Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-15
PLANNING SMALL HOUSE
more DIFFICULT Task
Not a. Easy to Design a. IArgm
Structures, Says
Writer.

and builders, that every man strives to
build q larger home than he can afford.
Even the man who builds q three-room
bungalow goes into debt before the home
IL complete in order to have 1t little
better than he might get along with for
q while. at least The man who with
out persuasion from his architect vol
unfairly decides to see how small he
can build q home and have II all his
needs would be a curiosity to the average
builder or architect, according to a writer
in tho Pittsburgh Gazette Times.
The planning OF a small home is more
dimcult than the planning OF a larger
one to meet the requirements OF the same
family. Not because the arrangement
cannot b a. convenient. for anything
built on . large scale can be built on a
small scale. within certain reason
able minimum. but because the average
person has an exaggerated idea as TO
how much room he needs for living pur-
poses
When sitting In the parlor, with two
or three friends, the actual space that
10 taken up together with the usual parior
furniture Is not considerable: when the
dining room Is openly connected with
the parlor, tho effect of distance pre-
vents o cramped or stuny appearance.
Ten Feet Minimum Width.
In the dining room. Of course, the sise
Of tho table. together with the fact that
. passage must be maintained around the
outside OF the seated guests. establishes
| q ten-foot minimum for the least dimen-
| sion The dining room should be made
a little longer than its narrowest dimen-
| sion to permit extension OF the table on
| special occasions. This extra length In
| often obtained by projecting a bay,
which. when properly designed. adds to
the attractiveness both. within and with
| out
Some people think they simply cannot
| get along without den. The writer
admits that he Is one of those people
| A little place. even IL not more than five
| feet wide. in which to study, write. read.
| or converse privately is always a con-
| venient accessory. Placing a comfort
able couch In 1t makes an extra bedroom
| on special occasions. In n small home.
| however, this space can be distributed
between the other rooms and one OF the
bedrooms furnished to take Its place.
\ The number OF chambers is. OF course.
| established by the number In the Family
| and the number of expected guests.
A fireplace is always a splendid thing
| In any home, for its cheerfulness and the
heat 1t affords on mild winter days, as
| well as being a splendid vent lator at all
| times, but 1t Is expensive. and takes UP
| altogether too much room for a small
home 1t should. therefore. be omitted,
| together with such desirable but unneces-
| eary Injuries as a first-foor toilet room,
large pantry and conservatory.
Two Stories Best Height.
For the best appearance a homo Of
small dimensions should not be full two
stories high. Making the height OF the
nrst story not over feet increases the
size of the rooms in appearance ano
makes It unnecessary to project the Sec
oud story quite SO high into the air.
While It must be admitted that a slant In
the bedroom ceiling is not the most 90
sirable thing. still, when the slant start,
not lower than 81 feet or feet from tne
floor, Il 10 not in the way OF bedroom wal
furniture, and does not interfere WIZ
i head room, even at 81 feet, for no one
stands or walks against the wall l.
| When the slanted part OF the celHng y
1 insulated properly from the weather ano
the room is properly ventilated. It Goes
1 not make the room either hotter or coio,
er; in fact, It requires lutte less neal
radiation in winter. :. 4,
From an investment stanopoint II -
taining a SUFFICIENT number of rooms ano
ali modern conveniences sell better ano
at larger profits in proportion to the , ~,
| vestment than larger or more eon,Ls
Il sosnaa which would indicate that tins
svarare homebui.der would be conten'
Nth rooms not quite so large as he thinks
is necessary when planning a home II ne
could only see home in every oInel
way meeting his requirements, with ,oons
lust iarse enough to be practical sno
| homelike.