File:American homes and gardens (1911) (17536653133).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar81911newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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354 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS October, 1911 the design of villas and chateaux, as in certain beautiful white "cottages" at Newport and elsewhere there is convinc- ing evidence; but there are not so many of them perhaps who have yet learned to design a real home-like country house. There is a certain "beauty of homeliness" that is absolutely wanting in altogether too many of the houses we meet with, but there has been a great stride toward better things, and our present day architects of standing are learning to en- dow their houses with that comfortable sense of home feel- ing so dear to the heart of everyone. Although we now have examples of home architecture which stand in compari- son with the work of the colonists of New England, Penn- sylvania, and Virginia, there is a certain charm about the old-time house which lends to it en- dearing qualities. Indeed, the "Old house conscientious- ly remodeled, one may safely say, has infinitely more charm than its new- born neighbor. Nat- urally much of this is due to its land- scape environment, such as the planting around the house. However, in these d,ays of landscape gardening even a new house need not appear barren of trees and shrubbery. It is often asked (and more often wondered) whether it is wiser to search out a site with a house upon it and to add to or remodel it, or to start en- tirely afresh. The answer cannot be given in a few words. It depends upon a great num- ber of considera- tions. In the first place, it all depends upon one's architect, as it often happens that an architect will be successful in remodeling an old house which will re- tain its home feel- ing, and unsuccess- ful in planning a new house that will give to its owner a sense of home feeling. If one is not sure he will come to enjoy living in the new house as well as he does in the old, and-yet feels that the old house could be made more live- able, to remodel the house is the problem. On the other hand, if one feels confident about a new house the old one may be torn down and its site occupied by the new one. Then one should save the old trees and shrubbery and the old flower garden if there is one. One must remember, however, that the landscape was a very different one when the old house was built from what may be to-day. Then the big trees in front of the house and across the road were only saplings; and you may have to remove farther back
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The Col. St. John Palmer house, New Canaan, Connecticut, owned by Mr. Neilson Olcott and up the hill if you would save the trees and still have the view that the old house originally had from its verandas. To revert to the advantages of retaining an interesting old house, there are certain qualities about it which will go far toward helping the final result. For example, in a common type of old house the story heights are invariably low— much lower than seems right on paper—without being un- comfortably low for habitation. Again the old detail is more delicate than is usual to-day, and with good examples of colonial door and window trim before him, your archi- tect, if he is at all the right sort, will not make his moldings as vigorous and heavy as in the French style, with which he may be more familiar, and he will avoid making his columns and railings in the classic proportions, seen sometime in the uninteresting work of the Greek Revival of the period just after our war of 1812, but inappropriate to domestic wood architecture. Do not expect to save money by starting with the old house. It is a curi- ous paradox that while you can some- times buy an old house for much less than it cost to build it — and while it would cost twice over that, today, to duplicate it—yet, in nine cases out of ten, you will have spent just about as much as if you had started anew by the time you have in- stalled electric light and modern plumb- ing, repaired the floors and the plas- ter, repainted and repapered, and done the hundred and one other things that you will not think of at all while your work is under way, but which you will find absolutely nec- essary before your house is completed. Of course, this does not apply so truly if the old house is a fine old structure and has handsome woodwork both with- out and within. Such a house is of necessity historic and should be retained not only because it is so, but because fine old-fashioned woodwork can only be duplicated at excessive cost and even then only under the direction of the most skillful designer and mill man. My advice would be first, get the right architect and with him select a site. If there is a fine old house upon it, so much the better; if there is not, be content to be guided by the architect's judgment as to whether you can well use the old house, such as it is (if it is at all). Further—lay as few definite architectural requirements upon him as you may, but

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