Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-02
Building Special Homes on Special Sites
Arthur q Cau.n Archu.c.

When designing a home it has become
customary through habit to consider it as
being for a level city lot. The grade
of the lot is seldom considered az
having anything to do with the
style or designs of the house. much less
debating what that style should be. Still,
It is a fact that the grade of a lot and
its situation with reference to it's surround
ings often has considerable to do with the
planning and designing of 1t. Take, for a
simple example, the mere fact that a house
is on the north, south, east or west side
of the street-this has considerable to do
with the arrangement of the floor plans.
The living room should. of course, in each
case face either east or south, and both
ways If possible. This is why a house fac
ing the north is the hardest to plan. A
house on a corner lot would, of course, be
planned somewhat different than one on
an inside lot, since 1t has an open view on
two streets. A northwest corner lot, Civ
Ing a south and east exposure to the
house, is. therefore, the most desirable
for a city home. The size of the lot, more
especially its width, has considerable to
do with the arrangement of the plan, and
right here the ever-good advice might be
repeated, Never place a good house on a
cheap lot" Pay a little more for your
lot and then wait a year longer II neces-
sary before building. No matter how COM
plete and comfortable you build your home,
you will in time become dissatisfied with
II II the surroundings are not in keeping
with It and your neighbors undressing
No lot should be loss than forty-five feet
wide and fifty feet would be a better
minimum. Be sure the lot is wide enough
to get the house you want on it.
The foregoing remarks apply only to the
level city lot. There is another class Of
lots found in suburban or fine residence
districts, who locations have much to do
with the planning of the home. They can
be conveniently placed in four classes. The
lot which slopes forward to the street, the
lot which has a pronounced slope from one
side to the other, the lot which slopes
downward from the street, and the com
paratively level lot at the top of n hill,
commanding a beautiful outlook over the
city or surrounding country. The hardest
lot to fit a house to of these four situa-
lions is the lot which slopes downward from
the street. Many designers often give up
in despair when trying to design a home
appropriate for their difficult location and
consider the design as being for a level
lot, merely letting tho foundations be visi-
BILE for a greater distance in the rear than
at the front. The problem is not, however,
a difficult one If the owner does not eX-
press a decided pI reference as to what the
style Of the house should be, for a colonial
or gambrel rooted house would never fit a
location of this kim in a becoming man
ner. The style most appropriate is the
English domestic style, for this style can
be more easily varied and manipulated by
a competent designer than any other. The
English have reduced the appropriateness
OF a home to it's location 10 a fine art. and
from them wee can often obtain valuable
suggestions on the proper locations of
homes. An Englishman's home is not alone
the house-it is the house and gardens
he needs no porch. for he lives in his gar
den when out of doors. and both are de-
signed together, each experimenting the
other. For these reasons, an English home
becomes the other two hillsides locations
mentioned, more appropriately than any
other style. When the lot slopes up from
front to rear and the incline is not eX-
IRENE. a colonial home can be placed upon
1t II carefully designed. OF course in each