Read an Excerpt
CLASSIC HOUSES OF THE TWENTIES
By Loizeaux Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 1992 The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-13571-7
CHAPTER 1
Our Plan Service
Its Purpose.
The principal purpose of our Plan Service is to help those who are interested in building a home to get the kind of a house they want by providing the necessary plans and specifications at a very nominal cost.
Plan Book No. 7.
This, our Plan Book No. 7. contains one hundred and thirty-six different designs chosen from our previous plan books and from the Home Builders Catalog. We can furnish on three or four days notice the working blue prints and printed specifications for every design shown in this book.
Additional Designs.
Do not be discouraged if you are unable to find a design in this book to suit you. We will be glad to loan you a copy of the Home Builders Catalog, which is a large Plan Book and Catalog of building materials combined. It contains over six hundred different designs, a large number of which are in colors. Blue prints and printed specifications can also be furnished for any design you might select from it.
In addition to the above we have many other plan books that it will be a pleasure to have you examine at our office.
Registered Architect's Seal on All Plans.
All plans that we furnish from this our Plan Book No. 7, and from the Home Builders Catalogs No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 bear the seal of a Registered Architect of the State of New Jersey. Plans for every design have been prepared by architects who are specialists in the small home field and who know how to incorporate in them the various modern conveniences that make a home comfortable to live in but at the same time low in cost.
Alteration of Plans.
Frequently we have people who like a plan except for one or two things. Sometimes it is a partition between the entrance hall and living room they want taken out or a pantry or breakfast nook added back of the kitchen. Other times it is a built-in china closet that is wanted in the dining room or a coat closet in the hall. Occasionally a person likes a plan reversed, that is the rooms now shown on the right would be on the left and vice versa. All these changes can generally be indicated on the plans clearly enough so that it is not necessary to have them redrawn. Where the change wanted, however, is such as to alter the basic design then we recommend that a special plan be made.
Number of Sets of Blue Prints Required.
Three sets of blue prints are the usual number required for building in Plainfield, Elizabeth, Westfield, Fanwood. Scotch Plains, Dunellen and many of the surrounding towns. One set has to be filed with the Building Department of the City or Town in which the building is to be erected; one set is needed by the contractor and one set kept by the owner or given to the mortgagor (the person or organization from whom money is to be borrowed for construction purposes). A fourth set will be required if the owner wants a set as well as giving one to the mortgagor.
Cost of Our Plans.
For all designs shown in this Plan Book and in the Home Builders Catalog we make a charge of $7.50 per set of working Blue Prints which also includes a set of printed specifications, a blank contract form and a guide for listing materials. A set of blue prints consists of two or three sheets showing the elevations, floor and foundation plans and construction details.
Designs chosen from plan books in our office other than those mentioned above will be charged for according to what they cost us.
Cost of the Designs Shown in This Plan Book.
We have listed on page 4 the estimated cost for each design in this Plan Book. The figures are approximate and are given to serve as a guide. The figures cover labor and materials required to complete a home ready to be occupied. The masonry work, plastering, stucco where shown, carpenter work, painting, sheet metal work, electric wiring and fixtures, plumbing and Hot Air Heat are all included.
However, to determine the exact cost of any design built to your specifications it will be necessary for you to purchase a set of plans from us and submit them to a builder for an estimate.
Headquarters for Building, Information
We are the logical Headquarters for Building Information. We have collected, during our thirty years in the building materials business, a large amount of valuable information on matters pertaining to the Planning, Financing and Building of Homes. This, together with our knowledge of the character and uses of materials employed in building construction, is yours for the asking. You do not obligate yourself in any way by asking our advice on any building problem.
When Building — Play Safe! Use Correctly Made Plans
It is dangerous to build without using correctly drawn plans. The building of a home is a delicate and complicated process in which the slightest mistake might mean a considerable loss in time, money and satisfaction. To be more certain of having a "home of no regrets" we recommend the use of carefully made blue-print working plans.
THE PLAN BUREAU is made up of intelligent architects and skilled draftsmen, men who have specialized in designing homes for years, and whose experience and knowledge enables them to produce sample, yet adequate, blueprints for builders.
(See next three pages for specimen of completed plans as produced by experienced craftsmen).
THE BLUE-PRINT PLANS for homes in this book eliminate all guesswork. All dimensions, sizes, details and directions are accurately and completely given. Consequently erection is made easy for the builder. The actual figures show that the size of all lumber, beams, footings, masonry walls, etc., are of sufficient size to carry safely all loads and to withstand all stresses imposed upon them.
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE CLEARLY DEFINED IN ALL BLUE-PRINTS:
Basement or Foundation Plan
First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Front Elevation
Right Side Elevation
Left Side Elevation
Rear Elevation
Section Drawings and Details
THE PLANS are usually furnished in three large sheets. On the succeeding pages you will see a sample illustration of the blue-print plans for homes in this book. These illustrations are one-quarter size of actual plans yet they will convey to you the care and accuracy with which the plans are prepared. Play safe and use them.
SPECIMEN OF BLUE PRINT WORKING PLANS ILLUSTRATION IS ABOUT ¼ ACTUAL SIZE
Which Style of Home?
THE question of style as applied to home architecture is a more difficult and important question than it at first appears to be. No matter how simple or inexpensive a home is to be, if it is to be beautiful, symmetrical, of enduring charm and general appeal it must observe certain fundamental principles and traditions. A mixture of styles or a neglect of style cannot help but result in ugliness and waste. Architectural styles are the results of centuries of thought and experiment. Generations of architects and builders have schemed against useless waste, and have contributed their efforts and talents towards the ends of beauty and comfort. It would be folly not to take every advantage of this wealth of experience.
