The Livable House 



conflict with this consideration because, generally speaking, the 

 south and east offer the greatest amount of desirable light. It fol- 

 lows that a house on the south or west side of a street would have 

 to face toward the rear or side of its lot in order to capture a 

 maximum of light and air; but this is not the heretic suggestion 

 it would have been considered in the days when back doors were 

 unfeignedly back doors and, as such, neglected to the point of 

 ugliness. Nowadays a service court, walled or hedged round 

 about, has its own charm, and is very often on the street side of 

 the house in order to leave the living rooms free to face a fine 

 view or a flower garden. Which moves the fifth point, — the pos- 

 sible garden site, up to second place, and I am not sure but that 

 it deserves an earlier consideration than my efforts to treat it im- 

 partially first accorded it. 



Generally speaking, a southern or southwestern exposure is best 

 for the flower garden — and, if the house has been wisely planned 

 and placed, one or more of the main rooms will give on such an 

 exposure, so as to make the garden enjoyable immediately from 

 the house. 



No garden should be built where it will come in the way of a 

 distant view, but should lie rather where it may be walled round 

 by the house and some natural boundary, such as a wood or a hill; 

 seen in connection with any great distance the garden grows in- 

 significant; it must be treated as an outdoor room, with outdoor 

 walls to give it scale and importance, and that close, intimate 

 feeling which is part of a garden's charm.; House and garden 

 ought to be considered simultaneously, and such a position on the 



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