Architecture and Building

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 12, 2 October 1911, Page 843

Architecture and Building

Comfort in the Modern Home These notes may be of use or interest to those about to build or buy a house. The first consideration is, of course, locality in relation to distance and means of locomotion to and from one’s place of business. To the proud possessor of a motor these matters may be of little moment; to the average man they are of considerable importance, and will govern his selection of a place in which to live. One thing is certain, if he is going to live more than two or three miles away from the heart of the town, he will have to choose one of the suburbs linked up with the tram or railway. Having chosen the locality, the selection of the site itself should be made with due regard for a pleasant sunny outlook, and last, but not least, water and lighting supplies and drainage. The condition of the roads, and the average price of ground in the neighbourhood are also of importance. The drainage of a house is a matter that very greatly concerns the comfort and health of the inmates, and the term must be understood not only to apply to the conveyance away of sewage, but also to any necessary drainage of the site. The planning of houses demands most careful attention, and requires unusual skill on the part of the architect to get half as much into a small house as the client usually wants for his money. The average man is very apt to base his ideas of a home on the combined advantages and features of four or five houses that he knows, or has visited. Thus the house of A is small but beautifully tilled up with oak-panelled rooms, marble bathroom, etc; the house of B has much greater accommodation, but is very plainly fitted. The prospective home builder conceives a home having the accommodation of B’s house with the decorative effects of A’s. and cannot quite see why the cost is so much greater than the respective costs of the houses of either A or B. The keynote of the ordinary house should be simplicity. Many bays, gables and wings, generally, cost more than their effect warrants, and if the house is small, will necessarily look trivial and small also. Breadth of effect is by no means impossible in a small house, but the attempt to crowd into it all the features of

a large mansion-invariably ends in disaster, both to convenience and artistic effect. A plain roof is one of the most economical features; once you begin to throw out bays and patch on gables you incur heavy and unnecessary expenditure in your roofing. More beauty can be secured by a well proportioned plain roof with well-placed and finely designed chimney stacks than with any number of elaborate gables and decorated barge boards. The arrangement of the rooms so that the chimney Hues can be collected into one or two large stacks not only tends to economy, but also greatly increases the possibility of artistic effect. A number of

small spidery chimney stacks make breadth of effect quite impossible. Chimney stacks are better placed at the ridge of the roof than on the slopes and centre stacks as a rule look better than stacks at either end. As regards the roof, tiling is pre-eminently the best material. The interlocking composition tiles are better than the Marseilles, as they stand the weather better, and do not become so discoloured, particularly in smoky neighbourhoods. The porous nature of the Marseilles tiles makes them particularly liable to collect smoke and dirt, so that in a few years they have a very dingy appearance compared with the first-men-tioned tile of the same age, though one cannot deny that the Marseilles tile has the more handsome appearance when new. The verandah is one of the most important adjuncts to the home. One could

wish, however, that, generally speaking, its treatment was a little happier. Too often the unfortunate little roof supported on skeleton posts gives an uncomfortable feeling that it is stuck on to the main building as an afterthought. The satisfactory arrangement of a verandah requires some effort on the part of the architect, and in most of the successful case it will be found that the verandah forms an integral part of the building. In area, the verandah is now beingmade more extensive than it used to be, and in particular the depth is greater. In some modem houses the kitchen or dining-room is planned to open on to the verandah so that meals can be served there in hot weather if desired. In the arrangement of the interior everything depends upon the accommodation to be provided. There are certain elementary rules in the planning of all houses, large or small, which may be briefly catalogued. The principal rooms should face the north or east; the kitchen south or west. The kitchen must he handy to the diningroom, and the range should he lighted from the left wherever possible. The larder should be on the south. The ordinary bedroom is by no means irreproachable. Considering the length of time passed in bedrooms, their shape, cubic contents, window space and ventilation are all matters of hygienic importance. Science would demand that our bedrooms should be even larger than our sitting-rooms, because of the greater air space required. The demand of scientific men for larger bedrooms and more window space has generally been met with the retort that people should leave their bedroom windows open. We know perfectly well, through the modem treatment of tuberculosis, that it is quite possible, under skilled medical attention, for very delicate people to sleep in the open air. But such patients are always carefully screened from draughts. And in many modern bedrooms it would be impossible for anyone to sleep with open windows without catching a violent cold or incurring perpetual neuralgia. It is not sufficient to say "Open your window"; the bedroom must be so arranged that there is not a continual draught across the head of the bed. There are two main defects in many bedrooms, and these are their shape and arrangement. Too often there is every

