Canada. Dept, of Heslth The little blue books. Home series Publication No. 8 sou* CANADA HOW TO BUILD THE CANADIAN HOUSE 00 > V THE LITTLE BLUE BOOKS HOME SERIES ISSUED BY / ' DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, CANADA OTTAWA Ttffc profession of bome-mabing ^ interpenetrates!, as; it toere, all otfjcr professions:. dje successful mother must fie a coofe, a nurse, a seamstress, a bousetoorber, a doc¬ tor, a minister, a teacher, a toriter, a hostess, an economist, a scientist, an artist, a philosopher, an en¬ gineer, a business manager, a public anti social toorber, anb oftentimes a toage-earner anb an agriculturalist. g>ucb a list is atoe-msptring anb pet eberpbobp bnotos tbe inoman of tfje bouse is expecteb ja meet this great fielb, anb frequentlp boes, toitfj an abil- itp that fs astounbing tobcn one consibers tbc inappropriateness anb inabeqtiacp of ber training. —Mary PatUson, The Business of Home Managctneml McGill / Osier Library Montreal DOMINION OF CANADA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HOW TO BUILD THE CANADIAN HOUSE BY HELEN MACMURCHY, M.D., (TOR.) Chief of the Division of Child Welfare THE LITTLE BLUE BOOKS HOME SERIES OTTAWA F. A. ACLAND PRINTER TO THE KING’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1923 “ I never had any other desire so strong, and so like to covetousness as that one which I have had alwaies, that I might be Master at last of a small house.” —Cowper “ If the artist will study with hope and love the precise thing to be done by him, considering the climate, the soil, the length of the day, the wants of the people, the habit and form of the government, he will create a house in which all these will find themselves fitted, and taste and sentiment will be satisfied also.” —Emerson “ To do anything; to dig a hole in the ground, to plant a cabbage, to cut a mark, to move a shuttle, to work a pattern—in a word, to attempt to produce any effect and to succeed, has something in it that qualifies the love of power and carries off the restless activity of the mind of man.” —Hazlitt THE CANADIAN HOUSE There are three Units in every house: 1. The Work Unit—Kitchen, pantry, laundry. 2. The Recreation Unit—Dining-room, liv¬ ing-room, and verandah. 3. The Rest Unit—Bedrooms. Foundation : Stone or Concrete—Damp-proof. Size of House: Minimum floor plan 24 feet by 30 feet. Six rooms: three quiet bedrooms, one for Father and Mother, one for the girls, and one for the boys: living room, kitchen, bathroom, hall. Parlour and din¬ ing-room, if possible. No room to be passage way to another room. Bedrooms to have space for bed without interfering with windows or doors: Double bed is 5 feet by 6J feet. Single bed 3 feet by 64 feet. Aspect of House: Southerly for choice, especi¬ ally for living and working rooms. Ceilings: Height: 8 feet to 84 feet. Doors: Two for house. One for each room, and closet. Opposite windows, if possible. Width about 3 feet or 3| feet. Opening “ the right way,” i.e., as a rule, outwards. 5 6 Windows: Top of window near ceiling. Double-hung, opening easily top and bot¬ tom, upper and lower sash same size: or pivoted or casement. Minimum area of each window should be about 12 square feet. Two in each room, where possible. Tight- fitting. Floors : Sound, strong, level, smooth and crack¬ less. Light and Air: Necessary for every part of house. Clothes Closets : One in each bedroom. Two in room for Father and Mother—one for each. Linen Closet: Near bedrooms. An economy, a necessity and a convenience. Bathroom: Basin and Bath. Hot and cold water; window about 6 square feet. Double ventilation. Toilet: Inside house. Window about 4J square feet. Double ventilation. Trim: All trim, baseboards, window-sills, win¬ dow frames, mouldings and other orna¬ ments to be made as simple as possible. Rounded coves and corners for floors and §tairs if possible. Nothing to catch dust. —a i 7 Kitchen : Mother’s Workshop and Laboratory . Minimum floor area 120 square feet. Two windows with good view. Cross-ventila¬ tion. Ventilating flue in chimney about 2 feet from ceiling. Place for each utensil. Routes to and from table, pantry, closet, stove, sink, dining-room planned for fewest steps. Plenty of shelves and cupboards. Hot and cold water taps over sink. Have room for a Rest Corner. Laundry: Convenient to kitchen. Stationary washtub or combined sink and washtub. Chimhey needed. If it must be in cellar, provide good light and air. Cellar: For storage, not for living or working. Well lighted. Dry. Height of ceiling 7 feet clear. Floor concrete and well drained. Two or more divisions, one cold for keeping food supplies. Furnace in centre with fuel stored close by it. Bin between furnace and the little door in the wall for putting in fuel from outside. Heating: Furnace or stoves. One open fire¬ place or more, if possible. Water: Inside the house. Hot and cold if possible. Rain-water cistern in addition. s Screens: For doors and windows in summer. Stairs: Broad, 3^ feet or more. Straight or with only one turn. Easy. Broad tread 9 inches or more, risers 7 inches. Simple, safe, railings on all stairs. Railings on both sides of open stairs. Waste and Garbage: Reduce to minimum. In¬ cinerator. THE CANADIAN COUNTRY HOUSE Bathroom : See above. Dairy: Cool. Convenient shelves. Place for separator and other machinery. Good en¬ trances. Drainage. Septic tank or other approved plan. Kitchen: May require to be larger than 120 square feet according to work. Save steps. Outside Toilet* : Dangerous and a hardship in winter. If used in summer, then shelter, screens and regular cleaning should be provided for. The site is most important. It must not drain into the water supply. *See also Publication No. 1, Department of Health of Canada. Sanitation, by B. Evan Parry, M.R.A.I.C., Supervising Architect. 