434 
expenditure, the to- 
tal sweeps on with 
a quite amazing ra- 
pidity and increase 
of proportion. 
The good small 
house, that is, the 
house that is en- 
tirely adequate for 
modern needs and 
for every one’s ne- 
cessities, is, there- 
fore, a comparative 
rarity. It is often 
positively scarce, 
particularly when 
one is searching for 
it; for even when 
found, there will, as 
likely as not, be rea- 
sons why it is not 
exactly available. It 
may not, for exam- 
ple, be in precisely 
in the same neigh- 
borhood one de- 
sires; it may not be 
precisely the thing 
sought; or it may 
be so very good 
that there is sure to 
be something better. 
There are always a 
multitude of reasons 
for not taking a 
house, just as there 
are often many rea- 
sons for doing so. 
Fortunately, it is not 
my present purpose 
to hunt out houses 
for any one in par- 
ticular, nor for a 
given group; but I 
esteem it a pleasure 
and a good fortune 
to be able to say a 
word or two con- 
cerning a new group 
of houses of very 
moderate cost, built 
at Nutley, N. J. 
To build a mod- 
ern house that will 
cost not more than 
from one thousand 
to five thousand dol- 
lars is an accom- 
plishment which 
very few architects 
and owners have as 
yet been able toy, 
carry out to a suc- 
cessful end. But 
that it is possible to 
do so and do so in 
a very agreeable and 
charming way, is de- 
lightfully shown in 
the group of houses 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Fig. 21—An agreeable grouping of roof, dormer and porch 
November, 1909 
illustrated in this 
article. They were 
all designed by one 
architect, Mr. Will- 
iam A. Lambert, of 
New York, who has 
certainly most clear- 
ly demonstrated, in 
these examples, the 
highly important 
truth that it is pos- 
sible for almost 
everyone to have a 
house of his own. 
Cost is, of course, 
the most essential 
element in the whole 
problem, although 
other matters must 
be considered. If 
one is not able to 
purchase a home 
outright, there are 
questions of ways 
and means to be con- 
sidered which every 
one must solve in his 
own individual way. 
But moderateness of 
cost is, for most peo- 
ple, the first and 
chief consideration, 
and the value of 
these houses at Nut- 
ley, as illustrations 
of what has been 
done in one locality 
in a thoroughly ex- 
cellent way, is very 
pronounced. 
Another impor- 
tant factor should 
be borne in mind in 
considering houses 
of moderate price, 
and that is that the 
thousand- dollar 
house can not have 
the ornamental as- 
pect nor possess the 
interior convenien- 
ces of the five thou- 
sand-dollar house. 
It is most essential 
to keep this in mind, 
for many house-pur- 
chasers, I fear, ex- 
pect to get as much 
for a thousand dol- 
lars as one’s neigh- 
bor has obtained for 
five times this 
amount. If this were 
possible, why build 
any five thousand- 
dollar houses at all? 
The really impor- 
tant fact is that the 
thousand-dollar 
house may be a 
