Vol. XXVII — No. 6 
June, 1915 
In the design of a vacation house the type of construction and the consequent style of architecture will be greatly influenced by the surroundings. In this house, by using 
materials near at hand, the architect has approximated the spirit of the adjacent land. It is a product of its environment 
CHOOSING THE SITE AND FITTING THE HOUSE TO IT—THE HOUSE THAT IS A PRODUCT OF ITS EN¬ 
VIRONMENT—THE TYPES FOR SEASHORE, COUNTRY AND MOUNTAINS—ESSENTIALS IN SUMMER HOUSE 
PLANNING AND DECORATION 
John T. Fallon 
T O really enjoy a summer’s vacation one must own one’s 
own house or camp in the country or mountains. Living 
at the summer hotel, now rapidly passing out of favor, or even 
in a house rented for the season, is unsatisfactory when compared 
to the delights of possessing even a simple camp or shack, which 
may be improved or changed from year to year to suit the owner’s 
individual tastes, and where the memories of happy summers may 
accumulate. 
Probably the first step towards acquiring a home for vacation 
use will be in the deciding of the general question of where to 
go. The choice may be made of one of four locations, the 
mountains or woods, the seashore or the country. It is true that 
m this decision personal inclinations will doubtless prevail, but 
each locality demands a different type of house whose merits 
and advantages must first be thought over. 
Mountain life appeals particularly to those who seek a strenu¬ 
ous and rough vacation with complete isolation from the city and 
the outer world, and who are able to get along with fewer com¬ 
forts and conveniences in their houses or camps. Conveniences 
are trappings of civilization whose cost greatly increases when 
they are transported to the mountain camp. The seashore home 
will be selected by those who are fond of sailing, boating and 
swimming. The invigorating effect of the salt air and the 
monotonous booming of the surf have, too, a wonderful thera¬ 
peutic value to tired and jagged nerves. In deciding upon a 
seashore site, however, it must be remembered that the season is 
relatively short. 
The great majority of vacation homes will be found in the 
country. Sites are here usually much more accessible than either 
in the woods or at the seashores, and there are a greater number 
of roads that may be used by the motor. It is a safer place for 
children, who need here little watching to keep them out of dan¬ 
ger, while milk, butter and fresh vegetables are easier to be had. 
The season is longer, for the autumn is quite as beautiful and 
comfortable as the summer. The inconveniences of city life,such as 
the telephone and the railroad, are apt to be much nearer at hand. 
The selection of a building site in the country is comparatively 
easy. The ideal site will have a few large trees to cast their 
cooling shade upon the house, a well-drained soil with sufficient 
fertility to produce at least a few hardy perennials and garden 
vegetables, and possibly an outcropping of rocks where a wild 
garden could be induced to grow. . It would be accessible to the 
high road, so that continued rains would not necessitate motor¬ 
ing through hub-deep mud. Farmers should be near enough to 
bring dairy products and fresh vegetables for the table, while 
its nearness to a village or town would mean shorter hauls and 
consequently cheaper material when the time for building came. 
If a lake or stream was within convenient distance it would add 
407 
