January, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
29 
fortable competence and look to the country home as a peaceful 
place in which to end their days, some few points may he of in¬ 
terest. Of these, the question of water supply is an important 
one, although usually to be solved by driving a well, artesian or 
otherwise—located with the best judgment so that its bottom is 
above the level of cesspool, barnyard and chicken run. School 
facilities demand the consideration of families with children, 
while proper markets for the purchase of necessary supplies 
should be within reach. The conveniences of the city are not to 
be found, nor should they be expected, but much may be done 
by the wise expenditure of comparatively little money. Thus 
if running water in the house 
is regarded as a necessity, it 
may be provided by means of 
either a small gasoline engine, 
or a windmill, in connection 
with a pump and tank. Light¬ 
ing may be arranged in a num¬ 
ber of ways by the use of 
various complete systems, 
either gasoline or acetylene 
being usually involved. Per¬ 
haps the ideal lighting system 
from the point of safety and 
ease of operation is to attach 
a suitable dynamo to the small 
gas engine used for pumping; 
the house may then be wired 
for electric light, with the cer¬ 
tainty that current will be sup¬ 
plied by your own plant when 
wanted—and at a cost usually 
less than the charge for lighting service paid by the city dweller. 
So much for the points externally related to the lot. There 
are also certain factors within the lot itself which have not been 
mentioned, but which have an important bearing upon its value 
for building purposes. We will take the case of two plots of 
ground, located with equal advantages as to the external char¬ 
acteristics which we have mentioned; one of them, however, is 
a smooth, level plot of sandy soil, while the other is situated upon 
a hillside, upon which are numerous springs and ledges of rock 
—there should be no question in the mind of the sensible man as 
to which would be the better buy. 
Should, however, the price of the hillside lot be much lower 
than that of the one at grade, nice considerations are involved 
as to the advisability of purchase; the only way to arrive at 
comparative prices is to figure both lots as it would be necessary 
to have them before you could commence building. If you in¬ 
tended to erect the ordinary type of house, the cost of grading 
the lot, additional labor of excavating in the rocky soil and the 
probability that you would need either a concrete retaining wall 
or a concrete foundation to prevent trouble with water in your 
cellar must all be added to the first cost of the lot in order to 
find its cost to you as compared with the other property. On 
the other hand, competent architects have designed special types 
of houses for hilly lots which do away with a great deal of 
this extra expense; such houses 
usually have the greater part 
of the basement above ground, 
which cuts down the excavat¬ 
ing, while the ground is largely 
left in its primitive condition 
to produce a rustic background 
and the water is carried away 
from the house by means of 
drains. Such a location is in 
many ways ideal for houses of 
the popular bungalow type, to 
which the rough setting adds 
a peculiar charm. If you 
favor that style of residence, 
plots of hill land, almost value¬ 
less as far as the old-fashioned 
residences are concerned, can 
be bought very reasonably 
and prove in every way satis¬ 
factory. In general, these 
advantages are compensated by the fact that basement walls 
raised entirely above grade must be exceptionally well made in 
order to avoid cold floors and difficulty in heating the house. 
Sometimes sacrifice your yard in order to secure your rustic set¬ 
ting, and a number of steps must be built to provide entry and 
egress — an annoyance at all times and a positive danger when 
there are young children in the house. On the other hand, you 
gain a much better view, you enjoy better air, and you cannot 
be shut in by other houses. It is a case of Hobson’s choice be¬ 
tween the two, which must be governed by your own preferences. 
Then there is the lot below street level, which is frequently 
wet and marshy — this should be avoided when possible. True, 
the lot can be filled and graded, but this is expensive and, since 
Brick is coming to its own again, and has silenced the criticism of stiffness once 
charged against it. Mann & MacNeille, architects 
Stucco is being used for various types of homes. Here its surface is made more 
interesting with a judicious use of lattice. Aymar Embury, II, architect 
A Colonial house of clapboards that follows the old precedent. Clapboards are 
especially fitted for designs such as this. Hays & Hoadley, architects 
