A Living from the Land Part 3

The location, type of construction and interior arrangement of the home are important factors in attaining these objectives.

Unless the location selected already has buildings on it which meet the needs of the purchaser and his family, there will be the immediate problem of building the home or remodeling the structure already in existence. In recent years a great deal of attention has been given to rural homes, stimulated no doubt by the very evident trend of population from the city to the country. These homes should have attributes distinctly their own and should harmonize with the purpose and the location in mind. A house with lines that look well in town or city may be only a blot on the landscape when set in the open country. Many excellent recommendations have been made for country houses by the United States Department of Agriculture, the President's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership (December, 1931) and by architects who have given this problem the specific attention it deserves.

In general, we may say that the exterior of the house should have simple lines and should not be ostentatious or covered with inappropriate decorative effects. This is especially the case where the house is comparatively small and is located in the open country where there is a simple and pleasing natural background. The country house should be low and broad, rather than tall and narrow. The windows and doors should be of a size and shape that will meet utilitarian requirements and be so situated as to give a pleasing and attractive appearance to the whole structure. The materials used should be selected to meet the needs of economy in the original construction and should be of long-lasting type, a.s.suring economy in maintenance.

_Essential Requirements._--In planning the house there are certain minimum requirements which should be kept in mind. For example, the sleeping facilities should include at least one bedroom for every two persons and should contain not less than 100 square feet per room. All sleeping rooms should be provided with cross ventilation, that is, with a window on each of two sides, and sufficient closet or wardrobe s.p.a.ce should be provided, equipped with shelves and hangers for taking care of clothing. Ordinary lighting facilities for each room include at least one window, with the kitchen, living room and sleeping areas preferably having two. Windows should be so placed as to permit direct sunlight to enter at least three-fourths of the rooms. There should be daylight and artificial lights on all work surfaces such as the stove, the sink, work tables and in the family reading center.

Especial attention given in advance to the kitchen will be more than repaid by the convenience and efficiencies secured. There should be ample built-in kitchen equipment for small and large utensils, kitchen tools and linens. Ample lighting devices should be employed and step-saving arrangements provided so as to eliminate as much effort as possible in carrying out the daily duties that are conducted in this important part of the country home.

Where the funds available for construction or remodeling are limited, it is important to know what the cost will be before the job is started. This procedure calls for a plan which will show the exterior appearance, the interior arrangement, and the cost of the completed job. Plans can be secured from many sources in addition to those already mentioned. Persons with architectural experience and ability may often be employed directly to plan the house and to supervise its construction. If the prospective builder wishes to select his own plans and to know in advance the complete cost, he can secure from processors of lumber a catalog of plans which are accompanied by costs of every item needed. Such processors cut the material to fit at the factory and identify each piece so that the mechanically minded man can do much of the work himself with help he may employ. These companies will also quote prices on the cost of erection by their own employees in addition to the cost of materials. The outlay needed for lighting, plumbing and heating facilities can also be obtained from the same source.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (_Courtesy U. S. Department of Agriculture_)

A modest country home.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: (_Courtesy U. S. Department of Agriculture_)

Floor plans of house shown on opposite page.]

Another method of procedure is to draw a plan of the house that contains the rooms considered necessary, submit such plans to a lumber merchant and get quotations on costs of various types of material necessary to construct it. Such construction will usually require the services of a skilled carpenter and mason but permits of more lat.i.tude in most cases than is available under a set building arrangement.

_Types of Country Houses._--Ill.u.s.trations of small houses suitable for the country are shown on pages 8 and 44. The floor plans of these houses are shown on the facing pages. There are many other types of small houses adapted to use in the country and the selection of any one is largely a matter of individual preference and ability to finance.

Because of the variation in prices of material in different locations, the kind and quality of material that the owner may desire and also the amount of labor that may be furnished by the owner, it is difficult to give in definite terms the cost of various types of buildings. Estimates of costs of materials and construction may easily be obtained from contractors in the vicinity.

