Bungalow Bathrooms

This is a smart, solidly researched and well-written book. These are rare qualities in how-to books. Bless her, Powell never writes down to her readers. She appears to be a bright, cheerful, opinionated woman who has a lot to share and has found a great way to do it. I like a writer who has passion and a recognizable voice -- that's Powell.

It's hard to imagine a more useful book for any interested in bungalows, whether as a design type found throughout the Unites States, or as a how-to-rehab it right guide.

I like the divisions of the book. You want sinks? Sinks have their place. You want tile? It has its place.

The photographs are terrific, the line drawings are an excellent guide.

Buy two, give one as a gift and keep the other.


A Great Source of Design Ideas for a Bungalow Remodel   December 19, 2004
F. Orion Pozo (Raleigh, NC USA)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

I bought this book to get ideas on renovating my 1930 bungalow bathroom. Although the book focuses more on restoration than renovation, I still found it a wonderful source of ideas. Filled with lots of full color pictures of restored and well-preserved bathrooms, the book is worth its price for the pictures alone. The text covers both historic and current issues and is a wealth of information. Each section of the book has a chapter called "Obsessive Restoration" for those serious about historic integrity, but also offers a "Compromise Solution" for those of us who need to balance 21st century demands.

We found the book extremely valuable in picking layout, hardware, fixtures, walls, and flooring. It really helped us to design a bathroom that meets the needs of a modern family, yet which blends in with the historic values of our home.


Yes, this book is about how to _live_ with old stuff...   May 1, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

... and that's what makes it so wonderful. If you're considering re-doing a bathroom in a 19th or early 20th century house---whether you'll be restoring an original room or destroying a 70's "renovation"---you need this book.

The author has a comprehensive awareness of both the stylistic and the practical issues involved. She also has a sense of humor about it all.

I was particularly impressed by the pictures. Several of the historical rooms are studied in careful detail, wth closeups of many features---not just the major plumbing fixtures. Also, all the photos were taken specifically for this book; so many bathroom-advice books feature mostly manufacturer-supplied photos that bear little relation to the text.


Must Have if you are doing a bungalow renovation!!!   April 22, 2004
N. Benson (Hunterdon, NJ United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I am doing a bungalow renovation, serving as the designer and general contractor ALTHO I have no experience in either area. I was all done, so I thought, but during the process made the decision not to replace the circa 1995 vinyl squares floor because I couldnt fine anything better. Voila! The room was all done, but - the floor looked totally yuck/wrong because rest of the room was in beautiful new correct bungalow style . I turned to this book for inspiration- and studied all the pictures- evening after evening. The right answer came! light grey 4" hex tiles! I am so thrilled even tho some of the work had to be redone... the floor pulled everything together.. like a little exclamation point. "BUNGALOW BATHROOMS" saves the day!