A $1500 House
It would make good property for rental or as a pleasant home
In many localities buildings may be erected very cheaply, and the person who has been successful in saving a few thousands can find no better investment than to erect attractive looking dwellings which can be leased at low rentals. For example, the house here shown can be built for $1500 dollars, yet it is pretty and of sufficient size to satisfy people in moderate circumstances. It is adapted to a regular size city lot or can be built upon a larger space if so desired. The bay window and parlor in the first story and the pretty open balcony in the second story are the principal attraction of the front.
The house is two full stories in height, with an attic in the roof. The foundations are hard brick laid in cement. The first story is 10 feet high and the second story 9 feet. From the front porch a wide door opens into a good sized hall, which contains the staircase that leads to the rooms in the second story, and a wardrobe or coal closet for the hall. In the opposite corner of the parlor is a fireplace, the breast of the chimney forming a splay across the corner, which completes the symmetrical octagonal appearance of the room. The parlor is separated from the dining room by an opening which may be fitted with folding or sliding doors, or with portieres. The curtains are preferable because they are cheaper and give a rich opportunity for decorative colors.
In the rear of the dining room is a porch, china closet, and pantry. Through the pantry is a passageway to the kitchen from the dining room. The kitchen is not large, but a small family does not require the equipments and accommodations of a great mansion, and the conveniences more than make up for what is lost in size. The back porch affords protection to the kitchen in the rear as well as adding to the extensive appearance of the home.. Altogether, considering the cost, very little criticism can be made upon the plan of the first story.
In the second story are two good-sized rooms and a small room, which may be used either as a small bedroom or bathroom. In the attic are two good rooms and a small storeroom for truck, etc. These rooms, it is true, have low ceilings and take in a portion of the sloping roof, but are comfortable both in summer and winter. The side walls of the first story are clapboarded, and the roof gables and side walls of the second story are shingled. The shingles may be left in the natural color of the wood, which in time becomes a cold gray and will require warm, bright colors with it to make the building cheerful in appearance.
The finish of the exterior is of white pine painted in two coats of warm brown, being lighter than the trimmings and blinds. All the floors are of yellow pine, the newels, rails and balusters of stairs ash, and all other woodwork of white pine painted two coats. The kitchen is provided with a sink, range and boiler for hot water. If the builder is not able to run in the plumbing for the bathroom when the house is erected, a good way is to have a pocket boxed in with a removable cover, so that the pipe may be put in at any time without damage to the plastering. This home can be built complete for $1500. The parlor is heated by a Baltimore heater, which also warms the room above, and a stove is used in the dining room; other rooms do not require heating, but could be by means of stoves if necessary. Raymond Phelps
Transcribed from the Salem Evening News: April 30, 1892
