Welcome to Bungalow ’23, stop five on the Bungalow Blog Tour!
When my wife, Ms. Bungalow, and I bought our house in October of 2004, we weren’t necessarily looking for a bungalow or an Arts & Crafts home. We just wanted a place near the south Minneapolis neighborhood where Ms. Bungalow grew up that would have room for our growing family. Now I’m a confirmed bungalow and Arts & Crafts enthusiast.
Over the past 5 1/2 years I’ve taken on several projects around the house and even finished a few. Stripping paint from the fireplace brick remains my favorite completed project. I also get compliments from guests and neighbors on our landscaping (when I’ve kept up the weeding) and on the raised garden bed I built. I have done a bit of history research as well, which yielded the photo at right of the house’s early days, provided by a daughter of the original owner.
Topping my column of unfinished projects is a long-running nursery / bedroom remodeling project in part of the attic level for which I just found a great deal on salvaged maple flooring for the closets. This will match the hard maple floor used throughout the rest of this floor.
And finally, allow me to introduce my new pride and joy: a vintage Chambers 61C range in excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition. Right now the stove is parked in my living room while I perform a thorough cleaning, but before long I will be able to move the stove into the kitchen.
Some readers might recognize this as Rachel Ray’s stove, but the Chambers has a lot more going for it than a famous fan. Look for more about my Chambers in future posts.
Thanks for stopping by!
Next House on the Blog Tour: From the Doll House to the Dog House
Previous House on the Blog Tour: Black Dog’s Bungalow
I'm Josh and since 2005 I have shared home improvement stories and ideas from my family's Arts & Crafts bungalow in Minneapolis, MN. I'm trying to combine the best of 1923 with the best of the 21st century-- and I hope it won't take another 88 years to do it.
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The first exterior shot is wonderful. I wish my house was that photogenic. And the Chambers…wow…look forward to reading more about that (a fellow old stove fan).
Yeah, I second StuccoHouse’s comment — you’ve got great curb appeal. Mine has a long way to go before it looks that nice!
I can see that I’m going to have to visit some of your landscaping post this summer. Your’s is just beautiful.
So neat that you’ve found a picture of your house in the “early days”. I’m still looking. I really wish I could find an old picture of this house. I’m sure mine looked very different than it does now.
Thanks for the tour of your house!
The fireplace! That stove! What a beautiful house–I’m jealous. Thanks for sharing:)
Cristina
Hey Josh,
Great post. I had forgotten about your fireplace stripping, that does look wonderful. I also completely agree about hiring out the drywall installation/finishing. After we subbed that out in our upstairs remodel, my friend Pete looked at their finished work and said he’d never hang another sheet again!
-Mike
That half timber look is neat! I like the built ins and the fireplace.
What year is your Chambers?
Thanks for visiting, everybody! When I actually “finish” some interior spaces I’ll have to publish more tour-style posts.
To your question, Chaz, the Chambers is either a ’51 or a ’57. I’m still confused by how to read the manufacturer tag, though a quick post to one of the Chambers message boards should be able to clear that up.
Oooh! I just LOVE the vintage range! Love your blog – just stumbled upon it but will definitely be coming back!
What an amazing stove! It’s going to look perfect in your kitchen.
I can see that I’m going to have to visit some of your landscaping post this summer. Your’s is just beautiful.
So neat that you’ve found a picture of your house in the “early days”. I’m still looking. I really wish I could find an old picture of this house. I’m sure mine looked very different than it does now.
Thanks for the tour of your house!
Emily, the old picture of the house took some research. I found and contacted one of the children of my house’s original owners using an obituary archived at our central library and our old pal, Google. I was lucky enough to make contact and find someone willing to talk and share.
Of course, not everyone is so open to engaging with a curious stranger, so if you try to get historical materials and anecdotes from individuals remember to be as professional and personable as possible. Libraries, historical societies, and even your city building code office (records of building permits) are good sources of historic house information. Happy hunting!
Totally dig the stove – thank you for sharing the pics. Looking good!
Hey Josh,
Hope you LOVE the chambers stove. I learned to cook on the one in my grandmas St. Paul bungalow.
Best feature=broiler, by FAR. The soup well is pretty awesome too.
Have fun!
That’s cool that you have a Chambers connection, Will. Getting the stove installed has been a backburner (sorry!) project while I try to get the bedroom finished. It looks surprisingly good in my living room.
Since you know Chambers, if you happen to come across any pots for the soup well, please let me know, won’t you? I’ve got the baking insert for the thermowell, but none of the special lidded pots.
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