Villa & Bungalow

If you’re a Kiwi through and through, you’ll know our historical and passionate love affair with the original bungalow and villa. The architecture is permanently painted into New Zealand’s suburban and rural landscape.

Californian bungalows, craftsman bungalows, Tudor-style bungalows, Victorian bay villas, Edwardian villas, transitional villas; numerous styles and their evolution have some minds lost on which are which. Then throw in a renovation or extension, and lines can blur to a haze. So, what separates one from the other?

Let’s characterise the nuances of two styles commonly spotted on our streets.

Victorian Villa

·       Built between 1860s to 1901 in NZ

·       Steep sloped roof

·       Highly detailed exterior

·       Front veranda

·       Decorative lacework and fretwork

·       High ceilings

·       Ceiling mouldings

·       Wide central hallway

·       Small windows

·       Built often of native timber

Original Californian Bungalow

·       Built between World War I to circa 1930s

·       Low-pitched roof

·       Lower and coffered ceilings

·       Narrow hallway

·       Simple exterior façade

·       Mix of native and standard timber

·       Porch or veranda

·       Typically single story

·       Windows a little larger

·       Became popular after World War I