The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-21
Ladies' Home Journal.

all have to offer is a few words of advice to
the inexperienced, which, in the case of those
who have become addicted to the house build
ing 'habt' $50 it may be described, for it has
chains which hold the victim DOWN will surely
be superfuous, though even they may find in
what have to say reinforced truth. 1t is
"habit," this of house-building, for, by com
mon testimony any one who builds once,
however disappointing that experience may be,
will certainly build again.
First, then, as to the architect and contractor.
Beware of those ''ready-made'' plans which.
are so familiar on the news-stands, and which
convey the impression that dignified colonial
mansion of eleven or twelve rooms, or many
gabled "Queen Anne villa can be erected in
first-class manner for thirty-five hundred or.
four thousand dollars. That is invariably a.
delusion and snare. A shell of the poorest
material may be erected to resemble the ex-
terror, but if such a plan were carried out in
fairly substantial, though not extrazagant
manner, 1t would cost at least fifty-fve hun
dred or six thousan d dollars
few years ago an architectural journal
offered several prizes for designs of cottages
suitable for persons of good ia ste and moder-
ate means. The cost of the complete house
was stipulated to be three thousand dollars.
Many charming designs were sent in and
printed, and innumbeable cases of house.
building fever may be attributed to their ap-
pearance. Who could look upon the daintily-
penciled conceptions of stwindow-seats. -
"ingle-nooks," and ''cosy-corners'' without
wanting to have such a jewel-box for them
selves? Here were quaint little loaded win
dows, tiled fire-places, iutted and wreathed
after the colonial fashion: easy, unfatiguing
stairs, with seat midway in the flight What
refinement! What comfort What visions
OF solace and repose What independence
and luxury after the airless confinement of
the clearinghouse, or the narrow, honeycomb
cells OF The city fiat And all this for three
Thousand dollars Though the architects
were allowed to do their own figuring on the
cost, there was hardly one design the accom-
pany1ng estimate for which did not exceed the
stipulated limit, and the first prize was awarded
1or cottage estimated to cost thirty-three
hundred dollars. l believe that the bouse
was actually built for this sum- but it must be
remembered that it was very small, the room
averaging less than twelve feet by twelve.
Moreover there was no loaded glass in # no
Walnscoting, except in the bathroom: no
II 1t was sail complete for that amount. the
architect and builder would say eyes," but 1,
understanding the term in different sense
from them, would say, ''No." According to
their Ideas complete house does not include
gas-nxtures or paper-hangings. The cost of
these has to be added to the contract price.
and such necessaries as window-shades, win
doW-screens, Weather-strips, and double win
doWs Tor winter, are also classed as ssextras ),
very often the grading of the lot is unprovided
Tor IN the contract, ard that is an item more
or less serious, according to the surroundings
of your land.
Conhdlng and gentle reader, do not let YOUR
simplicity be imposed upon, but take the
word OF one who has learned from sad ex-
perience that tasteful ten-roomed house
cannot be completed for less than six or seven
thousand dollars exclusive of the land.
II you are prepared to spend this sum YOU
VIII still have to guard against luxuries, such
as plate-giass windows, hardwood wainscot-
ing, and many decorative features with which
your architect will tempt you. They are in
Guided gratuitously in sketches of interiors,
put not IN any other way. And you will still
nave 10 possess your soul in patience and be
prepared TO wait for your house month or
TWO beyond the time assigned in your con-
tract for, whether they are honest and COM
petent or not, all contractors seem to have an
lndWelling demon of delay which casts out
conscience.
The next thing is to advise against begin
ming to build until he has mastered every de-
tail OF the plans. 1t will be we'll for him to
spend many hours poring over them, and to
picture IN his minds eye the position of every
door, window, and closet. He should see that
the registers, or radiators, are in the places
pest adapted for them; that the gas pipes
are at proper height from the floor, and that
The windows are advantageously arranged. If
The house is small one he may even have to
see that the proportions of the chambers will
allow space for bedsteads. These are matters
which the architect might be expected to look
out for, but in pursuing beautiful idea the
architect, If he is of the artistic temperament.
frequently loses sight of such practical de-
tails. Especially should the prospective
builder study the plans for chimneys and
hues, remembering that smoke will not turn a
corner. The most delightful feature of a
house may be its open fre-places, but through
detective construction they may be changed
into the greatest nuisances Errors in the
construction of the fues are frequent, though
little forethought would avert them. At
every point the scrutiny Of the owner is neces-
sary.
Almost too much is expected from the
architect Generally, he is not only the de-
signer OF the house, but the superintendent of
the building. In order to be successful in the