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More Craftsman Homes

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More Craftsman Homes -
Found this book to be very interesting as I am fascinated by the construction of homes I especially liked the craftsman approach even though it was almost 100 years ago, I think the designs are still relevent.

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beautiful plans, lots of detail -
This is a reprint of a house plan catalog from 1912. These books are actually exact reprints of original plan books from the turn of the century (1880-1925, roughly). Dover adds little or no modern explanations, just presenting the catalog as it was. So when one looks to review these books, one isn't really judging the modern-day publisher, or editing, or writing. The only modern element is the accuracy of reproduction- in some cases, if pages in the originals that Dover found are damaged or torn, that page is reproduced in the original with the tear, smudge, blot, or hole showing. So to judge the books, one has to compare each one to others of its kind, and then to decide whether the material in it is thorough and complete according to the standards of its time. Since there are several dozen of these catalogs published by Dover, we have the basis for such a comparison.

Stickley and the Craftsman school of design are well known. Many people own bungalows, or admire them even if they don't own them. What getting a book such as this does, is give a person insight into the details of the lifestyle of the time, of the philosophy of the architects/designers, and so on.

This particular plan book is one of my favorites. It includes an introductory essay by Stickley, an essay on "The Relation of Craftsman Architecture to Country Living," and several other pieces. "The House of the Democrat" by William L. Price is also included, a thoughtful essay which would give anyone pause when looking at today's McMansions. Price says that a house should not embarrass one's friends; it should be ample enough to contain them, simple enough to leave them unoppressed, and with enough artistry to please and lead them, if they wish, to build one likewise. This essay is worth the price of the book!

One of the features of this catalog is that along with the exterior view and floor plan of every house, there is an extensive written description. For many of the houses there are drawings of the interior, with suggestions for furnishings. There are also examples of what types of light fixtures one might use. There are several cement houses, a fad of the time which should have caught on more than it did, as it is an economical and sturdy material for building a house. The written descriptions, in some cases, even include alternate ways to finish the house to save money or to adapt it to a particular type of location. Most of the illustrations are drawings/paintings; there are a few photographs, but not many. The drawings of the interiors include wallpapers and curtains.

There are a few houses in the book without indoor bathrooms, which is not unusual for the period, but most have a full bath, and some have two bathrooms. Almost all have extensive built-ins: sideboards, bookcases, benches and settles, shelves.

There are a few plans for log houses, for summer camp houses, and even for rural schoolhouses. There's also a section on gardening and landscaping; one on pergolas, one on the details of concrete house construction, and one on how fireplaces work for heating and ventilation.

In sum: this is more than just a plan book; the only bad point is that if this is your first exposure to plan books, then the subsequent ones you read will seem plain and lacking by comparison. Definitely should be in the collection of anyone interested in turn-of-the-century architecture, restoring houses, or adm