Plans and Plants for Small Places III 



Slopes and Terraces 



RALPH D. CORNELL 

 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA 



We now come to that treatment of grounds wliose irregularity of surface or 

 relative position to the street makes terracing or sloping of the yard necessary ; 

 a difficult problem at its best. The terrace is naturally a part of the architectural 

 scheme and should correspond with the house, forming, as it were, a broad, sub- 

 stantial foundation for the safe support of the dwelling. The ground should 

 never slope directly away from a building, as that gives the structure a balancing, 



Tf 



\| Figure 100. Instead of the more formal terracing, natural slopes may be frequently 



used in very pleasing fashion. 



unstable appearance. The width of the terrace, should, however, be determined 

 by the size and style of the buildings and by the general sorroundings, as no 

 fixed rules can be applied. The terrace should be given a slight fall to allow 

 for drainage. Never permit it to have a hollowed or dished appearance, but 

 rather crown it ever so slightly. If the size of the place permits, the terrace may 

 follow the contour of the land, but in the small, city plot, the street is generally 

 the determining factor for the line of conformity. Terraces should not end 



