Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 November 1912 — IDEAS FOR HOME BUILDERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IDEAS FOR HOME BUILDERS

Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and give advice FUSE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to th« subject of building, for the readers of this paper. On account of his wide experience as Editor, Author and Manufacturer, he is, without doubt, the highest authority on all these subjects. Address all inquiries to William A. Radford, No. ITS West Jackson boulevnrd, Chicago, 111., and only enclose two-cent stamp for reply.

Although the house here shown Is not large, being 28 feet \yide and 48 feet, 6 Inches long, It gives the observer the Impression of largeness. It is an excellent type of residence for a city In which the lots average 50 feet, a size that will admit of room for a lawn and plenty of space for light and air. A house thus set out amid pleasant surroundings will have all the good points of Its design fully appreciated and displayed to the best advantage. The tendency In the city is toward crowding, on account of the increasing value' of land, of course. This is to be regretted because when lots are too narrow houses cannot be shown to good advantage, no matter what the excellence and artistic qualities of their design may be. Fifty foot lots are large enough to meet most builders' requirements, but in many cities, as in Chicago, for instance, the rule is 35 feet. This disadvantage Is often made greater by the owner’s insistence on a very large house, or by an arrangement of the rooms that requires that the building be wide. Too often the residence is suited to the builder’s demands rather than to

the lot and Its surroundings. Houses of this sort usually have several dark rooms and often are not well ventilated. In a great many cases they are not much better than apartments. Of course,, this difficulty might be avoided by making one fairly large lot of two small ones, but frequently the builder does not feel that he can afford a second lot, and he often further objects to the keeping of a large lawn. But to the normal man the lawn Is the chief joy of the home. The alternative is usually to adapt the house to the lot, to sacrifice some desired feature of the interior arrangements, or even a room or two, in order to attain the really essential light and air. Now the house here shown is adapted to a lot of small size, and yet there will be plenty of room for light and air. It is especially suited for a west frontage, giving the sunshine to all the bedrooms and shade to the living room, the dining-room and the kitchen. And every housewife will agree that a shady kitchen is one of the greatest comforts imaginable. This is a frame cottage or bunga-

low. The exterior might be treated with rough boards and stained, or cement plaster might be used. It all depends where the house 1b to be built as to the exterior finish. The front porch is 25 feet by 6 feet, 6 lnohes. Entering the house you pass into a vestibule which opens into the living room and also into the front bedroom. The bedrooms, of which there are three, are 12 by 10 feet In size. The living room is 14 feet, 8 inches, by 14 feet, and the dining-room to two feet narrower. The kitchen

BY WM.A.RADFORD.

has a length of 14 feet, 0 inches, and a breadth of 11 feet. The total coßt of this complete and cozy little home should not exceed SI,BOO.

Floor Plan.