On entering this house it would be hard to believe that it covers only 986 square feet. The living room is 21 feet deep and it is 24 feet across dining-living room. A cabinet at entrance opens into dining room and has a plant box on top. We have omitted a door into kitchen since the cabinets one sees are good looking.

What could be more useful than the bed alcove? Bookshelf cabinet has a drawer for bedding below, and the bathroom is just around the corner. A window wall at far end of room has a corresponding glass door to terrace. There is a long, low mantel with more bookshelves at the right of fireplace. These could be enclosed if you find cabinet space more useful. Stairway leads to a basement under living area with plenty of space for playroom, furnace, laundry and storage.

The blueprinted plan is useful in making basement any size you wish. House is 54 feet long. If you prefer a double garage add eight feet to width.

 

The foremost idea while planning this house was to make room for a family of three or four children in the simplest, most convenient and modest way possible, and still inject some glamour into the plan. Within 1590 square feet it has the equivalent of four bedrooms, and the requirments for happy family life. Plan is 52 feet wide, 58 deep with garage. There is basement below all but bedrooms. Children can come and go to basement playroom, den, kitchen and bath with little interruption.

A den near kitchen eases housework, but in this plan it also is an important overflow room when entertaining. There is no hint of a dining room when the window ledge table is closed. In sketch above half is drawn forward. It seats six persons when both sides are extended, or ten when T-shaped, a shape that is perfect for buffet serving. Dining area is large enough for standard table if preferred. Door beyond could lead to terrace or porch. Dinette will serve family well. Living room cabinet wall provides space for radio-phonograph, records, magazines, a drop-leaf desk, and perhaps Television. Plants above can be seen from both rooms, creating a spacious feeling. Bedrooms are modest but cabinet space is well-planned. Exterior is dark, redwood siding with white trim. A bit of stone adds much to appearance. A 75-foot lot would be minimum.

 

This house is intended for a narrow property, the floor plan being only 37 ft. wide. The two-story por- tion is 34 ft. wide. In order to give the terrace privacy the living room wing is at an angle and slender trees are placed along the lot line. Living area covers 1448 sq. ft. Basement area provides playroom, laundry, furnace and storage. Sketch directly above shows view from living room into dining area, hall and den. Fabric is applied to walls of dining area with wallpaper paste.

 

Those who have built this house proclaim the unfettered feeling of its spacious living area, the attractiveness of its master bedroom and its pleasant bathroom. Kitchen and second bedroom are small, yet efficiently planned. Kitchen counter and cabinets are ample. Right-hand cabinet has standard height end table for snacks or bookkeeping. A good closet and six-foot surface over drawers and cabinet help small bedroom, which will house 36 inch twin beds in a pinch. 

Extra footage can easily be added at left end of house, and, kitchen brought out to garage depth if anyone wants larger rooms. Alcove adds to size of living room since it is an extension of it, broken only by a beam at ceiling. A screen, a drapery or a Modern- fold wall can enclose it for privacy, since it is intended for family relaxing or sleeping a guest. A closet makes it more useful for the latter. An alternate plan has porch in lieu of the terrace. Garage is minimum for one car; if property is wide enough add two feet more, or a double garage 18 feet wide. Well-placed stairway leads to recreation room below living room-kitchen, dark- room in front. Bedrooms over laundry and furnace room.

An informal setting is created with redwood and stone. Wall of stone divides den and hall, a redwood cabinet the dining room and hall. It has radio-phonograph on hall side, cabinet housing dining equipment on the other, records above. Den-alcove tiny but useful.

Redwood is employed for mantel wall, window wall and front wall of den-alcove. Plastered walls match trim color of the exterior. Background is suitable for Provincial, early American or Modern furniture. Window walls have cove lights above.

 

This small house has enough space for good living in its cheerful surroundings. Conversation groups are divided in living room. The sofa, in an alcove with good windows and light cove overhead, is near bath and slightly apart from main portion of room, making it ideal for overnight guests.

Dining space is ample for general use and for buffet serving. A louvered glass panel partition is set between posts that are attached to a matching ceiling beam running to kitchen wall. Living room sketched at right has long mantel with space for lamp at one end. Windows and door overlook terrace. Room has 21-foot depth either way.

