304 HOW TO MAKE A COUNTRY PLACE 



Veneered beauty soon vanishes, green wood shrinks, poorly 

 flashed chimneys, valleys, and balconies leak, thin walls and hastily 

 laid floors echo, and insecure nailings gap the result, King Moisture 

 comes into his own. 



Hidden Basic Construction. 



Hidden basic construction is too often flimsy and even 

 the simplest domestic requirements ignored, the builder relying on an 

 effective, decorative composition to conceal errors which should not 

 occur in the most modest dwelling. I have noted within a month 

 fireproof and semi-fireproof public buildings, and also what would be 

 called a superior dwelling one, a city hall with wooden studded 

 and lathed partitions, another a costly library building, with wooden 

 cornices, entrance, and ornaments; an expensive brick school house 

 with flat, leaky shingle roof, a high class English stone house with 

 wooden roof with interior and other exterior appointments 

 and effects that are glaring errors, to be recognized and criticized by 

 the veriest tyro in architecture. Even after a fine house is built on 

 some magnificent site poor landscaping and an unnecessary network 

 of walks and paths may blemish the entire conception. 



It is a reef-strewn channel into which the optimistic amateur 

 builder has boldly and recklessly headed his craft. It behooves him 

 to have an expert pilot at the wheel, and a first class architect's advice 

 and guidance is worth many times its cost. 



Horses vs. Houses. 



Standardizing points in houses is as essential as scheduling points 

 in horses, and he who achieves the one hundred per cent, striven 

 for a goal yet unattained has reached the alembic of ideal housing. 

 Among thousands of addenda a few essentials stand out in relief 

 after location, material, form and method of construction are settled. 

 These are pronouncedly seen in window, door, fireplace, staircase, 

 height of each story, and harmony of color treatment even blinds 

 are inanimates to grapple with and conquer. Color within and 

 without, as seen in roof exterior, window frame and soffit, or interior 

 wall, ceiling, floor, trim, and stair, has much to do with the beauty of 

 the house, and requires an artistic touch. 



How to Face and Back a House. 



The proper angle of the foundation to fit the site is a vital 

 problem. Some rooms can be easily planned to corral the sun all day 

 remembering that "where the sun does not come the doctor does." 

 Such rooms are life memories. Neither kitchen nor stable yard 

 should mar the view nor offensively saturate southwest breezes. Plan 

 and build so that when more faces peer over the edge of your dining 

 table and wider acquaintance knocks at your door you can make the 

 inevitable additions beautiful, rather than ugly. Madame, as a rule, 

 is a better authority on the location of parlor, kitchen, etc., than 