Simply with the idea of giving approximate costs, the Conference on Home Building gives the following cost bases for building frame dwellings, obtained roughly by multiplying the volume by the cost per cubic foot.

Naturally the cost will vary in different sections of the country, and the level of artistry that is set up by the builder himself will be a factor.

APPROXIMATE COSTS PER CUBIC FOOT FOR FRAME DWELLINGS

----------------------------------------------+-----------+----------- Southern Northern ----------------------------------------------+-----------+----------- First recommended level--2, 3 or 4 rooms with masonry base, fire-resistive flue, both sides of studs covered, painted exterior, interior finish. *10-15 *12-18 Second level--Bathroom s.p.a.ce, better finish 12-18 15-21 Medium level--5-6 rooms, with plumbing 16-23 20-26 Fourth level--Adequate standard plumbing and hardwood floors 19-27 23-30 Fifth level--Comparable to better type of middle-cla.s.s city home 25-35 28-35 ----------------------------------------------+-----------+----------- * The cheapest type of shelter (shack) may be built for perhaps half this cost.

_Pre-fabricated Houses._--The field of house construction has been occupied almost exclusively by the individual architect or builder who has wrought according to the general ideas of the intending occupant or the real estate developer. When the plans are completed and approved, the contractor a.s.sembles the necessary materials from local sources, builds and equips the house and turns it over to the buyer in completed condition. Under such a procedure there is little application of ma.s.s production measures which have reduced costs and raised quality standards in many industries, notably in automobile construction, for example.

Thousands of houses built to sell in the recent construction era of the 1920's have proved unsatisfactory and costly to the occupants as the result of shoddy building methods. Such methods seem to be typically American as distinguished from the far more solid and permanent Old World procedure. It now seems likely that the problem of economical and substantial housing will be met in the method that is also American--namely, by the pre-fabricated house to which various natural resources of the country contribute. The parts of such houses are made under ma.s.s production methods and easily a.s.sembled on the owner's lot. The same idea can be applied with ease to apartment house construction in any location. The first step in this direction has already been mentioned in the case of mail-order companies which cut the lumber to fit and supply every needed accessory to the last detail.

The next step, and the one that bids fair to inaugurate an entirely new house-building procedure, is now in the making, although as yet it is in the experimental and testing stage. Examples of such construction made their first public appearance at the Century of Progress Exposition at Chicago in 1933.

Materials that enter into the construction of these new-type houses include steel, asbestos, aluminum and cement. As a rule, the buildings have a steel frame erected on cement foundations and without a cellar; the walls and part.i.tions are of asbestos composition and the roof constructed of steel sheets with aluminum insulation. Such a building is fireproof and proof also against vermin, lightning, wind and earthquake. The house is also adapted to and equipped with heating, lighting, plumbing and air conditioning facilities. The whole building is pre-planned and pre-fabricated as a unit with its component parts constructed under economical and interchangeable ma.s.s production methods.

Modifications of the construction above mentioned include the use of sound-proofed steel panels or insulation board for part.i.tions and walls with an exterior of painted steel. Many other modifications are being developed to insure individuality, stability, insulation and economy in first cost and maintenance. The lines of most of these houses are severe and modernistic in design, although decorative and unique effects are easily obtainable.

The costs of the complete house unit range from $600 for a one-room type to $3,500 to $6,000 for a complete home of modest size. The princ.i.p.al fabricators of these houses and their addresses are: General Houses, Inc., Chicago, Illinois; American Houses, Inc., New York City; American Rolling Mill Company, Cleveland, Ohio; American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Company, New York City; Columbian Steel Tank Company, Kansas City, Missouri, and National Steel Homes, Inc., Los Angeles, California.

Information on types and costs can be obtained by addressing these companies.

_Rural Home Life._--To have a successful experience in country life, one must become identified with one's surroundings and become a part of the community. Those who seek to establish a country residence simply as a place from which to commute to city attractions will not only miss the greatest a.s.set in country living but will probably find this existence unsatisfactory. To become interested in the growing plants and animals at home, to do with one's own hands the things that make the home more attractive and to develop a contact with the community that helps to increase its normal activities mean the attainment of pleasure and satisfaction so far beyond that obtainable in congested urban quarters that there is no comparison. In many cases this direct affinity with one's surroundings will come gradually and not always easily. It can be cultivated and should be a part of the plan of every family expecting to reside in the country.