We have placed beds along the wall in one room, giving maximum floor space so good for children's rooms. In the other room windows are separated to allow a wall mirror between them over a dressing table and rest of wall curtained. Curtains can continue around over the corner window.

Exterior is horizontal siding with striated plywood over a small portion of front wall. A low roof has wide overhangs. Plant boxes add interest to facade.

This house is 50 feet long including garage, covers 924 square feet not including garage and laundry. A basement is detailed in working plans with stair at laundry room.

 

Seldom can a plan be found as flexible as this one. It is intended for a large family.

Exterior is of vertical redwood boards and bat- tens. Windows in living rooms are large with sections of gliding panes with aluminum frames, such as shown at front of house.

The family room and kitchen are informally arranged, yet the utilitarian portion of kitchen does not show through the five-foot entrance to dinette. If you prefer, a conventional door can be built there. The two bedrooms over garage are five steps above other rooms, while the living room is two steps below them. Ceilings with beams exposed follow the roof line in living room, porch and upstairs bedrooms. All other rooms have 8 ft. 3 in. ceilings.

Overall width of house is 88 ft. and it covers 2169 square feet, excluding basement and porch. Structure is built on a concrete slab.

 

From the street the house angles effectively to create an expansive lawn and to enclose the yard outside the kitchen door. When you study the floor plan it becomes quite obvious the structure can be built in three different operations, starting with the one and one-half story section since it houses heating, plumbing and the most needed rooms. This section becomes two stories by taking advantage of the foundation walls where they are above grade. One enters this attractive small house through a hall at street level, where an equal number of steps lead down to the general room and up to bedrooms. 

Below is the second floor plan, and in the exterior sketch below, showing the rear of house, you see the big windows of the general room. The floor here is slightly below grade, but on a property with a dowgrade of four feet from front to rear the rooms would open directly to the lawn. Terrace is at rear of living room.

Second floor bedrooms are modest in size with good closet space and two bathrooms. When a first floor bedroom is added, it becomes the children's floor, only half a flight from parents.

The lower floor has the general room with good plan for informal living. When entertaining, furniture can be switched from right corner to dining corner, leaving the large area for table setting. Kitchen and laundry have large cabinets, counters and windows. Spacious living room is second to be built, then parents' suite. Two-story section is 28 feet wide, the completed house 52 feet, with 31 feet more for garage. Garage may be straightened to save as much as 10 feet. First floor covers 840 square feet; the other floors cover 560 square feet each.

 

In this split-level house a downgrade of three feet from front to rear is advisable although not necessary. Except for the hall where ceiling slopes, all ceilings are 8 ft. 3 in. Windows throughout are gliding type. Living area covers 412 sq. ft. in right wing and 572 sq. ft. on each of other floors. Living structure is 44 ft. wide, garage addition making it 56 ft. Exterior has 1x2 inch battens every two feet over plywood.

The blueprints contain both of these plans so you may have your choice of a two or a three bedroom plan. We prefer the two-bedroom plan because of its room sizes and good closets, but you may need three bedrooms instead.

 

In the midst of a trend toward suburban rambling houses, it is easy to overlook dwellers who remain. within city limits. Even urbanites are rarely content with less than a 60-foot frontage, and in most com- munities that is possible.

The structure calls for a rise of three feet in grade from front to rear of house, a barely noticeable change on a vacant property but creating the difference in floor levels. There are no long flights of stairs, and the garage, foyer and den have none of the feeling of being on basement level as all but rear wall is completely above grade, and that only three feet below it, the rear windows being four feet high and six feet wide. In addition there are sleepers between the wood and concrete floors. Even so it is an economical floor, which will help the children's indoor-outdoor traffic problem. All other floors throughout house are wood laid on wood joists.

The bedroom floor and the floor below each cover an area of 576 square feet. The one-story wing has 600 feet. For privacy most windows are at front and rear, with full height ones opening to terrace. House is of concrete blocks, stuccoed. Second floor breast is of wide boards and battens painted dark grey, while the stucco is painted white.

