SURROUNDINGS OF THE HOME

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12434, 30 April 1926, Page 11

SURROUNDINGS OF THE HOME

When we come to Consider the plan and the outside of a house we shall find that we really cannot look upon it properly unless we have some idea of what its surroundings are to be. We cannot properly consider it without them. They are an essential part of that complete harmony which permits us to call a house built oh a piece of land ,f a home" —and perhaps a beautiful home. The old gibe of "Queen Anne in front and Mary Ann at the back 0 has endured for many years, because it.is still quite ap?arent that it is justified when applied o many modern houses. We still have h tendency to face our best rooms to the street, often with good reason, but occasionally with ho reason at all but convention. We should consider firstly w.hat nature of street our section fronts —whether it is ot trill be a main arterial road with trams, motors, and dust—or a street with town houses in it—or perhaps a tree-lined, quiet residential street untroubled except by the milkman or the grocer and an occasional taxi. These questions are important. In a town house it may be, indeed usually is, desirable to build the house on the street boundary and right across the section — leaving a pleasant, quiet garden* space inside, away from noise ana dust, upon which our best rooms can open (see Fig. sa). In the section fronting a suburban arterial thoroughfare we may decide to tint a high hadge or wall along the frontage and set the house well back with .a fine garden as an approach. (Fig. 5 and Fig, The house in the quiet residential neighbourhood may have its garden left open to keep character with the street, and to be a delight to the passer by. (Fig. 5c.) We are- not just at present thinking out the fascinating work of laying out the garden and paths, about which we shall talk later, hut of the averago requirements for the surroundings of the suburban home. There may be a flower garden, a vegetable garden, a drying ground, and the various paths needed for access. Several other items, as tennis or croquet lawns, poultry run, shrubbery, will readily suggest themselves, and we ipust not forget the possibility of a garage being required- when building the house or at a later date. Whatever is done should not be left to haphazard development-—it should be schemed out as a whole, and the scheme adhered to in the main. How often do we see narrow paths with too steep a grade constructed when easier grades would have been possible, gates put in wrong positions, trees of unsuitable variety planted and perhaps placed cheek by jowl with other trees or plants inharmonious in form, small front gardens and large barren wastes of backyards, and generally that lack of order and tidiness which proceeds from want of thought in preparing- [a plan? The "backyard * is particularly-an instance of this. The actual backyard should be very small—a mere kitchen court—and should be divided by hedges, wall or fence, so that its necessarily sordid* character shall not detract from the remainder, which should be garden or drying ground. A good garden is not of necessity at the front of a h<mse. It may be more secluded and more useful ana pleasant at the back or side; therefore the ugly and aniOlly things usually associated with rubbish and back doors should be separated- to a small of division of their ownl Also, there is then no disadvantage in good rooms at the rear looking into such gardens. It may even be desirable, when the section faces south and the kitchen is at the south side of the house, that the. kitchen court should be placed on the street frontage at one corner of the section, as suggested in Fig. 6. THE ASPECT OF ROOMS Opinions on the aspect of rooms vary a great deal. There is the housewife who likes the north sun in the kitchen, because she likes it warm at midday in the winter for lunching therein. There is the man who dislikes the early morning sun in his bedroom, as it wakes him up—as well as the flies. There are others who make a sunny morning aspect for the bathroom their chief consideration, and then take hot baths at night only. But probably the greatest culprit is the person, who, regardless of a southern aspect, insists on having the

chief rooms facing the street, for no better reason than that he considers it the thing to do. Well, for his frigid conventionality he richly deserves to spend his days in an ice-chest. However, it is obvious that it is quite wrong to attempt to lay down any hard and fast rule. With this proviso, then, we give below a few of the best aspects for various rooms* each aspect in order of preference:— Entrance Hall: Away from prevailing wind, and sunny, if possible, without depriving other rooms of it. Living-room: North; north-east; east or west. Drawing-room.: Variable, according t<, use. If only to be used .at night, no need, to have sun in day, but generall> an aspect not too sunny or hot is preferred. Dining-room: From north-east to north-west Breakfast-room: North-east or east. Kitchen: South-east, south, cast, or south-west. Bathroom: Variable to any extent, but if morning sun desired in bathroom, north-east or east. Bedrooms: North-east; north* east or north-west. It is obvious chat if th© house is to be all on one floor, and the section small, we shall have to exercise much give-and-take if we are to get a sunny aspect for the rooms which count—those we most uo*