If your dreams are way up there in the clouds and your budget deep down in the bargain basement, don't despair-we've found the house for you, and it's a honey, too. In this little package is a wealth of charm, an ideal starter house layout with a floor plan that fits a narrow suburban lot like a glove. There's plenty of room for expansion and that porch can be converted to a den or a third bedroom.

The exterior is low with simple gabled wings; walls are stucco-covered with formal quoins molded at the corners. Extremely narrow shutter slats and graceful metal brackets holding up the front entrance hood, add refining notes to the simple green walls. The low-pitched roofs are covered with cedar shingles.

Once inside, one is instantly conscious of the convenience of this plan. Access to both bedrooms is possible without ever crossing the living room. These bedrooms are well protected, too, against noises from the main part of the house and both are provided with one ample closet. The bath will satisfy both scrubbers and shower lovers for it contains, in a minimum area, a tub as well as a built in shower stall, and the nearby location of the heater will keep this room cosy always.

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source: The American Home Book

Here's a house just big enough for two! Designed for a young married pair or for a couple whose children have grown up and moved away, its building cost is low enough so that almost anyone could finance and build it. It is really more like a small apartment with a nice yard than a full-fledged house. But into its 450 square feet (a medium-sized house is usually about 1,200 square feet) are fitted all the elements of comfortable living for two congenial people.

Architect Allen G. Siple designed it.

By doubling up on the functions of the rooms, this house gives you all the necessities in an attractive setting. The living room becomes a bedroom for two at night, and the kitchen, with its counter space all on one side, has room for comfortable dining under the window. It was furnished in the same budget-minded way by Barker Brothers for $813. This did not include linen, blankets, and kitchenware, but rather the barest amount of accessories for an average couple. Should its owners be a newly married couple, there are always wedding presents to fill in the gaps. An older couple would have possessions of their own.

Its exterior is entirely of redwood, a material used also on the ex- posed ceilings and beams. Hinged white shutters and trim counteract any color monotony while a Tuscan-red entrance door gives just the right amount of dash. Cedar boards line the interior walls of the main room and are most effective in an alcove which accommodates two bed-couches set end to end. The rest of the house is taken up with a good-sized kitchen, bath, and storage hall. A study of the plan will show how easily and naturally it can grow. But right now here's just the kind of house for a twosome, compact and easy to manage. Best of all, there'll be no top-heavy mortgage to spoil those first important years together.

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source: The American Home Book

Roof lines are casually low; gray-painted shingles, covering the exterior walls, add just the right touch of rusticity. The plan, though small, does ramble to some extent and is extended by the garage at one end. In fact this plan should offer much inspiration to anyone owning a long, narrow lot since the house could be placed with either bedroom or garage ends towards the street. Perhaps more than any other feature, the long wood- rail fence at the entrance elevation brings to mind former ranch houses, although formal window and door details tend to split allegiance to any one particular style of architecture.

Once inside, many unique features are discovered. For instance, a wood mosaic floor in all main rooms has been successfully placed directly on the concrete floor slab. The handling of its chimney is also noteworthy, forming as it does a buffer against drafts and dampness at the main entrance. There's a natural charm in the fireplace design. Here long, narrow brick have been laid with strong vertical joints, and their soft red tones add a pleasant warmth to the dual-purpose living room. Built-ins, carefully selected and placed for eye appeal, abound throughout the house and are definitely inspired in the dining alcove. We thought the kitchen seemed small, but Mrs. Smith assured us that, after working in it for months, she wouldn't ask for a whit more counter space.

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source: The American Home Book

It takes ingenuity to get privacy and outdoor living on a narrow suburban lot, but this house does just that. Plot and plan are in complete agreement, following the same long narrow lines, while privacy is gained by a board-and-batten fence that is part of the design. It's a starter house, exactly right for a newly married couple, but there's room for expansion. The plan is honestly flexible, each room blending gracefully into its neighbor with only one interior door in the house. The result is spaciousness in a capsule. In a different location a second bedroom could be added to the plan, adjoining the present bedroom and alongside the main entrance. Space could also be added to the study end of the house.

