontal siding.

 

[circlew]

Small concrete masonry houses

Some of these have stucco exterior finishes, and others portland cement paint. I like the one on page 6 the best.

Another material used at that time for stucco finished buildings was structural tile. This is a hollow burned clay material, and is grooved to hold stucco or plaster.

28 concrete homes : National Concrete Masonry Association : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

31 p. ; ill., plans ; 29 cm. ; trade catalog

archive.org

 

[circlew]

Structural tile

An earlier (1923) publication from Natco, showing homes built of their product. Also shows the tile units and construction details.

Natco homes and garages. : National Fire Proofing Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

31 p. : ill., plans ; 27 cm. trade catalogs.

archive.org

 

[sudsmaster]

My current home is a 1941 two bedroom single story stucco faced sort of bungalow. The front facade is not stucco, but rather painted foot wide panels laid horizontally. At some point somebody came along and added brickwork to the porch and under the picture window at the front. But the majority of the exterior is stucco; at least 3/4 of the structure.

I don't know what the original washer might have been; the home was partly remodeled in the 60's or 70's, with a master bed/bath added at the rear, and one of the bedrooms leading to it converted into a family room contiguous with the kitchen. So it's still a two bedroom residence. When I bought it, it has an 80's era GE Filter-Flo in a laundry closet off the kitchen/family room. It was paired with a matching GE electric dryer. It was before I discovered this web site, so I discarded the dryer but kept the Filter-Flo washer (which still worked just fine). Now there's a Neptune 7500 washer/gas dryer where the GE stuff used to be. The Filter-Flo is stored in the workshop building at the back of the lot.

True to its history is the original bath, albeit with upgraded sink and toilet. But it still has a charming purple and pink tiled shower stall next to a pink bathtub.