278 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS July, 1909 
Small Houses of Small Cost 
From $3,500 to $4,500 
By Francis Durando Nichols 
~<Sy HE increased cost of living and the higher were to be enclosed with four walls, and the whole covered 
J rentals are making it prohibitive for one with a roof, and this is as far as he was permitted to go. 
of modest means to live within the city To-day, the situation is quite different, for the vast amount 
limits. This is especially true if a man of literature which is being published on the subject of 
has a family of children, which he desires house-building has been the means of teaching the average 
to surround with a healthful and moral man that he has a right to express in the design of his home 
influence in order that they may grow up some of his individuality, and the architect selected by him 
to be useful and desirable citizens. is bound to respect his wishes and carry out, so far as is pos- 
The first question to be considered, however, is, Where sible, his ideas as to what he wants in the way of a house. 
shall one go to live? The suburb selected must be within The group of houses illustrated in this article were built 
communicating distance from the city; it must contain good at Scarsdale, N. Y., and are representative types of the best 
schools and churches; and above all, it must be sanitary and modern small houses. They are the work of Mr. William 
healthful. The site selected in a particular suburb should  S. Phillips, architect, of New York City. 
be within ten min- The first house 
utes’ walk of the (Figs. 1, 25.guame 
station. These two 4) was built for 
points disposed of, Mr. A. G. Cowle, 
the next question and is designed in _ 
is, What can we the English style. 
build for from The exterior is of 
three to five thou- rought gray stucco 
sand dollars? and brown stained 
A few years ago shingles. The bay © 
very little attention window and small 
was given to a lights, with their 
house costing this frames painted 
amount of money, white, are the 
and the man wish- chief characteristics 
ing to spend three, of the whole build- 
four or five thou- ing. They iorieu 
sand dollars was shows a_ central 
given very little hall, which is 
choice in the selec- trimmed with 
tion of the style of English oak. It ¥ 
house he was to has an ornamental 
have. The house staircase. The liv- 
was to contain so ing-room is also 
many rooms, which trimmed with Eng- 
° KITCHEN © 
Mex 12-6 
O Range 
° CHAMBER ° 
lote"x\3*e" 
° PANTRY « 
5-6"x10'-0" 
° LIVING ROOM ° 
14'-0% 17-0" 
8-x14'0" 
—-, 
:' CHAMBER = 
(3 6x15" 
° CHAMBER ° 
(3x 15" 
° DINING » ROOMe 
13-0 x 17'-0”" 
*SOWINGe ROOM + 
S-xw 
“FIRST ° FLOR+ PLA © SECOND - Fi@Re PLAN > 
2.—The first and second floor plans of Mr. Cowle’s house are most convenient in their arrangement 
