20 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



fair amount of taste in the decorative art and the assistance 

 of a good builder, will enable one to decide understandingly 

 what is needed and in many cases dispense with the expen- 

 sive services of the professional architect. 



In cases, however, of extensive buildings of considerable 

 cost it will be found economical to have a full detailed plan 

 made by an experienced architect. With a full understand- 

 ing of all of the needs of the family which are to occupy 

 the dwelling, the skilled architect will be able to obtain 

 desired results and save many mistakes that the inexperi- 

 enced would be likely to make, often saving the owner 

 many times the cost of a working plan. 



There is, however, a growing taste among our people for 

 amateur architecture which should be encouraged, and many 

 beautiful and well-arranged plans of all kinds of buildings 

 have been produced by those about to build houses; and 

 the pleasure experienced in building a house of one's own 

 planning may more than counterbalance any saving in 

 material or labor that might result from a plan made by a 

 skilled architect. 



Cost of the House. 



It is the almost universal experience of those who build 

 a house for the first time, especially those with limited 

 means, that the cost largely exceeds the estimate, and this 

 has led to the practice of adding 25 to 50 per cent to the 

 estimate as it is ordinarily made. This deficiency may be 

 accounted for generally by the fact that there are so many 

 little things that go to make up the completed house that 

 are overlooked or that are not incorporated in the builder's 

 contract, and whenever a building is done by contract the 

 most full and complete specifications should be made out, 



