The attached garage gives a deceptively large and long look to this attractive two-bedroom house. Of concrete block set off by louvred shutters and dark shake roof, it achieves the maximum of livability and charm with its comfortable and compact floor plan, its graceful setting. Keynote of the house is the living room set between two porches which cut off the glare but admit not only ample light but a cheerful view of the garden as well. Outdoor living area is at the back, in companionable view of the living room.

Designed with an eye on low maintenance costs, this concrete block house with extruded mortar joints uses every inch of its living space, even has the luxury of a separate dining room - an almost extinct feature in the small homes field. The living room is as deep as the house, giving it excellent light and cross-ventilation, and the feature of the kitchen is its cheery corner window over the sink. A fireplace was sacrificed for economy's sake; both living and bedroom wings are heated by the single wall furnace between them. The trimness of design and solidity of its construction make it look much more imposing than the figures on its price tag.

Larger in area but still modest in price is this three-bedroom home of Gordon Fields one of the most popular with its two smaller sleeping rooms in the front, master bedroom in the back for quiet. This house has a board and bat exterior of redwood on the living room wing to contrast with the pale green stucco of the rest of the house; redwood shutters and dark shingle roof balance the design, white trim and fence accent it.

Dark brown stucco of this house is accented by white trim and roof, whitewashed planter and chimney of concrete block, porch pedestals of lacy grillwork painted white.

One of the most successful community builders is Gordon Fields of San Bernardino, Calif. Using ten basic and tested floor plans, and an overall site plan designed to give his tracts a custom look, Fields has developed large areas in the sunny suburbs of that city. Exterior detail of trim, color and contrast of materials gives each house individuality and charm; he further individualizes them by varying the placement of garages-some attached, some at the left or right in the rear, some (on a corner lot) facing the second street. Inside he further varies his houses with decorator colors, different fireplace facades, different tile designs in bathroom and kitchen. Result-a charming suburban community of individual homes, yet each has the advantage of a proven and livable plan.

Some of the best-for-your-money buys in the small homes field are those by builders prominent in their own com- munities... working on perhaps 20 to 30 houses at a time in contrast to the thousands of the merchant builder, they use tested plans which they vary with details of color, trim, veneer, roof line and placement on the lot. This-with its large living room, separate dining room, two bedrooms and den-has proved exceptionally popular; buyers like the individuality of its redwood shutters and trim, redwood garage door, stone dado and nicely balanced bay window. And it's cleverly designed for a 50 foot lot, with ample room for porch and living area in the back.

Four small homes are neatly contained in one two-story structure...two apartments ideal for bachelors or young marrieds, with one bedroom; two with one smaller bedroom and one master bedroom large enough to grace the most pretentious house. All four units gain added privacy by opening off a central dividing hall; all four boast the informal open kitchenette arrangement with serving counter dividing it from the living room. The plan offers advantages not only to the renter but to the builder as well - it will fit compactly on a normal city lot, leaving ample space in the rear for a community patio and garden.

Where more stringent winter climates prevail, even houses attempting to cut cost corners must bow to the exigencies of snow and sleet and weeks on end of driving rain. This development in northern Maryland uses the same basic type of practical floor plan-a perfect rectangle but adds an expandable attic under the steep-pitched roof, and windows of insulating glass to make every inch of the rooms livable. The large fireplace in the living room is an added attraction... and as the family grows, the attic can be converted into sleeping or play rooms.

Arizona can point with pride to several new housing developments where the builder and a good designer have worked hand in hand. Result: a practical use of space, an attractive use of materials, and much more value received for the buyer's dollar. This house, in just over 1000 sq. ft., not only has three bedrooms and a spacious living-dining area, but a large and welcome storage room. The front door stands open showing the coat closet which forms the small entryway. A back patio fully enclosed in a tall redwood fence gives complete safety and privacy to children's play-yard, while the front patio doubles the area of the glass-walled living room. Typical of other cost-saving plans, this house has no fireplace.

When the average person says "small house" they actually mean as much house as they can get within a small house budget; no one today likes cramped rooms and lack of space. So the cleverest of today's designers juggle materials and ideas to cut costs and still produce a house which budget-wise is small but living-wise has its ample quota of space. This house falls within that category. It is built on a modular basis with a single wall of Douglas Fir plywood finished on both sides and sealed with a waterproof bond; with the outside of the panels painted white to contrast with the redwood grille, and the inside finished in decorator colors, it manages to look like a much more imposing home than its budget would indicate. What was saved by eliminating the usual double wall construction went into added square footage in rooms and outdoor terrace.

Inside a single-skinned house, the studs between the modular panels give an interesting pattern, highlighted by the criss-cross of exposed beams. Nice details: brick planter, built in couch which doubles as guest bed, built in end table with storage space underneath.

 Exposed beams accent the easy sweep of roof, have a decorative effect without marring the simplicity of the whole design; painted trim around the door gives further uncluttered accent. Additional note: sundial on the hexagonal redwood stand.

Hide roof overhang gives shadow interest to the plain stucco walls, clean cut lines of the window frame dramatize the grouping of living and dining room windows. This three-bedroom house uses the same staggered board fence to extend the visual line, shelter the carport. All the houses are built with slab floor and dry wall construction.

In this typical living room predominant colors are browns, greens and gray, the fabrics cotton or linen. Lamp standards of black wire are decorative and functional; their height is in perfect balance with the feeling of size and openness which the high ceiling gives. Slab floor is covered with waxed asphalt tile of soft gray-green; door at the right leads to the outdoor living area.

Another living room has one wallpapered wall, another wall of deep-textured chipboard of pressed cedar chips (foreground). Exposed beams, ceiling of striated planks and the colorful cedar wallboard are typical of Mr. Fickett's masterful handling of structural details as decorative features.

Bedroom in one of the houses is furnished as a denguest room with modern desk and chair, daybed slip-covered in colorful checkered linen, and natural straw matting on the asphalt tile floor. All houses use exposed beams and straited ceilings which are in reality the underside of the sloping roof deck, thus cutting the cost and adding to ceiling height.

Like many of the rooms, this bedroom has adjustable glass louvre windows, easily handled, giving excellent ventilation since the entire window area can be opened. New and non-costly features like this, added to the open planning and excellent floor plans, explain the appeal which has made the Fickett- Hommes tract an epochal success.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGE DE GENNARO | 1950