on: The Out-door Living Room]

The bedrooms, on the second floor, of which there are four, show the
same low stud that is characteristic of the lower floor. They are small
but most conveniently fitted up, even to the conversion of a small
closet, which the architect had considered impractical for use, into an
extra bathroom. Every bit of available space has been made usable.

An unusual feature is the guest house, which has been created in the
second story of the large stable which stands at one side of the estate.
This is especially useful for week-end parties. The loft has been
converted into a suite of bedrooms, pool-rooms, and a screened veranda
that can be used for sleeping accommodations.

Iristhorpe might be called a conventional farmhouse, one of the type met
with on almost every country road. It has no exterior adornment of any
kind, but is a fine example of how a picturesque building can be evolved
from an unattractive one, and is probably one of the best examples of
remodeling that can be found. The house is typical of the best American
architecture, and credit should be given the pioneer who first laid the
foundation of the old farmhouse. As Iristhorpe now stands, its graceful
lines cannot be improved upon, and clever as the alterations undoubtedly
are, the great fascination that grips us as we view the house arises
from the fact that it is a part of the early architecture, when hewn
beams were first primed together, and when dwellings were erected that
would endure for centuries.

CHAPTER II

LIMOVADY

First the electric car and now the automobile have solved the problem of
accessibility which until recently confronted those who would have
returned to the old homestead even sooner, had it been nearer the town.
But to-day the house must be far away indeed if it cannot be easily
reached from the more active centers, and probably this fact more than
any other has opened up for the enjoyment of the younger generations the
natural charm of the countryside endeared to our forefathers. In the
roomy, old-fashioned farmhouses of New England, surrounded by stately
trees and overlooking acres upon acres of rolling pasture and meadow
land, unlimited opportunities are offered for the development of the
country home.

In remodeling these houses of the early builders, any radical departure
from the original scheme is seldom necessary. Rather should the lines
and motives be sacredly preserved to accentuate