HOME GROUNDS 159 



TERRACES 



It has sometimes been stated that the archi- 

 tectural lines of the house should be carried out a 

 certain distance by the straight lines of terraces, 

 balustrades, and trimmed hedges. A terrace is 

 really a part of a house and should be designed and 

 built by the architect. If, however, the landscape- 

 gardener is called into consultation with the owner 

 and architect, as he should be, there are several 

 questions to be considered : (a) Will the terrace 

 be useful and serve a purpose which would not be 

 cared for equally well by the ground ? (b) Will 

 the terrace cut off a view of a valley, hillside, or 

 other attractive feature of the landscape as seen 

 from the windows of the room or rooms facing the 

 proposed terrace ? (c) Will a terrace improve the 

 appearance of the house as seen from the usual 

 viewpoints ? 



(a) The usefulness of a terrace will depend some- 

 what on the climate, the time of day it would be 

 frequented, the side of the house on which it is 

 placed, and the habits of the family. Normally a 

 terrace is a place to walk or sit in the open air. lit 

 is an outdoor extension of the rooms facing on it, 



