HERE'S a stunning California idea for a home, but that doesn't mean the delightful Roslyn isn't adaptable to any other state. The clean cut, informal approach to modern would challenge any die-hard traditionalist. The compact interior is laid out to produce an efficient Ranch-type room arrangement consisting of three bedrooms, two full baths, a "dream" kitchen, attached garage, full cellar, terrace, and large L-shaped combination living-dining room with a twenty-four foot window wall overlooking the rear garden.
Entrance is made from a flagstone terrace into a small foyer containing a guest closet. To the left of the foyer is the large, well-proportioned living room measuring 27 x 15 feet and featuring floor to ceiling window in the front. The third wall is a contemporary red brick log-burning fireplace having an 8- foot wide floor-to-ceiling ceiling chimney flanked by knotty pine paneling.
Following the plan of most Ranch homes, the living room is combined with the dining area. From the dining room, a door leads out to the sheltered garden patio. With its flagstone deck, this space makes a perfect spot for dining in the summer.
The kitchen is large and well designed. It boasts of a sink unit having a combination dishwasher and dial-controlled clothes- washer, a built-in ironing board and a concealed exhaust fan.
Of course, there is an abundance of custom designed and finished cabinets with vinyl counter tops and a hardwood cutting board.
The sleeping area in The Roslyn is reached from the living room section through a small hall. This hall has three closets including an extra large linen closet.
The three bedrooms are adequate in size and have cross ventilation and plenty of closet space. Furniture arrangement has always been a problem with bedrooms because they usually are small and contain windows that extend below the top of most furniture pieces. This problem was eliminated in The Roslyn by mounting the windows near the ceiling thereby providing not only light and cross ventilation but making it possible to place furniture along the outside wall. You can even use a large, high, modern headboard! The master bedroom has a private bath, 10-foot built-in wardrobe with sliding doors plus additional storage space above. The second bath is off the small hallway.
The large basement, which can be turned into a playroom or workshop, contains the heating system which is an oil-fired forced air unit. The storage tank is also in the cellar but may be buried in the front of the home.
As is the case with all homes in the $18,500 price bracket, The Roslyn is fully insulated and has a poured concrete full basement. A noteworthy point is the fact that the windows are aluminum, thereby cutting down on the overall yearly main- tenance a home of this size requires. A slate roof, while it is very attractive, does represent a cost in excess of $500 over a good, asphalt covering that will stand up for nearly a lifetime.
The overextended eaves shading the
large picture windows apply a principle of home design that is still in the experimental stage, but which has had satisfactory re- sults. It is called "solar orientation." The idea is to make full use of the sun's rays for heating or partially heating a home in winter and keeping the house cool in sum- mer. At high noon in the middle of the winter, the sun is relatively low in the sky so that its rays slant under an extended roof and through the picture window to heat the house. However, in the middle of the summer the sun is high in the sky dur- ing most of the day, so that the eaves keep out its rays, leaving the house cool.
All points considered, for its size and design The Roslyn is truly one of the really better buys in Ranch homes.
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