CHAPTER 10 HOUSE PLANNING A family intending to build a house should be willing to do considerable preliminary study in order that the members will have a basis for the decisions that they must make. The ability to recognize excellence in appearance, function, materials, and work- manship is an invaluable asset to those who are building. Many new books and periodicals dealing with home building are available for study. The Superintendent of Documents in Washington, D. C., has for distribution booklets containing valu- able information on house building. Advertising circulars issued by building-material establishments are plentiful and useful. It is sometimes possible to find enough interested persons to petition the local high school or college extension department for an adults' course in home planning or home architecture. Correspondence courses should also be considered. Members of a family planning to build should observe and photo- graph new houses, including model houses and those built by architects in the good new subdivisions in the larger cities in a progressive part of the country. It is also helpful to study his- toric old houses to learn how materials and living conditions pro- duced certain styles, and also to realize that, when materials and living conditions are no longer the same,'the old style is probably illogical This chapter presents a brief introduction to the fascinating sub- ject of house planning, including the following aspects of the problem: Cost Orientation Exp rcssi veness Circulation Function Floor plan, room by room Beauty Interior wall elevations 149