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Bungalow Bliss was the book that “changed the face of rural Ireland” (Sunday Press, August 16, 1981). Its unlikely that any other single book ( and the multitude of imitators that it spawned) had a longer lasting impact on the Irish than Bungalow Bliss, by Meath architect Jack Fitzsimons.
In the latter half of the 20th century, people in Ireland sought, and were encouraged to seek, a better standard of living. This involved, above all, improved housing conditions. But in rural areas there was very limited assistance for the large numbers who wanted to build new homes.
In 1971, Jack Fitzsimons published the first edition of Bungalow Bliss. The objective of the book was to provide a service to people who wished to build a modern house that would qualify for State and other grants and loans but who, because of limited means, could not afford to engage a professional adviser. The first edition included 20 standard designs as well as general building information. The book was cheap, had affordable plans for a wide range of ( mostly single storey) house types, and quickly became a success, never being out of print for the next 30 years, before finally going out of print in 1999.
It also included a recommendation that anyone who could afford to engage an architect would be foolish not to do so.
The plans in Bungalow Bliss could be purchased from Jack Fitzsimons’ practice for a nominal fee. They proved to be hugely popular, and the book quickly became a bestseller without a single advertisement being placed. There is no doubt that the book filled a void. It enabled many families to transition to better-quality, modern houses. For those people, Bungalow Bliss was a godsend. Others regarded it as a curse.
Today, opinion on the book’s legacy is divided. While there were those for whom new homes in the countryside meant emancipation and bliss, there were others who decried the mostly single build houses as blots on the landscape. The blame for a multitude of woes has been laid at the bungalow door.
