Homes of the 1930's

This was an ad for a home for sale in 1935 in Oakland, California:

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1935 Oakland California English Type Home 6 rooms , 3 bedrooms, all electric kitchen, 2 car garage, close to country clubs
$5,700   

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I wondered what that house might look like.  For $5,700, it doesn't seem like you'd get much, but   electric kitchens were a new thing, so this was top of the line.  Many homes didn't have a garage and the fact that this one is close to the country club and has a 2 car garage says that it was a nicer neighborhood.  The average income for a household at this time was between $500 - 1,500 per year.  I know, it's shocking isn't it?

 

I couldn't find a 3 bedroom home that fit this description.  I found a few English Style homes that were similar in the area listed for over a million dollars in today's market.  It just shows how much prices have inflated over the past 77 years.  Of course, those homes have been updated and have newer wiring, plumbing, etc.

 

Many homes were kit homes purchased from Sears.  This one only has two bedrooms.  The rooms were smaller than most houses of today.  There were no gigantic kitchens and bathrooms or walk in closets.  People lived smaller than we do in the 21st century.

 

This says the bedrooms contain good "head room", which I supposed means the pitched roof doesn't affect the ceiling height in the bedrooms.  There is a basement to this home.  Also included is a medicine cabinet, mail box, ironing board and linen closet.  The kitchen includes two cabinets.  Two???  I must have too much kitchen stuff because I'm sure it wouldn't all fit in two cabinets.

 

With monthly payments as low as $45-60, I might be able to pare down my stuff.  This is a really cute house.  What I don't see on here is a place for the wringer washer (usually on a back porch) and there is only one bathroom and it is upstairs.  Today, we would want at least a half bath downstairs, but not too long before this, people used chamber pots and had out houses, so having an inside bathroom was a big plus.

 

When you think about those small rooms you have to remember that people lived very differently than they do now.  Everything was done manually.  If they had a telephone, it would have been just one phone, centrally located, so it could be reached from any point in the house within a few rings.  They were probably on a party line and knew the operator on a first name basis.  The bedrooms were small.  They were intended to hold the bed, a dresser, and be a place to sleep.  There was no big television and DVD player.  There was no TV at all.  Entertainment was provided by a radio that looked something like this:

 

 

 

There were table versions also, but they were still large and wooden.  This would have been in the living room so guests could also enjoy music or comedy routines or the baseball game or prize fight.

 

Life has changed over the years.  The pendulum has gone about as far as it can and is beginning to swing back.  We learned that having it all just means you have less time to enjoy what you do have.  More stuff means more to clean, organize, and insure.  Americans work very hard to maintain a certain life style, but at what cost?