Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/824

 Building a Bungalow— II.

By George M. Petersen

{Concluded from the April Number of the Popular Science Monthly)

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��HOW often we hear the expression "You should see my bungalow — the plan was original with me and we think it ideal in e\^ery way." Per- haps the plan was "original," so far as the speaker is concerned, but in reality the writer has never seen a really original bungalow that was a success. The fact of the matter is that every conceivable plan, that is wor- thy of the name, was discovered years ago and the so-called "new ideas" are only al- terations or chang- es made in these old lay-outs. Of course there are new elevations that are original, and some of them are really pleasing, but on the whole they are only an assembled product combining the attractive fea- tures in several houses which the de- signer has seen.

The writer's experience in designing of residences has been wide. When he first started in he would feel highly elated over some new feature which he had conceived and installed in someone's plans, only to find out, sometimes months or years afterw^ards, that the idea had been used by someone else perhaps years before. It was rather discouraging, but was really unavoidable as the old saying that "there is nothing new under the sun" holds especially true in house de- sign. There are numerous features in connection with modern appliances and con- veniences that are either new or are worked up in such shape that they are really practical, but so far as the design itself is concerned it is the same old

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��story under a new title. It therefore behooves the designer of houses not to say that the design was original with him as it is really an untruth.

So far as bungalow designs are con- cerned, the writer has never had the pleasure of seeing one yet that could not be directly traced back to one of the twenty used as the illustrations for this article, although it may be that there are one or two stud- ies that have been omitted. It makes no difference how large or expensixe the bungalow or house is, it must fol- low some general plan and these gen- eral plans are term- ed "plan studies" on account of the fact that the designer looks over his "stud- ies, " selects one that he thinks will be'suit- able to the arrangement he has in mind ; and, with the study as a foundation, he designs the wonderful plan which peo- ple look over and remark how wonderful his plans are. His arrangement may be clever, his lighting arrangement may be nearly perfect, his heating plans may be exceptionally well arranged, his ventilating scheme may be well-nigh per- fect and the whole may make a very pleasing, attractive and nearly perfect home, but when it is traced down it will be found that the living room can be found in so-and-so's house, the dining room in someone else's dwelling, the chamber arrangement may be brought down from the old Colonial days, while the fire-

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