Vintage
homes and properties for sale in Orange County, CA
Orange
County, California vintage, period, antique, and historic homes and properties
for sale. These homes include any built up to 1949, with perhaps true
"vintage" craftsmanship applying only to homes built up to
1939. Even though there is a growing interest in 1950s homes and furniture, homes constructed in 1950 and later are
mid-century style and will not be listed here. This page
includes links for the following cities and unincorporated
areas which have significant numbers of older, period, and historic homes: Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa,
Cypress, Dana Point, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington
Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, North Tustin, Orange,
Placentia, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana,
Tustin, and Yorba Linda.
Why buy a
Vintage Home?
Vintage homes are
certainly not for everyone. There is a school of thought among
many people that properties have a definite lifespan, and that
older homes that have outlived their usefulness should be
leveled and replaced by new construction. Clearly, an older home, especially one that has not been extensively renovated,
lacks many of the creature comforts of a modern home. Further,
maintenance and restoration of an older home is expensive! For
most buyers, a newer home may simply be more desirable. So
why should you buy one?
First off, many
vintage homes may be less expensive than new ones. Second,
many buyers prefer the distinct character and storied history
of an old house to the cookie cutter approach of many new
homes. Third, there is a great sense of satisfaction in owning
a home that has been carefully preserved and passed down
through many generations of Orange County homeowners. With
redevelopment and urban sprawl decimating the history of the
County, many homebuyers take pride in becoming the custodian
of a small remnant of the County's past. One warning though.
If you decide to purchase an older house in a historic
district, there may be local ordinances which limit what you
can do to the home. Owners of historic homes are often
restricted from changing the outside appearance of the home,
including such things as painting, window styles and certain
landscaping (see Mills
Act).
Search for
Orange County Vintage homes for sale
Search by
decade (year of construction)
Search by city, price, lot
size, or special conditions
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Pre-1900 |
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19th Century Orange County
homes are those that were constructed in 1899 or earlier. Many of the
homes built in OC during the 1800s were of
the Queen Anne Victorian or Farmhouse Victorian styles. These
houses are known for their elaborate woodwork, ornamentation,
and wrap around porches. Existing homes from this period are extremely rare.
In fact, it is so
rare to find one for sale that there is only one search link
for all of Orange County. When one of these rare gems does
come on the market, it will be listed here.
Search Orange
County 19th Century homes for sale
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1900 to
1909 |
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Many homes built during the early 1900s were of the Craftsman style.
This style probably originated with furniture designer, Gustav
Stickley in 1901. This was style that included details from
the arts and crafts movement, including a large front porch
supported by posts or columns, a gabled roof, and wood siding. Beach
area homes form this era include modest bungalows or
cottages.
Homes from the 1900 to 1909
decade are rare and are seldom on the
market. Cities with reasonable numbers of 1900 to 1909 homes include Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden
Grove, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Orange,
San Clemente, Santa Ana, and Tustin.
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1910 to
1919 |
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Homes in the
1910s were still largely of the two story Craftsman style, but
the more economical single story Craftsman cottage or
"bungalow" version was also very popular. A
few of the larger Craftsman homes also had basements. Many
of the homes from this decade were not originally built with a
garage, due to the lack of automobiles during this period.
Most were later retrofitted with stand-alone garages in the
rear of the home.
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1920 to
1929 |
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By the 1920s, the prominent home
style constructed during the 1920s was the
still the modest Craftsman style bungalow. This was a smaller,
more economical version of the original Craftsman and was
characterized by a gabled roof, posts or columns, and an inviting
front porch. Also popular in much of Orange County during the 1920s were homes of the Spanish Revival,
Mediterranean, and Mission
design. These houses featured stucco exteriors, red tile roofs,
and arched
details. In San Clemente, many homes of this era were
designed by city founder Ole Hanson and were of Spanish
design.
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1930 to
1939
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In Orange
County during the 1930s, the construction of the earlier
Craftsman styled homes had abated in favor of modest cottages
and bungalows designed with Spanish, Mediterranean,
Mission, and even Tudor influences. Many
beach area custom houses and cottages with varying styles were
constructed in Laguna Beach and in Newport Beach. These stood
apart from inland 1930s homes, as many were
crafted with distinct Traditional, Cape Cod, Colonial, and
Victorian influences. In San Clemente, additional
Spanish style homes and cottages designed by Ole Hanson were
constructed.
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1940 to
1949 |
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Many
houses constructed during the World War II era
are very simple in design. The high post-war housing demand
meant that homes had to be built quickly and inexpensively. Many
houses built during this era are small,
rectangular structures with a simple pitched roof. Though they
are small and of simple construction, they are
generally inexpensive and are great as starter homes, for
first time home buyers, and for investors as rental
properties. Also,
because they are smaller, many 1940s properties are less expensive to restore.
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Next - Search by
price, by city, and vintage homes statistics
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Thank you for
visiting my Orange County vintage homes web page! Vintage,
turn-of-the-century, lots, and historical homes for sale in OC are an
endangered species, due to the County's re-development efforts. I hope that you will
treasure these homes as
much as I do and that as a homeowner, you will endeavor to preserve, protect,
and restore your unique property. Each one of these properties
is a small piece of Orange County history!
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