On Building the Home.

Progress, Volume XIV, Issue 8, 1 April 1919, Page 471

On Building the Home.

. Some wise man, in his ignorance, once remarked: "Fools build houses, wise men buy them." It may be true for the jerrybuilders, but if a man wishes to have real satisfaction in his home he builds it for himself. Last year the sum of three millions sterling, was spent in Sydney suburbs on the erection of residential structures, arid many of them were so badly built as to constitute an absolute swindle upon the people who eventually became the owners. Most of them were put lip by speculative builders to be sold on the instalment plan. Deposits of £SO, £IOO or £l5O are asked for, and the balance as rent at. 25/- to 30/- per week. A fresh ' crop of these mushroom houses seems to spring up every few weeks. As the properties are sold at prices ranging from

£750 to £llOO, the terms seem wonderfully reasonable. Anyone contemplating buying a house should, before paying a deposit, have the place thoroughly inspected by an architect, and make sure it is worth the price asked for it. Also, his architect will let him know how long it will be till he has to put his hand in his pocket for the price of renovations. In most of the places mentioned above, the cost of complete renovation and also structural repairs will hit the unfortunate purchasers like an avalanche in three or even two years. . Therefore, our advice to home-makers is, build for yourself. There is land a-plenty around the suburbs, and once the land has been paid for there is no difficulty in obtaining the capital wherewith to build. The New South Wales Savings Bank advances sums up to £SOO for home building; there are Starr-Bowket Societies, and almost any bank will advance money on a straight out. mortgage. The Savings Bank proposition is very alluring. Repayment is made by weekly rent, which includes interest and principal, and as the repayment is go-

ing on all the time, the interest, charged is exceedingly low. There are also other advantages about the Savings Bank scheme which are well worth investigation.

The trouble with most home-makers is that they do not know what they really want. The study of many plans becomes bewildering. We are overwhelmed by the variety offering. So the best thingis to set down in black and white the full total of our requirements and pass the lot to the architect, after which it is his duty to see we get the things we crave for in the best way.

The size of the home, of course, primarily depends upon the size of the family, the amount of entertaining the family propose to engage in, and whether they intend to indulge in spare rooms. If there are a number of fairly grown children they have to be provided for right away. If the family is small but liable to increase, there is no need to build a large home on the mere assumption that more children may. arrive. Remember the larger the house the greater 'the cost and the more work and responsibility for the wife. Houses can always be added to, and the homes we have in contemplation for the purposes of this article are such as

those in which the domestic duties are undertaken solely by members of the family. • The houses we illustrate herewith are adaptation « of the Californian bungalow, a type of home which is becoming increasingly popular in this country and which is eminently suited to our requirements under existing social conditions. The first is a beautiful six-roomed bungalow, with kitchen, laundry, bathroom and other offices, designed for Mr E. Vessey, of Epping, by Mr L. L. Ramsay, Sydney. A reference to the ground plan will show how well the lighting has been arranged for. The house is surrounded by a deep verandah, a real substantial verandah, eight feet wide, but the spacious windows give' beautiful soft light on the most glaring days. In the drawing room there are two of these windows, each six feet wide, to light up an area of 17 feet by 16. A central vestibule gives access to both the drawing and dining rooms . by means 4 of sliding doors, and the dining room is lighted by a flat arch seven feet wide, opening on to the verandah. ' The sliding doors of the drawing and

f ■ Typr . dining rooms are both seven feet wide, and being situated directly opposite to each other practically make one room of both apartments in case of festivity. The dining room is 23 feet by 20' feet, so that the length of the combined rooms for entertainment is 16 x 8 x 20 - 44 feet —-a charming apartment for such.purposes. The two subsidiary bedrooms open on to the side verandah, and are fitted with the American oscillating portal wall beds placed in such a position that the occupant can sleep on the verandah or inside at will. It will be noted that provision has been made for guests by the installation of one of these useful devices in the drawing room beside the fireplace. On the other side is a beautiful china cabinet, which gives the whole apartment perfect balance and makes the line of wall and fireplace symmetrical. Throughout this lovely modern home the architect has carried out the idea of built-in furniture, in addition to the wall beds, and home makers will do well to follow the lead. Built-in furniture is a leading feature in all the .homes of the latest design in the garden cities of

England, and in all the best residential structures of recent erection in America. Part and parcel of the apartment, it enhances the appearance of the various rooms, is infinitely more durable, and the symmetry of the original design is maintained throughout always. ■ Also, it is cheaper, and in these times price is always a consideration. In our second illustration we have a three-roomed house designed for a narrow allotment. The width from wall to wall is only 20 feet, which, while giving some space for a flower garden in the smallest building site, can be, by careful utilisation of the space, made into a very roomy comfortable dwelling. Small rooms are the curse of our Australian domestic architecture. In this design a verandah six feet deep gives access to the living room. This

is an apartment of most generous proportions, being nineteen feet wide and twelve feet deep. In this room is found the fireplace and two built-in bookcases. From this room sliding doors give access to the dining room, eleven and a half feet wide by fifteen and a half deep. This room, naturally, opens on to the kitchen-laundry, also a roomy apartment of eleven and a half by seven and a half feet. These generous proportions are possible only by the use of built-in furniture, including portal beds. As will be seen from a glance at the plan, attached to both these rooms are small dressing rooms, in which the bed remains until it is wanted when it is easily made available by the turning of the counterbalancing article of day furniture into the dressing room. 'These two small recesses give all the privacy of separate bedrooms, and make it quite un-

necessary to have clothing and personal belongings scattered round the living room or dining room.

To the young couple just starting life such a house would give ample room, and be easy to manage without the expense of domestic help. Its rooms are larger than those found in most suburban homes, and it should be noted that the casement windows of the dining room can be all opened up, and practically turn it into an open air sleeping porch, by night, or open air dining recess by day.

Such a home is within the means of every man of decent salary, and why people live in the city in crowded boardinghouses when they can have charming little establishments of their own, with a scrap of garden, and save still further money by growing a few vegetables of their own, is beyond human comprehension. The only explanation is lack of enterprise. —' '.Architecture.''