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CONVENIENT HOUSES
WITH
Fifty Plans for the Housekeeper
ARCHITECT AND HOUSEWIFE—A JOURNEYTHROUGH THE HOUSE—FIFTY CONVENIENTHOUSE PLANS—PRACTICAL HOUSE BUILDINGFOR THE OWNER—BUSINESS POINTSIN BUILDING—HOW TO PAY FOR A HOME
BY
LOUIS H. GIBSON
ARCHITECT
NEW YORK:
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
Copyright, 1889,
By Louis H. Gibson.
C. J. PETERS & SON,
Typographers and Electrotypers,
145 High Street, Boston.
PREFACE.
When the reader is familiar with the writer’s generalpurposes, it is easier to understand the details ofhis work. This book is intended to deal with houses in ahousekeeping spirit. In doing this, the architect has in mindconvenience, stability, and that ideal of housekeepers, beautyof surroundings.
In carrying out this idea, the relation of architecture togood and economical housekeeping is first considered. Followingthis division is “A Journey through the House.” It beginsat the porch, moves through the different rooms, and stops toconsider the various details. This brings about not onlya consideration of the general arrangement of a house, but suchdetails as kitchens and pantries, plumbing, laundry, andheating.
These first two sections of the book—“The Architect andthe Housewife,” and “A Journey through the House”—are, ina measure, educational. After this, and in keeping with thegeneral principles that have been set forth, plans of fifty convenienthouses are illustrated and described. For the most part,they are houses that have been built.
The next section is devoted to practical house-building.[Pg 4]It is constructed by taking a complete specification for everythingwhich may concern a dwelling-house, and ridding it, asfar as possible, of all technicalities; thus putting in form allpractical house-building questions for the benefit of the owner.
Following this is the consideration of business points inbuilding, which sets forth methods of letting contracts withthe view of securing the best results without waste of money.
The closing section is devoted to the getting of a home,—howto arran