The New York herald., 1922-04-16

Unfortunately the average small house
of moderate cost in this country Is very
poorly designed and there is no diff
Guilty In tracing this state of affairs
back to its major cause. Moderate COS.
means limited expenditure and that In
turn means skimping on essentials. such
as quality of material and excellence OF
design. In order to have home at
all the man of slender means thinks II
Is necessary to economize and to curtaf
He thinks that 1t is the part Of economy
to do without the services Of an arch'-
tect and will often balk a. paying for
proper plans or expert advice on the
theory that such things are iuxuries
which have no other tangible effect than
to add to his financial burdens. He
learns his mistake sooner or later. but
IN the meantime one more unit has been
added to the sum total of Americas
architectural evils. Usually, too. his
attempt to save Is a boomerang to his
purse-it results in his paying out large
sums for repairs made necessary by In
ferior materials and poor workmanship
This condition is rapidly changing.
however, because Of the extensive edu.
cation of the public along structural and
architectural lines. Architectural pubii-
ations and even newspapers have done
effective work In this direction and thei"
efforts have been supplemented, or
rather amplfied, by the own your own
home propaganda which swept the
country during the housing shortage
Persons who had been merely passively
interested in literature on good housing
assumed much more personal attitude
when they found 1t necessary to build,
or buy or else live in the park. Thus
stern necessity nourished the seed OF in
telectual interest.
With so much attention concentrated
on the design and construction of the
small home it is little wonder that arc5i-
tectural beauty is no longer the prerog-
ative OF the wealthy man who can pour
food of gold into the construction OF
his mansion in the country. 1t is ar
actual fact to-day that small house
of modest cost can be as we'll planned,
as conveniently arranged and as hor.-
estly constructed as a more pretentious
dwelling But this entails the necessity
Of proper advice, and this can only De
obtained through consultation with one
who has gained his knowledge in actua.
practice. The services of an architect
are the safest guide to follow In home
building.
In designing the small home one OF
the most important considerations is to
know what to omit for the sake of rea-
sonable economy. In this respect some
sections of the country have advanced
more rapidly than others. In certain
districts building standards are lower
and are not even exacting in the details
of refinement and comfort. New Eng
land probably leads the country in the
maintenance OF high building Ideals. On
the whole, however. the building OF a
house should be very simple matter II
care is used In the selection OF the
site. planning and choice of architectural
style and the quality of materials usec.
Furnishing and decorating are equally
essential TO the making OF worth while
home but they are matters OF future
consideration.
In the house shown here the front
hall measures 10 feet s inches by 10
feet 8 inches, painted cream white, with
n low panelled wainscot and the walls
above laid off in panels formed oy
mouldings. The staircase Is very pleas
ing with its slender balusters and
ramped mahogany rail. Under the stairs
Is a coat closet and lavatory. Through
an arched entrance at the end OF the