Counties With The Most Pre-War Homes In California

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1. This nostalgia from people who apparently never lived in these homes is humorous. Houses built before WWII in CA where by and large shoddy and small and uncomfortable. Most would have been less than 1200 sq ft. They were generally built on raised platforms which sand and distorted the floors cause doors to not work and things to slid around. They leaked air so were hot in the summer and cold in the winter. There was no insulation. If they had heat other than a stove it was possibly a floor unit that had to be lit when needed and produced hot air at the center of the home which may reach the other corners. There was no air conditioning in any but the few for the most affluent. Hot water was produced by a small and dangerous gas water heater often kept in the kitchen which occasionally exploded. You may have had one bathroom for the whole home. Certainly bathrooms were not for every bedroom. There was probably one tub and maybe a shower in it. There was one toilet. People shared this stuff by family pecking order . There was possibly a garage separated from the home large enough for one car. There were no garage door openers of course. The homes that have survived for the past 80 years have been improved, expanded and civilized for modern living. Most were torn down or fell down and collapsed into termite dust. Historians should try for accuracy when giving us this sort of information as we need accurate stuff to judge where we have been and where we want to go.

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   • Take it easy, guy. Lots of folks don’t need a 4bed/5bath 4000sq ft home or for that matter a little boxed in cookie cutter condo out by Costco. The article is talking architecture. Old homes can be fitted for modern upgrades. Sometimes smaller is better. No one’s getting blown up by water heaters now.

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     • The comment is meant to address those who fantasize that things were magically better in the “old days” and who want us to “return to traditional values.” In fact most people then lived in pretty crappy conditions, poor sanitation, bad food and what not. And certainly the architecture of these homes was nothing special. The best were kit homes or over the counter blue prints. Many were simply ad hoc constructions with no real architectural input. (As you note surviving homes have been rebuilt to modern standards for habitation.)This is not about needing McMansions. Creating false images of those experiences stops us from appreciating the world of today and discourages us from trying to continue to improve the human condition. So take it easy, guy, and get out of the way of progress. :{

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2. Old homes are treasures. They are generally constructed of higher quality, durable materials and exhibit great workmanship. They also convey a feeling of connection with a place’s history. I was lucky to grow up in a Greek Revival farmhouse in New England with lovely, 100 year old trees around it. It did have only one bathroom and an earthen cellar, but I wouldn’t have traded it for a new home for all the tea in China.

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