The exterior walls are cement block which look like the adobe brick of the Southwest. Painted a soft green on the outside, they further emphasize the sturdiness of the rough cedar shakes covering the low pitched roof. Such blocks are not only inexpensive, but form an attractive interior finish when coated with oyster-white paint. A bank of windows in the bedroom hall and the study window are the only openings on the street side. The study, cut off from the living room by the projecting chimney, can also serve as a part of the big room. All interiors are simple and direct, color being used almost exclusively to produce an inviting informal effect. The exposed roof rafters and sheathing used throughout add a great deal to the character of the rooms and are painted a salmon-pink color to harmonize with the dull pink of the cement floors.

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source: The American Home Book

This house appears larger than it is; its lowness, white painted board and batten walls set off by a massive brick chimney-all contribute to the effect. The deep projecting eaves and exposed rafters protect the windows, walks, and entrances from the elements. The noonday sun is kept out in the summer but its warming rays come into the house during the winter months. The two bedrooms form a separate wing of the house and are isolated for quietness. Each is equipped with plenty of closet space. The massive brick chimney appears almost full width inside the living room and lends an accent to the room. The compact kitchen has an amazing amount of working counter space, 38 sq. ft. in all and 92 cu. ft. of well- planned cabinet space all within arm's reach. There's even room for an automatic dishwasher, and a long ventilator over the full length of the range eliminates all cooking odors before they can spread to the rest of the house. The garage is attached for easy access in bad weather.

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source: The American Home Book

Imagine the entire floor plan of this small summer camp measures 16 by 24 feet, about the dimensions of an average living room! Construction is simple enough to tempt even the most amateur craftsman, and the cost of keeping it up is low enough to appeal to even the slimmest purse.

Exterior walls are built of vertical fir board- and-battens, the rugged grain standing out in bold relief to form an overall rustic pattern. A shed roof, sloping slightly towards the front, ends in a wide overhang, guarantees against dripping of rain into the house through the large opening which forms its main feature (see drawing above). In the interests of economy and easy upkeep, materials were left natural. Painting was limited to exterior doors, windows, and trim to minimize later upkeep.

The main entrance to the house faces away from the water; since the side fronting on the lake is a sliding door the size of the entire wall, the living room dominates the floor plan, leaving just enough space for a fully equipped bathroom and two flanking dressing closets. Each closet is small but serves its purpose adequately and is well lighted and ventilated by small barn-type windows which are set high up on the walls.

Though the camp is just a few minutes. drive from Burlington, Vermont, one might be worlds away from civilization. This makes it possible for the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Smith, to indulge that old "getting- away-from-it-all" feeling without traveling far. They're both ardent sailors and originally built the camp as a base from which to operate their boats. Way down below the house proper, and reached by a stairway that hugs the rocky cliff on which it stands, is a narrow concrete dock jutting L-shaped into Lake Champlain. This forms a snug little harbor for the owners' cabin cruiser.

We feel that the house is just about right for anyone yearning for the simple life where cares can be thrown to the wind. It would be equally at home on a beach dune too, for its lines are simple, materials are used honestly, and its size is right for a beach house. There's no need for continuous foundations since concrete piers are adequate to hold the light construction. A single fir floor was laid throughout; an 18-inch air space under the entire house prevents dampness from accumulating and rotting the wood.

Necessity often produces surprises. In this case it brought into being one of the most attractive features of the house, the large opening on the lake side. This was needed so that small boats could be hauled in for winter storage. Screened during the summer months, the barn doors and sliding hardware actually turn the all-purpose room into a large porch with an uninterrupted view of the lake below.

There's an uncovered porch at one end of the house, used now for lounging and outdoor meals. Actually this could easily be the basis for another room should extra sleeping quarters be needed. At present the house sleeps two, thanks to the built-in double-decker bunks, and is sufficient for the present owners. The porch rail, a detail also repeated at the main entrance, is made of 1 3/4-inch fir boards, the uprights tapered slightly towards the bottom. The result is one of lightness and effects a wonderful contrast to the rugged details elsewhere.