indication that the planning of the ground floor, with the living rooms, has been regarded as the "be-all and end-all" of the design, and the bedrooms are disposed as best they may be over them, or in bungalow type of houses they are just crammed into the spaces left after the living-rooms are planned.

The long, narrow room, where the bed must be set lengthways along the wall in order that one may get past it, is not a pattern to be adopted, for the bed has to be moved every time it is made, which is neither good for _ the temper nor the floor. Equally irritating is the bedroom which has the door in the middle of one wall, the fireplace in the middle of another, and the door in the centre of the third, so that the fourth Avail, the only possible one against which to set the bed, is in the full line of draught between the door and the fireplace, the window and the fireplace, or the door and the window. An examination of most of the bedrooms would show these defects to be the rule rather than the exception. The idea that anything is good enough for a bedroom should by now be an exploded fallacy. A good bedroom should have plenty of air space, the door near the corner, not in the centre of a wall, with fireplace and window as nearly in line as possible and not cross-firing cold draughts all over the room, so that there is sufficient area of quiet territory, as it were, in which to stand the bed. In the conception of a home there is one point in which the many architects fail, and that is the provision of cupboards, and in the majority of cases where cupboards are provided they are so small and awkward as to prove more of a nuisance than a blessing. Now, in America they believe in cupboards, large ones and plenty of them. Very often these are contrived by planning a space two or three feet wide between two bedrooms; half this space forms a cupboard for one bedroom, and half for the other, btorage accommodation is a necessity in every house, and is even more important in the small house than the mansion. The question of timber in building is daily becoming more difficult and serious, The world's supply of this useful material is now being used up so rapidly that adequate time cannot be allowed for

its proper seasoning. For this reason door frames' warp and twist, panels shrink and split, and all timberwork is liable to seasoning defects. Oregon pine is now being largely used in place of some of our timbers, and it certainly has a good appearance, varnished or stained, for inside work.

One difficulty of the modern house owner is his floors. Stained and polished floors are very generally desired for decorative effect; but too often such alarming spaces, not to say cavities, appear between the floorboards, that the continuance of a stained floor seems out of the question. Here again the seasoning difficulty crops up, and frequently floorboards properly put down and cramped up during laying will afterwards shrink and disclose ' unsightly cracks. With a floor very defective in this respect, practically the only remedy is to take up and re-lay it. The question of windows is a most important one. and on hygienic grounds there is much to be said for the old style of window with the double sash, which makes it possible to ventilate a room without creating a draught in the lower portion. The casement window, however, has many advantages, and numbers of people Avho have once tried them would never put up with the sash window again, The main consideration in the treatment of the window itself is to keep the panes small. Large sheets of glass never look well, and their tendency is to make the cottage appear much smaller than it really is. Large panes, besides, being most costly to replace if broken, Leaded lights are increasing in popularity, but are more difficult to repair when broken; but the elasticity of the lead saves the glass from many' a breakage. Coloured glass should be'used very sparingly, if at all. Jalousies are only occasionally needed in this country, and their use must lie determined by preference or question of cost. It must be admitted that they often add to the aonearancß of a cottage, and are more in keeping than the sun-blind, which too often is put up after the place is built, and ruins the appearance of the window. Doors are one of the most troublesome features of a house, being specially liable to shrinkage and twisting from their posi-

