CONVENIENT HOUSES WITH FIFTY PLANS FOR THE HOUSEKEEPER ARCHITECT AND HOUSEWIFE A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HOUSE FIFTY CONVENIENT HOUSE PLANS PRACTICAL HOUSE BUILD- ING FOR THE OWNER BUSINESS POINTS IN BUILDING HOW TO PAY FOR A HOME BY LOUIS H. GIBSON ARCHITECT NEW YORK THOMAS Y. CROWELL CO. 13 ASTOR PLACE. COPYRIGHT, 1889, BY Louis H. GIBSON. C. J. PETERS SON, TYPOGRAPHERS AND ELECT ROTYPERS, 146 HIGH STREET, BOSTON. PREFACE. WHEN the reader is familiar with the writers general it is purposes, easier to understand the details of his work. This book is intended to deal with houses in a housekeeping- spirit. In doing this, the architect has in mind convenience, stability, and that ideal of housekeepers, beauty of surroundings. In carrying out this idea, the relation of architecture to good and economical housekeeping is first considered. Follow- ing this division is A Journey through the House. It begins at the porch, moves through the different rooms, and stops to consider the various details. This brings about not only a consideration of the general arrangement of a house, but such details as kitchens and pantries, plumbing, laundry, and heating. These first two sections of the book The Architect and the Housewife, and A Journey through the House -are, in a measure, educational. After this, and in keeping with the general principles that have been set forth, plans of fifty conven- ient houses are illustrated and described. For the most part, they are houses that have been built. The next section is devoted to practical house-building. It is constructed by taking a complete specification for every- thing which may concern a dwelling-house, and ridding it, as far as possible, of all technicalities practical house-building questions thus putting in form all for the benefit of the owner. Following this is the consideration of business points in building, which sets forth methods of letting contracts with the view of securing the best results without waste of money. The closing section is devoted to the getting of a home, how to arrange the monthly-payment schemes, building- association plans, and other methods for getting a house on easy instalments. INDIANAPOLIS, IND., September, 1889. LOUIS H. GIBSON, ARCHITECT. CONTENTS. THE ARCHITECTAND THE HOUSEWIFE. CHAPTER I. THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE ARCHITECT. FLOOR-PLANS AS RELATED TO GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. LABOR-SAVING DEVICES. ECONOMY AND GOOD CONSTRUCTION. COMPACT HOUSES NOT NECESSARILY CROWDED. WOOD-WORK THAT is READILY CLEANED . . . . 11-15 CHAPTER II. HOUSEKEEPING OPERATIONS. THE WORK OF THE HOUSEKEEPER. THE AVERAGE HOUSEWORK OF A WEEK. THE ARCHITECTS LESSON THEREFROM l6-2O CHAPTER III. MODERN CONVENIENCES. A LITTLE HISTORY. PLANS THAT MAKE EXTRA WORK. MODERN CONVENIENCES ENUMERATED . . . 21-25 CHAPTER IV. MODERN ARCHITECTS AND THE HOUSEKEEPER. MISPLACED HOUSES. OLD COLONIAL POVERTY IN MODERN COLONIAL HOUSES. AFFECTATION IN DESIGN. NATURAL DEVELOPMENT OF AMERI- CAN ARCHITECTURE. AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE AND AMERICAN HOMES . . 26-28 A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HOUSE. CHAPTER V. JOURNEY THROUGH THE HOUSE. PORCH. VESTIBULE. HALL. LONG HALLS AND SQUARE HALLS. THE HALL THAT is A ROOM. RECEPTION-HALL. PARLOR. SITTING-ROOM. DINING- ROOM 31-38 i 2 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. KITCHENS. THE KITCHEN A WORKSHOP. WORK TO BE DONE IN A KITCHEN. A PLAN. FITTINGS. DISH-WASHING CONVEN- IENCES. SINK AND TABLES. CHINA-CLOSET. PANTRY. COMBINATION PANTRY. PANTRY FITTINGS. WORK IN A PANTRY. A DOUGH-BOARD. FLOUR-BIN. PANTRY STORES. CUPBOARD. REFRIGERATOR ARRANGEMENTS. PANTRY UTEN- SILS . A DRY-BOX. SOAP-BOX. VENTILATION OF KITCHEN. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF KITCHEN PLANNING ..... 395o CHAPTER VII. CELLAR. FUEL DEPARTMENTS. FURNACE CONVENIENCES. COAL- BINS. CEMENT FLOORS. LIGHT IN THE CELLAR. A CELLAR- CLOSET. OUTSIDE CELLAR-DOOR ........... S I 53 CHAPTER VIII. A LOW-COST LAUNDRY. BLUE MONDAY... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.