Saturday shelterporn

Longtime shelterporn readers will know that we're most partial to two kinds of houses: clean, contemporary designs and traditional bungalows. Frankly, though, it's the bungalow that really makes us think "home" — and so it's only natural that we fell in love with this Heights beauty at first sight.

The house looks at first glance like a traditional 1920s Houston bungalow, but it's clearly larger than a house of that kind would be — and honestly, we can't tell if the entire place is new or not (the county appraisal district says it was built in 1920, but we've been steered wrong there before). The classic Craftsman features are all there: the deep porch, lots of windows, a cool front door, wainscoting and built-in bookcases. But there's new stuff, too, including custom lighting, reclaimed hardwood floors and recessed spots for flat-screen TVs over the fireplaces. There are three front porches, one of which features an outdoor kitchen with a fancy built-in grill, plus a nice back patio opening onto the backyard. The kitchen is fantastic, with 1920s-style cabinets, white tile backsplashes, a farmhouse sink and all sorts of high-end appliances — two dishwashers! A warming drawer! Upstairs is a big game room that could also be used as an office or a fourth bedroom.

The more we look at this place, the more we suspect it's actually a new house (or at least has been extensively remodeled and expanded). But unlike much of the new construction in the Heights, this house seems to skillfully match the scale and style of its neighbors — and it definitely captures the spirit that makes us love older homes. All in all, not bad. Bedrooms: three or four. Bathrooms: two full and one half. Square feet: 2,840. Price: $599,000.