tion and functions. A warped door which sticks or a shrunk door which will not fasten and bangs all night long, are both abominations and irritations to the flesh. Therefore, to have the doors well made and of the best material is a sina qua non. The folding door is an early Victorian abomination, happily becoming extinct. Where it is desired to afford some means of throwing two rooms into one, sliding doors are far preferable. In this case the aperture is closed by two doors sliding into grooves formed in the walls on either side of the aperture. The value of good grates and stoves is known to all housewives, but with the improvement of the electric oven and the cheapening of the cost of power, it seems that soon a good deal of the cooking will be done by electricity, and what is not done by that means will be done in the gas or oil stove, so that the old dirty range will be relegated to the scrap heap in the near future. The old open fireplace for burning logs is much the cosiest to sit round, but firewood, in the towns, is becoming scarcer and dearer every year. Some of the Well fires, which burn coal, will burn wood, and have almost the same appearance, though their grate area is tiny in comparison, and they are thus much more economical. Several were exhibited at the Wellington Industrial Exhibition, held in June, and the tilings in some were works of art. The ingle-nook now finds a place in many, but is a somewhat over-rated fea-

a comfort that it rarely possesses. The seats seem inviting enough, but often the backs are too straight or the seats not deep enough. To be really comfortable the ingle-nook requires to be deep-seated with the back inclined for eighteen inches at least, and upholstered well.

The average kitchen fittings comprise, beside the range, a dresser and a few cupboards. In the twentieth century these things should show some modification and improvement. If the dresser were made as a cupboard with closefitting glass panelled doors, more like a china closet intended for valuable specimens, much unnecessary washing of chinaware would be obviated. It is better if a proper pantry can be provided for the china and glass, with a sink, etc., for the washing of these articles, but in a small house it is not always possible to afford the room. In such a room drawers for holding the plate, tablecloths, dusters, etc., should also be fitted, and if it forms a servery ample counter or flap accommodation should be provided for setting down trays or dishes. Cupboards are generally set in the kitchen where it is thought they will not be in the way. This is quite the wrong method of regarding them. If necessary, the whole of one side or end of kitchen or scullery should be cupboards. These need not be extraordinarily deep, but should contain the stores in current use in separate shelves or pigeon-holes, so that the mistress of the house can see practically at a glance what things require replenishing. In the scullery there should be a cleaning cupboard, so arranged that the various brooms, brushes, dustpans, etc., can be hung up, a locker provided for the boot brushes, blacking, polishing paste, and drawers for clean and dirty rags. The sink is the most important article in the scullery; it should have good big draining boards on either side and plate racks over the draining boards. It is desirable that the sink be placed in front of a window, but the walls round should be faced with glazed bricks, tiles or noncorrosive metal for at least three feet on either side, and two feet above the sink. In the matter of bathrooms we arc reverting to the luxury of the Romans. In fact, educated people look upon their baths as an enjoyment, and not. like our forefathers, as a necessary but troublesome item of cleanliness. The porcelain bath is a beautiful thing in itself, but takes more heating than the iron one. with a resultant loss of temperature in the water. Unless a big fire is kept going in the kitchen range for a considerable time (in summer a matter of great discomfort) the water never seems hot in the average hot water service. Moreover,- one bath exhausts the stock of hot water for some time, and a continuous supply of hot water is an impossibility. Therefore a geyser is to be recommended, for with it a constant stream of hot water is immediately on tap after lighting the gas. Where gas is not available there is a special geyser made for burning chips of wood and is quite as effective. Several of these appeared in Ballinger's exhibit at the recent exhibition. In small houses the water closet is often placed in the bathroom. Though there is little to cavil at in this, considering the excellence of modern fittings, there is much to be said against it on the grounds of convenience, as both fittings may be required for use at the same time by different persons. Most of the interior walls will be scrimmed and papered, but if money is not an especial object some rooms, such

as the dining-room, may be panelled in polished wood. Wide vertical Oregon panels stained dark, with narrow varnished kauri styles about breast high, and a brownish or buff paper above, would give a dining-room a very nice appearance. Picture rails are a great boon and not expensive. The division of a wall into dado, filling and frieze is largely a matter, however, for the artistic skill of the architect. Chimney pieces and doors may also be included in the objects for careful design, and the metal work (lighting, fixtures, door plates, handles, knockers, and other metal included under the title of door furniture) offers immense possibilities for the expression of art. It is by the discretion and restraint exhibited in the choice of these appurtenances that the householder may proclaim his intelligence and refinement to his visitors.