January, 1906 
AMERICAN HOMES 
AND GARDENS 47 
House Hygiene 
Il—The Land and the House: 
the Site 
By Ralph Ernest Blake 
[ The first of a series of papers telling the house owner exactly what he ought to know about the hygiene of his house] 
QHE house builder within the town has so 
little freedom in the choice of a site for his 
dwelling that, while not above the laws of 
sanitary science, he is often unable to follow 
them with due regard to his own health and 
well-being. Yet no one within or without a 
city can afford to avoid taking every possible sanitary precau- 
tion. An unsanitary site is as bad in town as without, but the 
general sanitary conditions, in so far as they relate to water 
supply and sewage disposal, are likely to be more ample and 
more highly developed in the town than in the country. 
Moreover, the city does not often present the danger from 
external sources of disease, such as the proximity of stagnant 
water offers in the country, for example. The question of 
soil is, however, of paramount importance everywhere, and 
soil improperly drained or composed of improper elements 
should be avoided at all costs everywhere. 
The question of soil is, in fact, the very first thing to be 
considered in determining the location of a house. It tran- 
scends all questions of views and outlooks of adjacent wood- 
land and scenic beauty. All these matters have their place, 
and a very proper place, in the situation of the house; but the 
site must, first of all, meet the requirements of sanitary 
science. 
And these, in their elemental form, are modest enough. 
The subsoil must, above all, be dry. This is determined by 
two factors, the ground air and the ground water. ‘Their 
names are explanatory, indicating the air and water con- 
tained within the soil. Both are fruitful sources of danger, 
and their presence or absence should be determined by a 
trained sanitary engineer, whose advice should also be taken 
in the matter of construction if the proposed site can not be 
abandoned and if the soil evils can be avoided by constructive 
measures. Damp soils, for example, can be bettered by laying 
drains, placed without being jointed. A single drain will 
often improve a very considerable area. ‘Thoroughly ce- 
mented foundation walls and cellars are essential as safe- 
guards against ground air, and should, perhaps, be provided 
in every instance as wise precautions against soil dangers. 
Various kinds of soil are more or less unsuited for building 
purposes. Clay soils, being impervious, hold the surface 
water and give off unwholesome vapors in dry weather unless 
thoroughly drained. Such soils become unobjectionable when 
well drained. Marshy soils, whether near the sea or river, 
are universally recognized as unhealthy and unsuited for 
building purposes. Made ground, particularly when filled 
in with waste and refuse, is thoroughly bad and should be 
avoided. A gravel soil, free from loam and with a pervious 
subsoil, is generally regarded as the best for building sites. 
Permeable chalk soils, free from clay, are also considered 
as satisfactory to health. 
The soil having been tested and studied, a new group of 
problems arises with the question of the position of the 
house. In a general sense high, open ground affords the 
best and safest sites, but even this statement is subject to 
some modification. Sir Douglas Galton maintains that high 
positions exposed to winds blowing over low marshy grounds, 
even when some distance away, are unsafe, and is so firmly 
satisfied with the correctness of his view that he regards a 
site near a marsh, but protected by a screen of wood, as 
often preferable to a high position exposed to winds blowing 
over such land. ‘The same observer points out, what is gen- 
erally known, that sites at the foot of a slope or in deep 
valleys which receive drainage from higher levels should be 
avoided. Sanitary science has not yet accurately determined 
the relationship between soils and positions and disease; but 
at least it has made very clear the fact that any questionable 
or apparently unsuited and dangerous sites should be avoided. 
Indefinite as this conclusion seems, it is an excellent intro- 
duction to the subject of the sanitary location of houses. 
The nature of the soil covering has also a penetrating in- 
fluence on the question of site availability. “Thus the amount 
of decaying organic matter in and upon the soil is most im- 
portant and has a direct relationship to the amount of ground 
air and ground water in the soil. ‘The condition of the 
ground surface, if apparently bad, is apt to be a certain 
guide to the impurities of the soil below. 
The general conditions attending the situation of a house, 
so far as the sanitary requirements of site and situation are 
concerned, have been admirably summed up by Dr. D. H. 
Bergey. ‘‘ The house,” he writes, “should stand upon a 
site the subsoil of which is naturally dry, or is properly 
drained and free from impurity. The configuration of the 
surface, the elevation and the exposure are important fea- 
tures in rendering the locality favorable for a healthy habita- 
tion. ‘The nature, source and amount of the water supply 
should be investigated. The possibility for the economic 
and safe disposal of all refuse matter must also be considered. 
The locality of the house should be sufficiently elevated to 
secure good drainage away from the house. The proximity 
of large bodies of water and of marshy areas also influences 
the healthfulness of the locality.’ 
It is now possible to summarize, with somewhat more de- 
tail, the sanitary conditions to be observed in the selection 
of a building site. The local climate must be healthy; the 
soil should be dry and porous; the ground should fall in all 
directions in order to facilitate drainage; sites on a steep 
slope should be avoided, as high ground near a dwelling 
tends to stagnate the air; there should be a free and ample 
circulation of air throughout the region; muddy creeks, 
ditches, undrained and marshy ground should be avoided and 
not be near the house; an exposed site should be protected 
on the north and east by shelters of trees; the proximity of 
unpleasant factories and other public annoyances should be 
avoided; if a general drainage system is to be used it must 
be carefully examined and tested, and its availability and 
thoroughness of construction minutely examined. The mor- 
tality of any district, and even the popular appreciation of its 
virtues and drawbacks, are sometimes excellent guides in a 
general sort of way. 
The position of a house can not always be determined by 
sanitary consideration. Questions of aspect, the direction 
of the roadways when building near them, the use it is pro- 
posed to make of near-by sites, the greater availability of one 
spot for some desired purpose over another may very natu- 
rally influence the position of the house on any given site. 
But, in a general way, it may be said that the house should 
face south or west, to admit the sunlight to advantage. 
