Heritage Homes' bungalow plans run from three bedrooms to four-plus — lower and wider than the villa, with shallow-pitched roofs, deep sheltering eaves, casement windows and a porch or partial verandah rather than a full wrap-around.
Read the plan names and the history shows: Fresno, San Diego, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Sacramento, Chico, Laguna. The New Zealand bungalow arrived after the First World War with California's influence stamped on it, and the range carries the reference deliberately.
The Heritage Homes bungalow plans
| Size | Plans | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Four-plus bedrooms | The Fresno, The Warrington, The Laguna, The San Diego | The larger family bungalows in the range |
| Three bedrooms | The Wainui, The Newton, The Pasadena, The Santa Monica, The Santa Monica + Garage, The Chico, The Chico + Garage, The Sacramento | The broadest choice in the bungalow range, several with garage variants |
Plan availability and specifications can change — the current plan range on the Heritage Homes site is the reference.
Choosing a bungalow plan for your section
Bungalows want width where villas want frontage. That single difference drives most of the decision:
- Wide, suburban or rural section? This is bungalow country. The low, spreading form needs room to read properly, and deep eaves and a porch look right on an open site.
- Indoor-outdoor living? Bungalows sit closer to the ground and flow to the garden more easily than a raised villa floor, which suits modern family life with less reworking.
- Chasing the sun? Casement windows and a sheltered porch were designed for exactly that. Orientation matters more for a bungalow than for a villa.
- Garage variants. The Santa Monica and The Chico each come with and without a garage, so the decision does not force a change of design.
Still deciding between the eras? Compare them in villa vs bungalow, and see which details matter most in character home features.
Narrowing the bungalow plans
The full plan range filters by style, size, bedrooms, bathrooms and verandah. For bungalows the order is different from the villa range:
- Start with size, not bedrooms. Bungalows spread horizontally, so the 100–200m² and 200m²+ bands tell you quickly what your section width can carry.
- Then garage or no garage. Several bungalow plans exist in both versions, so this is a filter rather than a redesign.
- Bathrooms last. One to three, and it rarely changes which plan family you are in.
Modifying a bungalow plan
Heritage Homes builds plans as drawn, modifies them, or designs fully custom homes. Bungalows tend to modify more easily than villas, because the form is already horizontal — extending the living end or reorienting to the sun usually works with the design rather than against it. The elements to protect are the roof pitch and eave depth, which are what make it read as a bungalow.
Working from an established plan keeps both budget and programme down — see building a character home on a budget and how long it takes to build.
Frequently asked questions
What bungalow house plans does Heritage Homes offer?
The bungalow range spans three to four-plus bedrooms. Larger plans include The Fresno, The Warrington, The Laguna and The San Diego. Three-bedroom options include The Wainui, The Newton, The Pasadena, The Santa Monica, The Chico and The Sacramento, with several available in garage and non-garage versions.
Why do the bungalow plans have Californian names?
Because that is where the style came from. The New Zealand bungalow arrived after the First World War carrying a strong Californian influence — lower rooflines, wide sheltering eaves, exposed rafters and casement windows — and the plan names in the range acknowledge it.
Is a bungalow better than a villa for a wide section?
Usually, yes. A bungalow's low, spreading form and deep eaves need width to read properly, where a villa was designed to present a compact frontage to the street with rooms running back. On a wide, sunny or rural site the bungalow generally uses the land better.
Do bungalow plans come with a garage?
Several do, as separate plan versions — The Santa Monica + Garage and The Chico + Garage among them. That means adding a garage does not require moving to a different design or a custom plan.
How much does it cost to build a bungalow in NZ?
As an indicative 2026 guide, character new builds in New Zealand run roughly NZ$3,200–$5,000+ per square metre, against NZ$2,500–$4,500 for a plain modern equivalent. Bungalows often price slightly below an equivalent villa because stud heights are lower and rooflines shallower, but detailing choices matter more than style.
Talk to us about a plan for your section
Prefer to talk? Call Heritage Homes on 0508 40 30 20 or email sales@hhomes.nz.