The Whole Process of the Building Game 
BUYING THE LOT, SELECTING THE KIND OF HOUSE, DETERMINING ON NECES¬ 
SITIES, AND ADVICE PERTINENT TO ALL CONTINGENCIES OF HOME BUILDING 
B Y A. E. 
B UILDING a house is a comparatively simple matter, 
capable of being handled by the average carpenter or 
builder. Building a home which shall realize your ideal of what 
the word means is not simple, for the completed structure must 
not only suit your own peculiar needs but embody your person¬ 
ality as well. Architect and builder can but translate your ideas 
into feet and inches or into dollars and cents; they can save 
you from the pitfalls which open before the inexperienced and 
they can, from their knowledge gained in supplying similar wants, 
suggest improvements which will meet with your approval. 
Beyond this they cannot go, except at the sacrifice of your 
individuality. 
Yet building a 
home is a serious 
matter. You 
must look ahead 
and plan your 
home not onlv 
for your needs of 
to-day, but of to¬ 
morrow and of 
ten years from 
now, and you 
should so locate 
and design it that 
you will have a 
property which is 
constantly in¬ 
creasing in value. 
It is a good rule 
to paraphrase the 
old motto and 
resolve to plan 
as if you were 
going to sell to¬ 
morrow ; build as 
if you expected 
it to be your 
home for fifty 
years. 
The first point, 
of course, is the 
selection of your 
lot, as upon this 
depends not only the style of your home but the amount of 
money which you may sensibly invest in it. It is not wise to 
tie up so much of your building fund in land that you must 
skimp the house as a result; nor does it pay to buy a cheap lot 
simply because it is cheap and then erect an expensive home 
upon it, for your house will not only be cheapened by its sur¬ 
roundings, but will prove a poor investment from other points 
of view. The proportion that the amount invested in land should 
bear to that of the house varies in different localities; in gen¬ 
eral it should not be over twenty per cent, where sufficient ground 
for building purposes, including lawn and a suitable yard, is 
all that is necessary. The proportion does not apply to small 
farms and kindred investments, where the land itself is ex¬ 
pected to make a money return. 
S w o Y E R 
In the suburban lot important factors determine its value if 
not its cost — the latter being often due to the advertising of the 
promoters rather than to intrinsic worth. First, is the suburb 
a growing one? — for upon its growth depends the value of your 
investment. Second, what are the building restrictions? — for yon 
may be sure that the building of saloons, barns or cheap stores 
near your holdings will depreciate them. Third, are city con¬ 
veniences, such as sewer, water and gas, available? Fourth, the 
tax rate; often a suburb is actually witbin the city limits, and 
you pay city taxes without increased advantages. Fifth, train 
service and fares; this is important, because if you are employed 
in the city trans- 
portation 
becomes a fixed 
charge, to be 
considered in the 
same manner as 
insurance or 
taxes. A little 
consider a- 
tion along this 
line will often 
save many dol¬ 
lars ; perhaps by 
moving a little 
farther out the 
increased cost of 
commutation will 
be offset by the 
lower tax rate 
and by the econ¬ 
omy with which 
your land may 
be purchased. 
Frequently, too, 
a suburb may be 
found which is 
served by two 
competing rail¬ 
roads, or by rail¬ 
road and trolley 
— this competi¬ 
tion invariably 
means lower 
transportation. Last but not least, do not let the beauty of the 
suburb in summer, when everything is green and blooming, mis¬ 
lead you — two feet of snow or slush will transform those beauti¬ 
ful winding paths into something entirely different! Look at 
the character of prevalent sidewalks and roads—are the walks 
laid and the roads macadamized? All the difference between 
winter comfort and the pleasure of slopping through the wet 
twice a day, with pneumonia lurking in the background, lies 
between them. With this end in view, find out how many of 
your prospective neighbors live there the year around; if pos¬ 
sible, buy your lot in the winter — if it suits you then, you may 
be sure that you have not been misled by the glamor of the sea¬ 
son nor by the high-sounding talk of the agent. 
For that other class, the families who have attained a com- 
Shingles are most appropriate to a style of house popular in America, and sometimes called the farmhouse type. 
When laid in wide courses and painted white, with green trimmings, the result is decidedly attractive. Bates 
& How, architects 
(28) 
