Over the years this feature has showcased the evils of badly-detailed substitute sidings, characterless replacement windows, and tastelessly snuffled front porches. But probably the most frequent offense they display is the insensitive addition. The whole affair is turned about 30 degrees off-axis to the original house, about half of which can still be seen projecting out of the base of the outsized addition. This gives the uncanny feeling that the poor little bungalow might at any moment squirt out uncontrollably from the sheer weight of the addition bearing on the angled roof of the bungalow. While it can be good sport to find such grotesqueries and hold them up for ridicule, it is wise to recognize the forces that lead to their creation.
Houses change in response to the needs of their owners.
The owners of the oppressed bungalow needed more room. Often the answer takes the form of an addition. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and it's environment. Adding on in a compatible way is the more easily defined goal and one that a few simple principles can assure. Taking the time to analyze the existing structure can provide you with the keys to proper massing, proportions, scale, and rooflines.