III.
“A history of house-planning is the history of civilization, one of the best means by which we can realize the social condition and family life of successive times,” says Stephenson in his interesting book on House Architecture. The gradual change in the arrangement of dwellings indicates most clearly the development of what we call civilized ideas.
In all important houses in the Middle Ages, the Hall, which was frequently an immense apartment, was the chief feature. To quote Stephenson again, “It was in reality the house, and hence (in England) country houses are still called Halls.” The ends were screened off by wooden partitions, the kitchen at one side, the private apartments at the other. The Hall was used as a dining-room and sitting-room, and the household would sleep there, both tables and beds being movable. Later, the tendency arose to have separate apartments for different purposes, and the number of rooms in a house multiplied. In modern planning strict privacy is essential, and each room must be accessible from the halls and stairways. As soon as a room becomes a mere passage to another, it loses its chief value. The arrangement of a house is, to a certain degree, influenced by considerations of exterior effect, but use and comfort are of prime importance. In the so-called “classic” houses, where symmetry was imperative, convenience of plan was often sacrificed.
A well-studied plan is characterized by compactness and the absence of any visible make-shifts or after-thoughts. Everything fits well and seems in its natural place.
A rectangular house is the cheapest and best, the octagonal and circular forms are better adapted for bays or projections only. Very irregular and straggling plans may produce picturesque results, but are sure to be comparatively expensive. A square house has always been a favorite with many practical-minded people. It is such a “sensible” shape and cuts up well into rooms. True, a given length of line, as a square, encloses a greater area than in any other rectangular form, so we get the most house for our materials and money. Still, we will probably find that, after arranging our plan, considering comfort and convenience alone, it will not result in a mathematical square; but, if it be compact and capable of being simply roofed, we need not reproach ourselves with undue extravagance.
All space occupied in passages and corridors, increasing the size but not the capacity of the building, is wasted.
Light and air are, we know, essentials of life. Let us not forget it in planning our house. Dark passages and stairways should not be tolerated.
In our cities, where land is very expensive, and the houses which often cover nearly the entire building lot are crowded closely together, many expedients have to be adopted to render the inner rooms habitable. Light-shafts are used, and rooms often receive only borrowed light by means of glass doors or partitions. In country houses these methods are inexcusable. Fresh air and the light of day should have access to every nook and corner.