uilt
with a stone foundation and a wooden superstructure with exterior
walls covered with metal lath and cement stucco which is stained a
cream color. The trimmings are stained a soft brown and the sashes
are painted white. The roof is covered with shingles, and is left to
weather finish. The front porch, from which a vestibule leads into
the house, has a hooded cover formed by the main roof sweeping down
sufficiently to form a protection. The vestibule forms an entrance
to both the living room and the kitchen; the kitchen is at the front
of the house, allowing the main rooms and a private porch to be at
the south side. The interior throughout is trimmed with cypress and
stained a soft brown. The second floor joists are exposed to view
and are stained in a similar manner, while the ceiling space between
the joists is plastered. A broad archway separates the living and
the dining rooms, and while it forms a separation, it does not
preclude the possibility, when desired, of throwing the two rooms
into one large apartment. The large, open fireplace is built of
clinker brick, and its facings extend from the floor to the ceiling;
it has a wooden shelf supported on corbeled brackets. A semi-boxed
stairway rises out of the living room to the second floor. There are
three bedrooms with good-sized closets, and a bathroom on the second
floor. A cellar, under the entire house, has a cemented bottom, and
contains a laundry. This house costs about $2000 complete.

Houses built of cement blocks are growing in favor. Cement blocks
can be made anywhere by unskilled labor. All that is needed is a
competent foreman to direct the making and seasoning of the blocks
and laying them in the walls.

The cost of concrete compared to frame or brick structures is, if
anything, all things considered, in favor of concrete. Houses built
of wood are likely to become increasingly expensive because of the
deforesting which is going on in all parts of the United States.

There are abundant books of plans and costs published, showing what
may be built, and several responsible publishers recklessly offer to
refund the cost of the plans if the expense of building the house
exceeds their estimates.

There are also a number of manufacturers of ready-made portable
houses, running in cost from about three hundred dollars for four
rooms, upward. Some of these are adapted to all-the-year-round use
and may be used where land is taken experimentally.