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lawns and gardens successful which are the least shadowed by the house. It is 

 quite possible to plan interesting out door courtyards and gardens of limited 

 extent, but most schemes may be improved by more space and more sunlight. 

 Only by careful study of plans for gardens or gardenlike features can the precise 

 amount of space necessary be determined, and a wise apportionment made be- 

 tween the garden side and the service side of the property. 



It is usually possible, and of course always desirable, to reserve the largest 

 open space for rear lawns. In case no special side-yard features are wanted, 

 this space may be incorporated with the rear. The area necessary for a garage, 

 a clotheb yard, vegetable gardens, and the like, should be carefully and compactly 

 planned and limited in amount in order to save as much as possible for the rear 

 lawn. As has already been stated, this open space should appear to be the 

 largest open &pace on the property. It is not necessary to devote this yard all 

 to a lawn; instead, it may include a tennis court, an orchard, or some similar 

 variation. But an informal effect and breadth of scenery are to be striven for 

 in the development of this yard. It may be a beautiful thing in itself, but it is 

 primarily a setting for the varied recreational activities of an entire family. 

 The rear yard is the only opportunity on a small property for the expression of 

 extent of scene, and it is here that extent can be made most evident and most 

 useful. 



The elevation of a house with respect to the grade of the yard has an important 

 influence on the circulation, indoors and out, and its appearance also depends 

 on correct elevations. The effect of a more spacious yard may be obtained by 

 setting the house low on the ground. Grade lines about houses are matters of 

 the design of each individual house. In some cases high first floors are to be 

 desired, but these are more likely to be in keeping with larger houses. There 

 are instances where high first floors are not desirable but necessary, and under 

 these circumstances it is possible to disguise the excessive difference between 

 the outside grade and the inside floor level. In small, unpretentious houses, it is 

 usually best to keep the first floor level very near that of the ground, that is, 

 from 12 to 24 inches above it; and under ordinary circumstances there are 

 no practical difficulties involved in such an arrangement. The outside aspect of 

 a house set low is far more pleasing, and from the inside one sees the yard and the 

 gardens in a more intimate relation. The difference between the first-floor 

 level and the outside grade need not be the same on all sides of a house. The 

 grade line on each side should be determined by the design of the house and in 

 accordance with the grade conditions of the lot or of proposed changes. How- 

 ever, in regard to both appearances and convenience, requirements as to grade 

 will vary on the several sides of a house. On the front, or entrance side, the 

 house may properly appear to stand a little higher out of the ground than it 

 should on the sides adjoining the lawns or gardens, where a more intimate re- 

 lation should exist between the gardens and the windows and doors of the living 

 rooms. Sometimes it is desirable to express some formality about tjie main 

 entrance, and five or six steps at the front door may then look well. For the 

 sake of convenience the steps at a kitchen door should be few. More important 

 than all these considerations, however, is the connection between the living rooms 

 and the private area. The nearer the outside and the inside elevations can be 

 brought together, and still be consistent with practical considerations, the better. 