_Trees as a.s.sets._--One of the greatest a.s.sets that can be secured in the country is well-developed shade. If the house under consideration is already built and has around it trees that serve as a softening and beautifying factor, as well as for shade purposes, the value is decidedly enhanced. If the home is to be newly built and a site is available where trees are already well grown, the house can often be placed in the midst of such trees, thereby gaining a number of years in the benefits that trees give and for which there is no subst.i.tute.

Few persons can resist the charm of trees. That they also have a definite economic value is shown by the added desirability we all attach to an attractively landscaped home where trees of various kinds and sizes furnish the motif. In acquiring a place in the country the newcomer will at once wish to plant trees, shrubs and ornamentals to beautify his holdings. If this is carefully planned at the beginning, succeeding years and a little care will add to the attractiveness and intrinsic value of the home. The saying, "a house is not a home until it is planted," has a great deal of truth behind it. Most nurserymen will be glad to render a.s.sistance in properly planning and setting the ornamental landscaping of the home, helping the owner avoid mistakes and costly movings and replacements later.

_Commercial Horticulture._--In addition to the plantings around his home, the owner of a few acres can at slight expense start small trees for later ornamental use or for sale at a roadside stand, for example. Such small trees and ornamental plants can often be purchased at wholesale prices from nursery companies which have "laying out" stock, as it is called, for sale. The standard large-growing evergreens and deciduous shade trees can be thus transplanted to one's own acres, as can the popular dwarf types of evergreens and flowering shrubs. These may be planted in one area where they can be cared for as a growing crop, or they may be planted in groups for beautifying the premises while they are growing. Again, single plants may be set by themselves and given special attention, later becoming "specimens" which are much in demand by admirers of the species.

An appreciation of tree habits can be thus developed by all the members of the family, and considerable income may be obtained in later years, as the trees become "of age," through their sale. We are entering upon an era of making homes attractive as places in which to live and not as houses to go away from. All forms of plant life that contribute to this end will be admired and sought after in the years to come.

_Do's_

Give special consideration to location, type of construction and interior arrangement.

If building a home, select a type that fits surroundings.

Strive for simplicity of lines and full utilization of every cubic foot of s.p.a.ce.

Remember pre-fabricated houses are practical and likely to supplant some other types of construction.

In buying a pre-fabricated house, be sure plans and construction fit needs of family and materials used are adapted to the climatic conditions.

Give special attention to convenience and cheerfulness of kitchen.

Develop a plan of planting ornamental plants and trees to be carried out in due course.

_Don'ts_

Don't try to build a city house in the country.

Don't neglect windows in number or size.

Don't overlook costs of completed job before commencing building or improvements.

Don't neglect the a.s.set value of trees.

_Chapter_ V

SERVICING THE HOME

Many types of services are available to the country home owner, including rural mail delivery, the telephone and electricity. Rural mail delivery in particular is so common that, on practically every highway, mail service is secured by the placing of a mail box along the highway at the entrance to the residence. Telephone service is available along practically all the main-traveled highways and on a majority of the other types of roads.

Where the lines are not already installed, extensions may be obtained to new locations, and this is facilitated when more than one residence is to be served by the same line. The majority of families accustomed to city conveniences will want to have electricity available so as to use electric lights and the labor-saving devices that are operated by electric power.

With the expansion that has taken place in the development of rural electric lines in recent years, there is not a great deal of difficulty in getting a location which will give the housewife the advantages that electricity offers.

Telephone service and electrical facilities may fall into the cla.s.s of luxuries for those with limited resources. It may be pointed out in this connection that millions of farm homes are still using petroleum products for lighting purposes and are finding it no hardship. Practically all would, of course, use electricity if it were available and financially possible. The new home owner in the country will find it advantageous to locate where electric service is obtainable.