9 



may be at an angle to the road rather than parallel with it. However, this dis- 

 cussion of the cottage home is not intended to imply that principles for its plan- 

 ning may be laid down with the same definiteness as were the rules governing the 

 planning of city homes. In fact, quite the contrary is true, for in the country 

 one is freer to make the most of his situation and to indulge his own taste. It 

 may be possible for one to generalize in a description of the cottage home, but 

 principles for its planning must consist largely of exceptions to statements in the 

 foregoing chapters. In general, it may be said that all that contributes to the 

 suitable character of the property is good. But every situation and every ex- 

 ample must be a law unto itself. 



A garage and the other necessary small buildings should be connected with the 

 house, in order to be accessible and convenient. Whether under the same roof 

 as the house, or merely connected with it by means of architectural features, such 

 as fences, arbors, or sheltered walks, the grouping of outbuildings and their 

 connection with the house may be made very attractive. Roof lines may be 

 drawn out to cover one-story appendages, and the long, horizontal lines of a 

 house may thus be effectively emphasized. Moreover, outbuildings may be 

 more or less connected and arranged to surround a courtyard, with a covered 

 passage through them or with an arbor around their outside. The necessary 

 activities within the house and in the yard should be simplified, whether or not 

 one expects to keep numerous help, and the outbuildings required for supplies, 

 water, or lighting equipment, workshop, garage, or livestock should all be closely 

 related to the house. It should not be necessary to go outdoors in the perform- 

 ance of household duties. The garage, especially, should have a direct conneo- 

 tion with the house. Many old farm house's in the East have interesting arrange- 

 ments of their sheds and other outbuildings, but the arrangement of these struc- 

 tures about a courtyard is peculiar to the South and to southern countries. In 

 hot climates, stone-paved courtyards, with or without arbors, are the scene of 

 many household activities, and are also attractive as architectural features. 

 In connection with a cottage home, its usefulness justifies the existence of a 

 courtyard. The cottage, with all its necessary structures, should combine to 

 form an interesting and picturesque group. If the general scheme here suggested 

 for the buildings is followed, and if they are located near the public road, it will 

 be possible to place the garage at the edge of, or very near, the highway, thereby 

 saving road area as well as escaping the difficulty usually caused by the heavy 

 snows in the northern section of the country. 



The important outdoor features to be accommodated in the cottage property 

 are: gardens for flowers, gardens for vegetables, or gardens combining flowers 

 with fruits and vegetables, a small lawn, a service area, and possibly orchards 

 and meadows. The arrangement of these principal outdoor areas and the plan 

 for the first floor of the cottage are quite interdependent, but as a rule there are no 

 exterior conditions that limit the formulation of general plans. In short, one is 

 without restrictions, and may make the most of the conditions to be found on any 

 particular lot; and, however he may interpret these in the light of his own ideas, 

 the result will be as good as it is pleasing and practical. If a high and dense border 

 is made along the highway, the presence of the road does not affect the arrange- 

 ment. Therefore, a garden or a lawn, or even an orchard, may as well occupy 

 the space ordinarily called the front yard, because there is no area corresponding 



