HOUSE AND GARDEN CORRESPONDENCE 
GARDEN SEAT 
It is not now so impossible for Americans of moderate means to 
obtain these delightful bits of garden furnishing, as formerly. 
There is at present a movement on foot by an Italian Art Company 
to furnish these at wonderfully low prices. They are all hand 
carved and landed in this country duty paid, and are not at all be¬ 
yond tbe reach of the ordinary purse. With the roses you de¬ 
scribe as growing soluxuriantly in this garden the effect will be most 
charming. 
The garden seat stands three feet from the ground, and is six 
feet in length. The wall fountain is five feet high. 
Margaret Greenleaf. 
THE WELL BUILT HOUSE 
Will you please inform me regarding common practice relating 
to an architect’s superintendence. I am about to build a house 
costing about $35,000. My architect urges the employment of a 
superintendent who is to report to him but be paid by me. I find 
in the Institute schedule of charges that superintendence is inclu¬ 
ded in the architect’s fee of five per cent. Is my architect justified 
in his demand and if I accede to it will I get an adequate return 
for the additional expenditure ? B. M. S. 
The schedule of charges of the American Institute of Architects 
is not binding upon any architect, even though himself a member 
of the Institute. The schedule is published as representing a 
scale of professional charges which, in the opinion of members of 
the Institute, represents a reasonable minimum below which an 
architect cannot afford to offer bis services. Both law (as repre¬ 
sented by numerous court decisions) and custom restrict the “sup¬ 
erintendence” of the architect to such visits as will enable him to 
satisfy himself that there has been a reasonable compliance with 
the terms of the contract. Certainty that there has been exact 
compliance with respect to all the minutiae of the specifications, 
even with the best intentions on tbe part of the builder, cannot be 
had without continuous and unremitting inspection by some skilled 
person representing the owner’s interests. It is obvious that the 
architect cannot give this out of his own time, nor does his fee con¬ 
template such an expense on bis part. For a house costing the sum 
you mention the twelve or fifteen hundred dollars which you would 
have to pay for special superintendence would more than pay for 
itself by securing the quantities and qualities demanded by the 
specifications and drawings, added to which you would have the 
satisfaction of knowing that you had secured them and you would 
also have (what is quite as important) an exact check on all extras 
A MODIFIED ITALIAN GARDEN 
Miss E. G. G. writes: 
I have recently acquired a place in Southern California. There 
is an old rose garden which, while rioting in color and luxuriant 
growth, has at present no special meaning. I wish to bring out of 
this, something which will at least suggest a modified Italian gar¬ 
den. Is it possible to get garden seats, vases, fountains, etc. at 
prices at all possible to one of moderate means ? If you will fur¬ 
nish me with the address of a dealer from whom these can be obtain¬ 
ed I will appreciate it greatly. 
Also suggest to me the best place for a fountain. There is a 
high wall on the south side of the garden, would you advise a wall 
fountain ? 
In regard to the decoration of your “Modified Italian Garden,” 
I would suggest that against the south wall which you describe, 
you set one of the stone wall fountains, similar to the one in the 
illustration here shown. These are very beautiful and come in 
white marble, or grey stone, exquisitely carved. Near-by place a 
garden seat like the one shown in the picture. 
BOWL FOR A WALL FOUNTAIN 
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