Small Home Gazette, Spring 2019

Answers to Your Toughest Bungalow Questions: what is a semi-bungalow?; finding parts for original lockset 

Q: Here is a newspaper ad that my husband found while doing research in a 1929 St. Peter, Minnesota, newspaper. What puzzled both of us was the phrase “semi-bungalow.” We wondered if that was a common term, since we hadn’t heard it before.

Bungalow Club president Tim Counts responds.

A: I’ve come across the term “semi-bungalow” repeatedly in house magazines from the early 20th century. At first I was confused as well. Dictionaries define “semi” as meaning half, partially, partly or almost.

I’ve never encountered an explanation of the term in these vintage publications. But I’ve noticed that the homes labeled semi-bungalows are anything but a half-sized a bungalow. Most seem quite large, in fact. I speculate that builders used the term to mean “almost a full two-story house.” The house shown in the ad your husband found has an overall bungalow form, but the home’s second story appears to have nearly as much living space upstairs as an American Foursquare.

So, until someone produces evidence to the contrary, I’m going to say that a semi-bungalow is a bungalow that is almost, but not completely, a full two-story home. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Q: The original lockset on one of my bungalow’s bedroom doors has broken, so the door no longer latches. This happened several years ago on another door, and I was able to find a replacement lockset at a local architectural salvage business. But this time, I haven’t been able to find a replacement that fits into my door’s lockset cavity. Any suggestions?

A: The first thing we’d suggest is to visit Minneapolis Lock and Key (see contact information in Resources) to see if your lockset can be repaired. They are an old-school locksmith shop with a very good reputation, and they may be able to fix it. They sell spare parts for do-it-yourselfers, as well.

We have also listed several websites that show how to repair old locksets or that sell restored antique or reproduction sets. It may be challenging to find one that fits your door exactly, but the websites generally show measurements for what they sell.

If all else fails, you might want to visit local salvage businesses in your search for a replacement.

Resources

“Cleaning and Repairing an Antique Mortise Door Lock”
tinyurl.com/y4ukatwk

Hardware of the Past
tinyurl.com/yyz9dver

Historic Houseparts
tinyurl.com/y5pdm8mz

House of Antique Hardware
tinyurl.com/y48a82kt

Minneapolis Lock and Key
4448 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
612-823-8148
minneapolislockandkey.com

Mortise lock replacement
(Amazon.com search)
tinyurl.com/y2nu2utt