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source: The American Home Book

Architect Herbert Banse sensibly placed the main rooms to the rear for privacy's sake. Even if the house faced a busy highway, you'd be well insulated against street noises because the least-used rooms act as a "buffer"-kitchen, bathroom, entry. Even the master bedroom has a wall of closets between it and the street. Usually in houses this small you open the front door and step right into the living room. Not so here the separate entrance hall screens the people in the living room from unwanted callers.

The kitchen is really the control unit-you're just steps away from the front door, service door, garage, living room, or the porch. On rainy nights you're under cover all the way as you lug groceries from the car to the kitchen. Sidney and Marguerite Henry of Wayne, Illinois, who own this little home, wouldn't change places with anybody. They are in love with their honey of a house!

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source: The American Home Book

How about having the ease and comfort of a vacation house all year round? Sounds wonderful, doesn't it, and it's exactly what the W. H. Stewarts got when they built their permanent home high on a mountain top overlooking Denver, Colorado. The design does away with expensive excavation work and could be adapted easily to any sloping property.

In fact from beginning to end, the owners, wisely aided by architect Victor Hornbein, aimed their sights at economy of construction, materials, and upkeep. The result is a house, flexible of plan, informal in appearance, and taking full advantage of the site with its breathtaking views.

Common brick and Ponderosa pine were used almost exclusively throughout the house, the latter left natural for easy maintenance. Since the main approach is from the north and west, windows on these exposures were made small to guarantee privacy, although from the kitchen there's an unobstructed view of the adjacent play yard.

On the other hand, a great deal of glass was used on the southern wall to gain full advantage of the mountainous countryside. A wide, open porch faces this direction, too, and is protected from direct sun by the wide overhang of a low-pitched roof. Shiplap siding and common brick combine to cover the exterior walls, the former treated naturally with just an oil coating for protection.

A definite air of rustic informality continues into the interiors where walls and ceilings are finished with Ponderosa pine, first given a coat of shellac and then one of wax. Though the kitchen opens directly into the living-dining room, it is partially concealed from the entrance view by a jutting bookcase wall with cupboards below. Everything points to economy. For instance, the heater, just off the bedroom corridor, is centrally located and convenient to the fireplace chimney. Asphalt flooring, used throughout, makes for minimum upkeep and gives a unified effect to all rooms. A deep entrance porch, covered by the main roof, acts as refuge from wind and storm and is certainly a very necessary adjunct in this location.

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source: The American Home Book

There's something youthful and spring-like in its very simplicity and, as an added feature, its compact plan packs a pleasant surprise. For this is not a one-story house in the true sense but, rather, a split-level design with all the advantages of a two- story house without any long flight of stairs. Since this particular style is indigenous to the Midwest, it seems only natural to discover that our house is located in Northbrook, Illinois, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew H. Dussel. C. E. Blomgren, Jr., both designed and built it.

We're sure you'll share our amazement upon discovering three bedrooms in its compact setup. Monotony of plan has been avoided by placing one of these rooms a short flight of steps above the main floor. This allows a heater room below without resorting to extensive excavation. Naturally in order to contain three bedrooms in such a small house, it was necessary to cut down on other features. You'll no- tice that there's no dining room. However, since the living room is both ample and has plenty of usable wall space, any number of eating areas might well be utilized there. In orienting the house on its narrow lot, the picture window and bedroom. window face the street, allowing plenty of room for the driveway to the garage at the rear of the property.

The exterior is of gray siding with white trim and dark-blue shutters. Perhaps due to its exposed roof framing at the eaves and the wide over- hang of the rust-colored asphalt- shingled roof, the house is most homelike and informal in feeling. Natu- rally the main feature of the living- room is the large view window with its oversized square panes. Walls are painted elephant gray which matches a gray-and-white asphalt tile floor; in fact, soft grays, rose and forest greens have been used throughout this room. At a side window is a dropleaf dining table with Duncan Phyfe side chairs. On the long wall oppo- site the entrance, a love seat upholstered in gay rose-and-gray chintz acts as focal point with hanging plates for wall pattern above. The combination of tradition against a modern background has proved a most happy one and should reassure any doubting Thomases.

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source: The American Home Book