DESIGN FOR A FARM-HOUSE. 
I S t 
DESIGN FOR A FARM-HOUSE. 
To design a farm-house in which beauty and 
utility shall combine is not a difficult task ; but to 
design one that shall meet the wants, suit the taste, 
and come within the means of the mass of farmers, 
is quite another affair. There are many families 
who would consider a house complete if it afforded 
sufficient room for working and lodging, with the 
addition of a parlor. Others would think it very 
deficient if it did not contain, besides these, a libra¬ 
ry, dining-room, nursery, and bathing-room. 
In the first place, the size of the family, and the 
kind and quantity of labor to be performed, shou’ld 
be taken into consideration. If there are a num¬ 
ber of small children, it is very important that there 
should be a nursery upon the first floor, connected 
with a bathing-room, and as near the dining room 
and kitchen as possible, that the mother maybe 
spared all unnecessary steps in attending to her 
duties in these several departments. A small libra¬ 
ry is another desideratum ; and a bathing-room 
should be considered indispensable. 
If but a small dairy is kept, lime and labor 
may be saved by having suitable rooms for milk 
Perspective View of a Farm-House.—Fig. 37 
and cheese, as it is very unpleasant passing to and 
from a dairy-house in bad weather. The soil and 
situation must determine the place for a milk-room : 
few cellars are sufficiently dry and airy for that pur¬ 
pose. 
In this design I think I have secured ail these 
conveniences without covering too much ground; 
and the rooms are so arranged that they may be 
used to suit the tastes or meet the wants of the oc¬ 
cupants, without abridging their convenience. If a 
spacious parlor is wanted, it can be had by throw¬ 
ing the two large rooms into one. The library and 
hall could be thrown together in the same way, 
whenever the former is not needed for more private 
purposes. I would also have folding doors for the 
nursery, for convenience in case of sickness, or to 
be thrown open in warm weather. The library 
(if one is not desired) would make a very commo- ' 
dious bed-room for children, as it communicates 
with the nursery. 
As my main object has been to save labor, by 
securing convenience, the underground kitchen is 
intended only for washing and doing other heavy 
and dirty work of the farm. It could, however, be 
used as a common kitchen, if the room in the wing 
should be desired exclusively for a dining-room. 
The house is designed for the use of a hot air 
furnace, consequently there is but one real chimney; 
two would be sufficient for those who do not like 
this method of warming their houses, by placing 
stoves in the library and nursery. 
The dimensions of the house are 30 feet by 40 
for the main building, and 25 by 35 for the wing, 
which I think will afford all the room necessary 
for comfort and convenience in # a farm-house ; and 
' if some attention is paid to scenery and location. 
