6 



days of long ago, open on to narrow paths that lead to those ancient 

 structures, the village homes of England, changeless objects amid a 

 changing world. 



Cottage homes in the open country rather than in villages will be discussed 

 first, as these allow greater freedom for planning and are thus more suitable for 

 study. In a general way, the scheme of arrangement for the main rooms of a 

 house and for the principal outdoor areas cannot vary greatly in small homes, as 

 the fundamental principles of arrangement necessarily remain the same insofar 

 as the homes are used similarly, and regardless of whether they are in the city or 

 in the country. If they are used differently, or if physical conditions change 

 radically, as, for example, the climates of various sections, sometimes do, then 

 plans will have to be changed accordingly and to afford the requisite convenience. 

 Such changes, however, will, for the most part, deal only with details. Also, 

 plans should aim to ameliorate the rigors of a climate while at the same time allow- 

 ing the greatest enjoyment of life in any climate. Good planning aims to make 

 the most of the physical conditions of any situation, as, for example, the planning 

 for space was found very important in the arrangement of small city lots. As 

 city lots are comparatively limited in size and usually narrower than is desirable, 

 they are always more difficult to plan than country lots. Plans for houses should 

 invariably be correlated with the plans for the land which is adjacent to them, 

 under all conditions and in all situations, but in a city one must also in a measure 

 correlate his plans and make them conform to the customs of the street and even 

 to those of the neighborhood, and must as well, take into consideration the con- 

 ditions on adjoining properties. In the open country, the nearest houses are 

 usually too far away to require consideration. For a certainty one has greater 

 liberty in planning a home in the country; nevertheless, in the fundamentals of 

 planning and in the determination of the relationships between the more import- 

 ant elements of the scheme, he will find many helpful suggestions in the fore- 

 going chapters. 



Undoubtedly country homes afford greater liberty for planning, and further- 

 more, there is assurance of a greater degree of success. It is not always possible 

 to enclose a city yard sufficiently to hide all the unsightly objects on adjoining 

 lots; and even if surrounding homes are attractively planned, it is difficult to 

 achieve more than a limited degree of privacy. One must start by allowing 

 space for high and dense borders, and then time and care will be necessary for 

 these to reach maturity and before any interesting development can be attained 

 in the yard. In city lots one starts with no assets but rather with many handi- 

 caps, while in the country he has few if any difficulties to overcome, and if he 

 has chosen his site carefully, he may even start with the growth of years already 

 accomplished and with existing conditions full of interest and suggestion and 

 only awaiting development. 



In some respects one finds, in the open country, conditions quite the opposite of 

 those in the city, and, in fact, some that even demand a reversal of some of the 

 aforesaid principles of planning. In contrast with the closely built-up con- 

 ditions in cities, the surroundings of a country lot are open. Even old woods, 

 consisting of tall trees and with little undergrowth, such as those that have been 

 pastured, appear open. In fact, if a lot in the country is surrounded by fields, 

 pastures, or old woodlands, these conditions seem open in comparison with a 



