ourtesy U. S. Department of Agriculture_)

A modest country home.]

[Illustration: (_Courtesy U. S. Department of Agriculture_)

Floor plans of house shown on opposite page.]

Another method of procedure is to draw a plan of the house that contains
the rooms considered necessary, submit such plans to a lumber merchant and
get quotations on costs of various types of material necessary to
construct it. Such construction will usually require the services of a
skilled carpenter and mason but permits of more latitude in most cases
than is available under a set building arrangement.

_Types of Country Houses._--Illustrations of small houses suitable for the
country are shown on pages 8 and 44. The floor plans of these houses are
shown on the facing pages. There are many other types of small houses
adapted to use in the country and the selection of any one is largely a
matter of individual preference and ability to finance.

Because of the variation in prices of material in different locations, the
kind and quality of material that the owner may desire and also the amount
of labor that may be furnished by the owner, it is difficult to give in
definite terms the cost of various types of buildings. Estimates of costs
of materials and construction may easily be obtained from contractors in
the vicinity.

Simply with the idea of giving approximate costs, the Conference on Home
Building gives the following cost bases for building frame dwellings,
obtained roughly by multiplying the volume by the cost per cubic foot.
Naturally the cost will vary in different sections of the country, and the
level of artistry that is set up by the builder himself will be a factor.

APPROXIMATE COSTS PER CUBIC FOOT FOR FRAME DWELLINGS

----------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------
| Southern | Northern
----------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------
First recommended level--2, 3 or 4 rooms with | |
masonry base, fire-resistive flue, both sides| |
of studs covered, painted exterior, interior | |
finish. | *10-15c | *12-18c
Second level--Bathroom space, better finish | 12-18 | 15-21
Medium level--5-6 rooms, with plumbing | 16-23 | 20-26
Fourth level--Adequate standard plumbing and | |
hardwood floors