The Small House Which is Good 
I. A DUTCH COLONIAL HOUSE 
WALTER P. CRABTREE, Architect 
T E 1 E house illustrated and described herewith 
was completed last July, and comes very near 
being all the owner and architect expected it 
to be. It stands in the center of the lot, facing 
west, with a brick walk leading to the front porch. 
The brickwork of the first story was laid in 
flemish bond, with headers of “niggerheads,” with 
window and door sills of pink granite in keeping 
with the design of house, with the second story and 
gables shingled. 
The cellar wall is of rubble-stone masonry, 
twenty inches thick, pointed both inside and out, 
and the underpinning wall above is of brick twelve 
inches thick. 
The cellar contains coal bins, servants’ toilet, 
laundry with set tubs and stove, vegetable cellar and 
heater. The cellar floor was cemented. 
All exterior finishing wood was of the best white 
pine, shingles of red cedar and flooring of porch and 
terrace was of white pine § of an inch by i\ inches 
laid with white lead in all joints. 
The construction and material throughout were of 
the best, the idea being to save by economical 
planning. 
Entering the staircase hall from the roomy covered 
porch, the two main rooms are on either side and are 
entered through large trimmed openings, throwing 
the master portion of the house open, giving a 
cheerful and inviting appearance to the whole. 
Directly opposite the entrance door is the main 
staircase with seat at the base with hinged lids, which 
is used for rubbers and overshoes. On the first 
landing is a door leading to the den, this making a 
combination staircase for servants. From the stair¬ 
case hall is a small passage to kitchen and to cellar 
stairway so arranged that the master may care for 
the furnace without going through the kitchen. 
1 he dining-room was planned for a square table, 
it being nearly square with the large bay at the front. 
The living-room, just across the hall, is especially 
attractive; the rear of this room is arranged in a 
nook with large open fireplace at one end and seat 
at the other. 
The second floor arrangement is very simple. 
1 he staircase hall is in the center and is well lighted 
through the large opening to sewing-room which 
is on the front of house. The doors to the four 
chambers are grouped around this hall. The bath¬ 
room is placed convenient to all chambers and also 
connects with the family chamber. The side walls 
of the bath-room to a height of five feet are plas¬ 
tered with a finishing coat of Keene’s cement 
and then marked oft to imitate tile work. Each 
chamber has ample closet room and the space of 
overhang of roof is used for low closets and drawers. 
The attic was arranged for two bedrooms, with 
a finished hallway connecting the two. 
The terrace is mostly covered by the overhang of 
the eaves, which was so designed that all rooms in 
the second story would be full height. The terrace 
was carried around the southwest corner so as to 
secure the summer breezes. 
The interior trim, while the best of their several 
kinds and of special form, is very simple in outline. 
Kitchen, pantry and attic hall and rooms are finished 
in North Carolina pine and finished natural. The 
chambers, bath-room and den are finished in the 
same material but stained, the colors being tobacco 
brown for family chamber, white enamel for little 
girl’s and bath-room, dark brown wood tint for 
boy’s room and colonial oak for guest chamber. 
The den is stained bog oak; quartered white oak 
flooring of narrow width was used in staircase hall, 
living and dining-rooms, filled and waxed. 
The hall and sewing-room on second floor are 
finished in cypress, stained in color to match the oak 
finish in lower hall. 
Both the living and dining-rooms are finished in 
brown ash, while the staircase and hall are finished 
in quartered oak. 
All hardware throughout is of solid bronze; old 
brass finish, and all plumbing fixtures are of the best. 
Windows on front and sides are glazed with plate 
glass, the balance being of common glass, double 
thick. 
The fireplaces, one in living-room and one in den, 
are of special design laid up with pressed brick, and 
all flues are lined with fire clay flue liners. 
The heating is by a tubular hot air heater, with 
registers of stamped steel, old brass finish to match 
lighting fixtures and hardware. 
The leading idea throughout the construction of 
the house was to spend no money on things not 
essential to the comfort of the owner’s family but to 
spend all that was demanded to make a house of 
thorough construction and good appearance. 
I he cost, $5,500, was for the building complete, 
ready for occupancy, and, considering the amount 
of room it contains and general appearance, was a 
very reasonable figure. 
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