 

The floor plan is intended to give owners privacy by placing their bedroom adjacent to den and away from the children's wing. Parents' bath acts as powder room and guest bath, while the children's bath is at the service end of the house. Their bedrooms, bath, kitchen and basement playroom lead to the same hall, to divert outdoor-indoor traffic away from remainder of the house. Triple-duty den sleeps guests, makes room for overflow guests when entertaining. Foyer and den flow into living room, windows in the latter being continuous with those in den. A glass door to terrace corresponds with windows. A brick radio cabinet juts from the fireplace wall on the right, making a graceful break in an otherwise severe wall. Exterior is brick veneer over frame. The living room has wood sash windows with large gliding panes. All other sash are aluminum. House is 53 feet wide, plus 14 feet for garage, and covers 1,600 square feet. Basement consists of playroom under living room, laundry under kitchen.

A combined living-dining area adds to the feeling of space and provides more room when entertaining. Bar opens to kitchen counter by way of louvred doors. Note glass shelves for glassware and refrigerator adjacent to the counter. Book shelves flank the doors.

Weldtex headboard, dado and hung-cabinets are built into wall of parents' bedroom. Twin beds are dressed as one, and the cornices and one wall are papered.

The fireplace gives the impression of being free-standing when seen from the living room, optically dividing a large room into living room, den and foyer. Brick is carried around and exposed in den, and there is no door dividing the two rooms, although one could be added if desired. Foyer doors of opaque glass have clear glass panels at eye level. Note T.V. over stair well. Weldtex headboard, dado and hung-cabinets are built into wall of parents' bedroom. Twin beds are dressed as one, and the cornices and one wall are papered.

 

This house of redwood and stone is laid out to fit graciously on a suburban property with views to enjoy from all angles. It has broad single-paned windows and wide overhanging eaves. Note the alternate porch plan which may be converted into an extra room with bath off the rear hall. The terrace could also become a bedroom if desired, although it is not in the plans.

The hall and porch are two steps below the rest of the house. On entering the foyer you face a glass wall with porch beyond. A small grill in the kitchen will appeal to many, also the location of the bathroom off the terrace if you live near swimming. Note the fireplace and dining room sketches.

This house is 76 feet wide, covering 1195 square feet. The working plans contain a concrete slab detail.

LOCATION of fireplace makes several furniture arrangements possible; note one below, another on floor plan. Bookshelves are seven feet long. Entrance hall is directly left of shelves and down two steps. The fireplace is ledge stone like the exterior.

 

A split-level plan intended for a small, level property that will be economical to build. Every inch of space is utilized to the utmost with an open plan to effect spaciousness. 

The small kitchen makes work easy while a 16 ft. counter provides working area for a helper, and the cabinets beneath supply generous space for china, linen, etc. Cabinets above and below sink are for kitchen utensils and packaged foods.

A rear door from the dining room could open to a terrace. Eight steps lead down from the entrance hall to a large activity room, while five steps lead up to living room. The wall between these rooms is low for space freedom.

The best use of space has been achieved by exposing enough foundation to permit good windows downstairs. They glide open as do other windows throughout the house. Foundation is set back one foot from the main floor, which with proper planting will make an attractive house. If your property has a rear grade the activity room at the rear could have even larger windows. Roof is well ventilated and has wide overhangs, especially over the recessed entrance. Carport may be enclosed for those who prefer a garage. Remainder of plan covers 852 sq. ft. Complete structure is 44 ft. wide.

 

From living room you see den at left, dining at right. Latter is separated by fluted glass panels between posts. Sketch of interior shows where beam makes change from plaster ceiling to one of V-joint boards, which is repeated on two den walls. The wide plywood panel overlaps another to slide across entrance to den. A convenient stair hall leads directly down to playroom. Two and one-half baths are located handily. Kitchen leads to terrace for summer dining. House is 78 ft. wide with 1790 sq. ft. of living space. Exterior of stained horizontal and vertical boards with white doors and trim. Roof overhangs 2 ft. except at entrance where it's 4 ft. wide.