Property of Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Kline | Long Island | Architects Caleb Hornbostel & Jean P. Trouchaud | Photograph F. M. Demarest

In these days of stratospheric building prices, it does our hearts good to find a house, well designed and custom built, that doesn't do a "Jesse James" on the average family budget. Thanks for this must go to architect Caleb Hornbostel and designer Jean P. Trouchaud, who not only drew the plans but also bought the land and supervised the project from bulldozer to final push button. The price is really newsworthy since modern design has always been considered a luxury item. Nevertheless, this house sold for less than did thousands of traditional houses of the same size in surrounding neighborhoods. No one got rich on the job, profits were slim, but, in spite of temptations to skimp, no compromises were made. The satisfaction of honestly licking a tough problem was reward enough for these two pioneers. Mr. Hornbostel is now going it alone and expects to achieve even more surprising results along this line in the near future.

The Kline house, backing on a picturesque canal, is of brick and flush boarding with tight-clipped eave lines which give it a rather perky look. An open carport, unique in the locality, has been most successful even through last winter's severe test. A string of hanging cupboards along the carport's outer wall affords loads of usable storage space for garden equipment and also acts as a buffer against the elements. Looking across the gently curving entrance drive, the large, slanting livingroom window at once becomes the focal point.

This sash has been especially designed to keep the sun's glare from the interior. Its wide sill affords space for the decorative arrangement of plants or for displaying magazines and books. Entering the bright-orange door, we find ourselves in the living room with its soft-gray walls and touches of cool chartreuse on chairs and draperies. The corner fireplace, placed at the intersection of living and dining rooms, is of concrete brick, ranging from true mauve tones to deep rose. Mr. Kline is responsible for a great many of the built-ins and is especially proud of the low modern bookcase of Finnish birch that divides the two main rooms. This lack of partition gives more spaciousness and flow to the two rooms. Geometric panelling along one wall of the dining room is of the same birch, in natural finish, and complements nicely the light, blond oak furniture used throughout the house.

A small room which houses the winter air conditioning-heating system is directly behind the fireplace and adjoins the kitchen. Two bedrooms, a bath, and an astonishing number of really usable closets comprise the rest of the house. Both sleeping rooms have ample wall space for the proper placing of beds and also cross ventilation to catch the welcome sea breezes. Another outside entrance leading into the dining area helps reduce delivery traffic into corner kitchen.