Evening star., 1915-02-20
SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION
IN SELECTING HOME SITE

When YOU have the choice of several
home sites in the same locality don't
decide between EN- by tossing up a
cent, or take the opinion of a second
cousin. SAYS John r. Mcmahon in the
New York sun.
Also don't fall for too obvious i'm
provements." which the enervatinS city
has made YOU think essential Some
improvements you won't want after
you get hardened up: others YOU can
put in yourself and Greer laugh at
your neiehbors who p pend on gas
companies. water companies and lighting
companies. y little Judgment and a
modest first cost will give any home
maker an absolutely independent system
Of Improvements.
After Il century of large scale coop
erative development our inventors are
restoring to US grandfather's inde-
pendence plus comforts the old gentle
man never dreamed of.
As suggested in choosing general
locality. SO in picking out site II is
a good plan to make list OF your
particular needs in due order and COM
pare ties with your requirements Let
us not he Gazzled with snowy ad-
vantages or repelled by a few healthy
hardships. Five minutes longer walk
to the station may help our clrcula-
kiddies to attend school. If there seems
to be a shortage of neighbors don
worry, neighbors will come and mean
while we may learn to enjoy real soli-
tude.
Don't Grab a Site.
Don't grab a site because it has its
hair parted in the middle, and turn
down better site that is frowsy with
underbrush, rocks and trees. After a
cleanup the frowsy place may become
a marvel of beauty. Rocks and trees
are useful as well as ornamental.
Where nature riots there is chance
to make something. but it is hard to
beautify a bald spot.
would always make first choice of
elevation, view, fair accessibility, ara
BILE ground, a bit of woodland and a
decent aloofness from highways and
neighbors.
After the site is chosen comes the
question of placing the house. We
should here yield two points to public
opinion and reserve eight points for
our own convenience. Public opinion
counts mostly in the chance that some
day we may want to sell. Old Dame
Opinion wants us to devote most of the
space aroud our house to lawn and
to wear out our backs all summer
pushing a lawn mower. Let George do
It. We wise commuters will not try
10 give an imitation of a millionaire $
lawn on our bit of earth. Less grass
and more vegetable less show in front
and more space and fruit trees behind.
one honest fruit tree IS better than an
acre of useless sod. Speaking of trees,
II looks picturesque to have them over
spread your house, but ii is more hy-
gienfc and desirable in every way to
keep them fifty feet distant Thus you
get air and sunlight, avoid a leaf lit
tered roof and danger when d tree
comes down in a storm.
House Should Set Back.
A house should be set back well from
street or road to avoid noise and dust.
II should not be too close to a neigh
bor's line in view of future buildings
which may shut off the scenery OF
otherwise affect the site. Also il is
safer to keep off the boundary on the
chance that the line should be found
inaccurate. Houses have been moved
bodily because they were found to en-
croach few inches on a neighbor $
property. a good margin of safety is
desira Bile.
Natural drainage and grading are i'm
portant items to be settled in advance
\ site otherwise very eligible may re
quire costly drainage and grading. Ii
g well 70 consult some one who knows