Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1916 — HOME TOWN HELPS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME TOWN HELPS

WORTH KEEPING IN MIND Some “Don’t" for the Consideration of Those Who Are Planning Building of House, If you are planning to build a house, whether it be for your own occupancy or for rent or sale,remember there are many things which should be omitted in the planning. Some of these are enumerated in the following don’ts:" Don’t, in the plumbing of the bathroom closet, permit the use of other than a gas-proof metal to metal connections with the soil pipe. Don’t, in planning your home grounds, forget that there is one form only of imitation that is safe — the imitation of nature. Don’t, if you are building in the country, think that you cannot have an electric equipment. Private electric light and power plants are quite within reach of even the moderate-sized purse, and furnish abundant light and current for the modern household appliances. Don’t forget that wall board is a very good substitute for lath and plaster, and that fractures which often occur in walls of plaster are not possible where this material is used. Don’t forget that you can make the back entrance to the new house quite as attractive as the front entrance. Don’t, when planning the fireplace, fall to remember that good taste is expressed in a simple mantel designed according to the architecture of the house. Don’t forget that mirrors, in addition to fulfilling their utilitarian purposes of reflecting objects, help architecture. Don't fail to allow for plenty of windows in the kitchen. This makes for cheer as well as for ventilation. Don’t waste space inside the wardrobe closets; utilize every inch. Poles for hangers may be placed very high for one-piece frocks, lower ones for boats and skirts, and underneath these drawers or shelves to take care of the boots, slippers and hats. Don’t, in planning for the windows in the sleeping room, ignore the possibilities of a casement window placed very high above the head of the bed. This solves quite satisfactorily the problem of an additional window, and in appearance is most pleasing. Don’t plan for single doors between the living rooms and the hall. Wide openings give an air of spaciousness and a hospitable effect not possible to obtain with a single door. Don’t forget that a beamed ceiling not only looks more durable than a ceiling, of plaster, but that it is so. The more exposed timbers there are in the interior the longer will be the life of the house. Plaster retards the action of the air upon wood, and this causes decay.