for BATHING and BASKING
Just because a summer cabin is small and inexpensive is no reason why it cannot be smart and distinctive in appearance. The little house shown here could probably be built for less than $1000, yet it has many features worthy of a vacation home costing many times that.
Construction is entirely of wood, in a fashion reminiscent of Japanese houses, with wide doors and a broad, low roof. The easiest and most pleasing finish, both outside and inside would be plywood. The waterproof variety is durable and not costly, and it is so easy to apply that any amateur can turn out a pleasing job. Plywood is adaptable to any of the regulation wood-finish treatments from oiling or staining to painting, and will last indefinitely.
The roof would be attractive if covered with a brightly colored composition roofing, or with stained shingles or shakes.
The house consists of one large room, with alcoves for dining and sleeping. The Pullman-type kitchen, which means that everything is compact and within easy reach, connects both with the dining area and the barbecue patio at the rear of the house—a convenience if meals are to be served outside.
The same thoughtfulness has gone into planning of the bath. It has one door into the bunk-alcove and another opening on the pier, so that swimmers may go to the shower without tracking up the rest of the house.
A curtain shuts off the bunk alcove at night, and pulls back to make this part of the main room by day. Two double bunks provide beds for four persons.
Large folding doors at each end of the house open on the pier and the patio, giving an unusual sense of roominess.
The fireplace arrangement is also quite unusual, having a single chimney which serves three purposes. It carries flues from the fireplace, the kitchen stove and the barbecue grill in the patio. The woodbox is just inside the door for convenient filling.