10 Power for washing-machine, sewing-machine and other utilities same as in farm buildings —wind-power, gasoline engine or electric ity. Preparations: Plant trees. They grow while you sleep, and make money and happiness for you. Lay out the orchard, vegetable garden and lawn. Don’t forget the flower seeds, or lilacs or rose bushes, or any other old friends. Screened Porch. At kitchen entrance. It makes an outdoor sitting-room in summer. Farmer’s washroom might open off screened porch. Toilet: See above. If water supply and drainage are not yet available a chemical closet is next best. Water Supply: Piped to house for drinking and domestic purposes. THE CANADIAN TOWN HOUSE Drainage: Municipal system. Location of House: About 20 feet back from pavement. 11 Lot and Garden: One-twelfth of an acre or more if possible. Plant trees, shrubs, vege¬ tables and flowers. Make a lawn. Parks, Playgrounds and Open Spaces: Buy your lot as near them as possible. Water Supply : Municipal system. TWELVE GOOD THINGS 1. A path to the door. 2. A low hedge or fence round the lot. 3. A porch or Out-Doors Living Room. 4. A coat-room just inside the door. 5. An entrance hall in the house. 6. A general store-room. Place to dry fruit. Dry clothes there in bad weather. 7. An upstairs verandah or sleeping porch. 8. A south window with a broad sill for plants. 9. Sun everywhere. It keeps the doctor out. . 10. A cleaning closet for brooms, dustpans and dusters. 11. A little book-shelf for every room in the house. John will make it. 12. A Real Bed—Non-collapsible, non-fold¬ ing, and non-deceptive. LAUNDRY Work. Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau. Ottawa. 13 TWELVE MORE GOOD THINGS 1. An Ice-House. 2. A Refrigerator. 3. A Cleaning Closet. 4. A Safe Garden where Children can Play. 5. Bins for sugar, flour and other groceries. 6. A baking-board, securely attached and supported. 7. An ironing-board, securely attached and supported. 8. Small Shelf above main shelf for small articles. 9. A Cold Cupboard: openings from outside and inside. 10. A built-in sideboard, three parts, with high window in centre. 11. A built-in Cupboard with Drawers which u pull both ways ”, in wall between kitchen and dining room. 12. A Hopper beside kitchen sink. Waste- pipe to go into plumbing above trap. CLOSETS. Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau, Ottawa. 15 TWELVE MORE GOOD THINGS 1. Green shutters. 2. Storm windows with a good ventilating pane in each. 3. A spare bedroom. 4. A place upstairs to heat food or water. 5. A lavatory on the ground floor. 6. A drainboard on each side of the sink. 7. A cedar chest for furs and other clothes. 8. Plenty hooks and clothes hangers. 9. A round pole for clothes hangers in the clothes closet. 10. A long mirror fitted into the moulding of a closet door. 11. A playroom for the children. 12. Paint where it is needed. Note. —The above information is intended for suggestion and reference in building houses. Houses differ in size and cost, but a small house of moderate cost may give us all the most important things—decency, privacy, comfort, health. 16 All information regarding the Housing Pro¬ ject of the Federal Government for promoting the erection of dwelling houses to relieve con¬ gestion of population, may be obtained upon application to— Mr. B. EVAN PARRY, M.R.A.I.C. Supervising Architect, Department of Health of Canada, OTTAWA. *foo 3,511 ’r-.ousefeeeping ts not onlp tbe oldest, most fundamental and complex of all professions, but modern success in it is more difficult to attain ttjan success in factor?, toareljouse, trans¬ portation or shop, because it must be attained bp toomen tuorbing alone, and toitlj manp purposes. jHen in toorb and plap babe specialised in groups along a Single path, for a Single end. ©Borneo babe specialised not as a group, but as tndtbiduals along all paths, for manp ends. —Harrington Emerson. 4oOl€l M THE LITTLE BLUE BOOKS Publication THE MOTHER’S SERIES. No. 2. The Canadian Mother's Book. 3. How to Take Care of the Baby. 4. How to Take Care of the Mother. 5. How to Take Care of the Children. 6. How to Take Care of the Father and the Family* THE HOME SERIES. 7. Beginning Our Home in Canada. 8. How to Build Our Canadian House. 9. How to Make Our Canadian Home. 10. How to Make Our Outpost Home in Canada. 11. How to Prevent Accidents and Give First Aid. THE HOUSEHOLD SERIES. 12. Canadians Need Milk. 13. How We Cook in Canada. 14. How to Manage Housework in Canada. 15. How to Take Care of Household Waste. 16. Household Cost Accounting in Canada. Gopies of the above may be obtained free on request from THE DEPUTY MINISTER, Department of Health, OTTAWA* Please mention whether the .English or the French Edition la desired, and give Publication No. No postage is required on you * letter.