Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-11-28


Daring all Of the winter months previous to
the time when they would build in tho spring
many sketches are made in laborious way
Of the floor plans of the house that is 10 be.
Finally the net result is banded TO a builder
or an architect. more frequently the former,
e. most houses are built without professional
services. The figures from the builder come
in and are very much higher than was ex-
pected- 1t Is quite shOck. for certainly
there is nothing there that they can well do
without; everything has been thought Of 20
much Nothing that their house contains ap-
pears to them To BE- loss than a matter Of
necessity. Other builders are asked to figure
with results little more satisfactory. In the end
there must be a compromise The builder
and the owner both Weld. and as a result
very satisfactory house Is built. There are
little Things which they would have diff
ferent, but in the main the house is salts
factory.
This is the universal experience and the
eject upon the domestic architecture of this
country has been very pronounced. We can
now get a better house for given sum OF
money than ever before Better not only as
90 general construction but as well on
on account Of the external appearance and
the convenience Of its internal arrangements.
One may get more Of what are regarded Us
the little conveniencies which mean 50 much
10 the housekeeper. This is not altogether
the result OF the lower prices Of material and
labor which 90 10 make a house. but is us
well on account Of the skin which has been
developed in planning and arranging build
inSs with reference 70 economy of space and
cost of general construction. The planning
OF houses has undergone revolution within
a few years past, and instead of having the
long narrow halls at the side and in the mid
die OF the house and the long halls and mar
row passages through the upper floors, all of
which WAS ugly and inconvenient, we
now have the same area thrown i'll a
large square hall, so as TO be available
as a room with a stairway at one side i'm
mediately adjacent 10 1t. 1t may be known
that chimne-. stacks are quite expensive.
For this reason an effort mas been made to
group them 50 that one may be made to
snswer for a number Of rooms, and the sue
cess with which efforts in this direction has
been attended has been wonderful indeed The
modern floor plan Is altogether different from
that Of the past; it Is more convenient and
less expensive to build, and, as said before
this is largely the result of the controversy
between the owner, who has ideas larger than
his pocket book, and the architect or
builder, who exercises his ingenuity to bring
the ideas and the money together.
The floor plans here given are of an eight
room house and are fairly representative of
the ideas above expressed The general
form, it will be seen, Is square. Ii is a two
story house with reception hall, parlor,
dining room, kitchen, china closet, pantry
and stair hall on the first floor There are
three chambers. the servants bed room, the
bath room and a communicating hall on the
second floor. The first floor is 10 feet
inches high and the second . feet inches
from the second floor there is stairway
going to the attic which is large and roomy
and which NAV have various uses. The
cellar is feet high, and is well lighted by
having the joist set well up from the grade
line. There may be a laundry here, and
separated from it by a door we may have
coal cellar and furnace room. As we ap-
proach the house there is first, n broad
porch Of abor; feet in width and II feet in
aength At 4. slight additional expense, say
$50 TO $50, this porch might b. extended
-aoross the entire front. Before reaching the
front door there is a small veStibule arranged
with or without storm doors, may be
..,Susus .CcslrIn.v. II i ihc exp 'rlrnoe II
tie wTft7T thai storm doors are = lIom used.
The distinct i've feature nG this L"I~e l. the
hail which j. large "uuUrL, Il feet inches
BY - feet. 10 lc u-cd as Il sitting room. In
the front part OF ILi- haI, AND at the right
as we enter. Is a window seat and n broad
window in front, and immediately ahove
it, as will he rofir0d; this is slightly
separated from the maIn room hy the small
pilasterS or castings on each side. lnmcdiate-
ly in front of the doorway there Is CRATE
and mantel set in one corner ol the room
There are large doorways, five feet vide,
leading into sne stair hall Immediately back
of this roDuz and into the parlor at the left as
we enter. In this case there are merely door
openings portieras or curtains taking the
place Of the ordinary doors. Siding doors
might be used in addition to the curtains and
thus hsva tho s5rantR1es of both curtains