Some of us pass good looking homes every day that pique our interest. We want to know more about the people who live there, how they achieved their “made-you-look” style and how the house looks inside. A nearby neighbor suggested the American Press find out more about such a home on Monticello Street near McNeese State University in Lake Charles.

From its low-pitched gable roof, exposed rafters, decorative beams, beautiful stone column bases and wide, welcoming porch, this home offers all the detail of the American Craftsman bungalow. Bungalows began appearing in neighborhoods early in the 20th century. This one, however, was built starting in 2008. Kathy Gardiner and Mark Hebert moved in, in early 2009.

The couple decided on the home design partly by driving through Houston Heights. This is one of Houston’s historic home areas where bungalows and other architectural styles popular in the early 1900s are found in abundance.

“We hadn’t been married long when we decided to build,” Gardiner said. “Mark had a place in Bell City, and I had a place on University, but I wanted to be closer to town.”

Gardiner said she would have preferred an all-wood exterior, but like most people, the couple was on a budget. To allow for their list of must-have details, they opted for high-quality vinyl siding installed by experts.

“I just like natural materials, and it would have been keeping with the Craftsman style to use all wood on the outside and more wood on the inside,” Gardiner said.

Gardiner did insist on real wood windows and trim, which gives the structure a more refined, Craftsman look.

SADE Construction blacked in the approximately 1,600-square-foot house. Because the smart use of space and wise choice in furnishings, the house appears to be much roomier. It has two bedrooms, two baths, a bonus room, an office and the open concept living, kitchen and dining area.

Gardiner and Hebert did much of the finish work.

“Mark took the outside and I was in charge of the inside,” Gardiner said. “He did the porch, the landscaping, planted the trees and cut each rafter.”

Exposed rafters with a detailed design are a feature of the bungalow and a way that early craftsman demonstrated their skill and creativity.

Other characteristics of the home reminiscent of the Craftsman bungalow style are the large tapered columns supported by natural stone, the open floor plan and the use of organic color/paint.

Gardiner said if she could change one thing about the inside, she would have added a kitchen pantry.

An artist, Gardiner loves to collect. She has used her skills to display the things that might have been in a pantry with great success. The everyday, items of interest, keepsakes and vintage purchases are carefully curated.

“I’ve been collecting for a long time,” she said. “I guess my interior style looks country cottage, Every time I de-clutter, I go to a flea market and re-collect. I buy what I like and hope it works together.

It does. Her collectible du jour is Jadite.

On the walls are a few framed vintage covers from Broadway musical numbers. One of these, “Are You With It,” was produced in the early 1940s.

“Mark found out that one of the producers, James W. Gardiner, was related,” Gardiner said.

A console table top in the living room is decoupaged with vintage sheet music. She painted the living room accent pillows with lines from Beetles’ songs.

“I love making things and I ‘m always into something,” she said.

A few sentimental items are displayed, including some small unusually shaped stemware.

“My father worked for Shetler Lincoln Mercury and was always winning trips,” Gardiner said. “He and my mother were on one of these trips and were dining in Italy. My mother admired those glasses and my father asked if he could buy them for her.”

The wooden Billie Jean King tennis racket is the one Gardiner used to learn to play tennis. It hangs on the wall. Antique cameras are displayed in a screened pie safe. Movie tickets are stuffed in an old metal top Ball jar. She has collected feathers since she was a girl.

“I wished I would have started collecting the tickets when I was younger,” she said.

One of the keepsakes in the house immediately draws the attention of most visitors. It is an antique all-wood chopping block table/kitchen island which belonged to Gardiner’s mother, the late Betty Gardiner.

“She had an antique store on Alamo Street years ago, Gardiner said. “That’s where it came from, originally.”

Floors and shades are bamboo. The bathroom has a small flat screen TV and a large soaking tub. One wall holds photos from Bermuda, which is where Gardiner’s mother was born.

When Gardiner was asked what makes her house a home, she said she was tempted to overthink it. Instead, she answered:

“It’s pretty simple. Family, friends, dogs, cats, a lot of laughs and food,” she said. “Oh, and cheese dip is always expected.”

Kathy Gardiner and Mark Hebert moved into this home near McNeese State University in early 2009. (Special to the American Press)