In selecting the style for his new home, the home builder would do well to keep the following things in mind. First, will this kind of home wear well? Will its style be appealing and will its arrangement be satisfactory, say five years hence? Second, does the room arrangement satisfy all tastes and requirement. Architectural style determines interior arrangement as well as exterior design. Third, can the home be properly executed in local materials? Fourth, will the home be the best for chosen setting and will it harmonize with neighboring houses. Fifth, is the appropriation large enough to do justice to this type of house? Lastly, has the home a general appeal and will the resale value be high?
Fidelity to a particular style does not eliminate all opportunity for self expression. There is sufficient flexibility in any type of home architecture to permit the free play of one's taste and the expression of personality. But if one is to build most economically and at the same time guard against regrets he should select the style of architecture with the utmost care and forethought and see to it that the principles involved are carried out in the main at least. On this page and the next there are illustrations and brief descriptions of the six major types of home architecture. Anyone, contemplating building a new home might profitably study the illustrations and familiarize himself with the specific advantages and particular charms which each one affords.
New England Colonial
Rich in ancestry and steeped in American traditions the New England Colonial home has always had a wide appeal. Its beauty lies in its stately simplicity, dignified classic lines and the homelike atmosphere which it evokes. Because of this structural simplicity it is probably the most economical of all types to build and looks well in shingles, siding or brick. To be true to precedent the floor plan must be rectangular and the rooms almost square. "Cozy corners." angular rooms and irregular additions appear to be out of place and detract from this simple dignity.
Dutch Colonial
The popular Dutch Colonial home is an heritage from the Dutch Colonists who in their effort to escape the special tax on two story houses ingeniously devised the "gambrel" roof. Thus giving all the room and efficiency of a two story house with the appearance of a one story house. The best types are long and low and set close to the ground. To be true to precedent the dormer should be narrower than the first story. Brick, shingles and siding can be used with equal propriety. Above all, let it ramble for the Dutch Colonial home is nothing if not picturesque.
Gothic or Half Timber
The Gothic, or more familiarly, the Half Timber house comes down to us from the England of Elizabeth and the Tudors. The half timbered and stuccoed second story is the most dis- tinguishig mark. The main principle behind the Gothic home is one of frankness, that is, the exterior is a frank expression of the interior arrangement and should be designed to reveal what it conceals. One can go to almost any limits in designing an interior to suit himself and at the same time feel confident that he will have a beautiful home from the outside, interesting and individual.
Modern English
This type of home is easy to build and appears to advantage in almost any surroundings. Stucco is the most frequent material used but it has been made to look well in almost any material. The flexibility of the style makes it possible to adopt it to any size lot and on the inside to have almost any arrangements of rooms. The floor plan is first laid out and the elevation taken from it. The large living room is first provided for and the other units made to balance with it. Specifically, the Modern English home is built from the inside out and should make a strong appeal to anyone desiring to inculcate his special ideas into his home.
Italian
The Italian home is a model of architectural symmetry and decorative exquisiteness. It is related to Colonial houses both being modeled on Classic architectural principles. It has, however, an advantage over the Colonial home in that the interior units are not forced into prescribed positions. It is quite possible to arrange the rooms both as to size and location, in almost any desired way because the windows and doors do not have to be in regular positions as in the Colonial styles. The rich natural decoration is an heritage from the renaissance.
Spanish Mission
There are certain advantages in Spanish Mission homes found in no other style. They are built around an inner court, or patio, which permits almost any number of any size rooms. Furthermore, each room is a distinct unit and the sleeping and living rooms can be segregated from the dining room and kitchen. The open court proves to be a most welcome retreat in hot weather and privacy is here had that is hardly possible on the old style American front porch. Despite its present widespread vogue the Spanish Mission home was designed for warm climates and is more successful under those conditions.
It is almost impossible to lay down infallible rules for decorating the home. Each problem of furnishing and decorating is an individual one and must be approached accordingly. It is often a help, however, to familiarize oneself with the different possibilities of arrangement of decoration through pictures or from actual observation. The next several pages are merely of a suggestive nature to possibly help the prospective home builder visualize the problems and solutions of interior decorating and perhaps provide the solution for some of your own particular difficulties.
In many homes the visitor receives his welcome in the hall. It is there, also, that members of the family first come under the soothing influence of the home, tired after a day of business, school, shopping or other activities. It is desirable that a friendly, cheerful impression be created by the hall. In general, the color scheme should be close to that of the living room, but light enough to help brighten the hall if it is poorly illuminated.
The living room should offer an invitation to relax mentally and physically. Comfortable chairs, shaded lights and soft-toned hangings, draperies and walls will help create the homelike, restful atmosphere so desirable in a living room. For the decoration of the living room walls, tans, medium brown, warm gray, old blue, gray green and other soft colors are excellent.
The dining room in a home should have a function other than that of merely an eating place. It should by its attractiveness put the family in a happy state of mind at meal time. It should by its charming table appointments and proper room decoration increase the enjoyment of the hours spent there. If gayety and spontaneity of thought prevail during the daily meals, the dining room will have achieved it: true function. For dining room walls, such colors as soft old blue, dull orange, gray green, dark tans and rich browns are suitable, if the room is not too dark.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from CLASSIC HOUSES OF THE TWENTIES by Loizeaux. Copyright © 1992 The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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