The Perfect House

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31661, 23 April 1968, Page 2

The Perfect House

(By

STELLA BRUCE)

Is there such a thing as a perfect house? “Yes,” says the builders. “No,” says everyone else. And, after all, as we actually live in the things, we should know!

Obviously, a production house—like a production car —is a compromise and one which most of us must live in. But there is no reason why we should not complain about it —constructively, of course—in the hope that, eventually, the builders will stop being so blase and give us more of what we want and less of what they think we want.

For instance, I have never been into a low or middlepriced modern house which has anything like the amount of storage space which the people who are presumably going to live in the place, will require.

I do not want to live in a domestic equivalent of the Taj Mahal, but if I were buying a new house there are many things that I would insist on as essentials, not extras. A double sink, for example, would be a must. I do not really fancy washing vegetables in the same sink that is used to wash clothes or even to bath the dog.