Whenever you go into any house, make a note of the sizes and arrangements of the rooms, and the sizes of the closets, pantry, etc., consider in what way they could be improved, - whether they are too large or too small, then when you wish to draw plans for a house, you have some statistics to guide you. Do not make the house just so large, and then see how it can be divided up, and if any space is left over, try to make a closet of it, but decide about what size vou want each room, and the closets and the pantry, then you know about how large to make the house; of course the sizes of the rooms may have to be modified somewhat to suit circumstances.

fin building houses to be let, do not make the rooms too large, as the tenant will then be obliged to buy new carpets, which will be a drawback in letting the house) For ordinary houses, 12 x 13 feet makes verv fair-sized rooms, and in case there is a bay window let that add so much more to the size of the room. Another thing that is generally overlooked is this: arrange the sizes of the principal rooms so as to use even breadths of tapestry carpets, which are only 3/4-yard in width. If rooms are two or three inches wider it necessitates purchasing entire extra lengths of carpet, and entails a considerable additional outlay, which might have been avoided by a little forethought on the part of the person who planned the house.

In planning houses, always keep in mind the furniture that will go in the various rooms, and try so far as possible to provide suitable locations for the principal pieces. To illustrate: In the parlor provide wall space for a piano and one or two large easy chairs, or a sofa; in the sitting room, arrange so as to have wall room for a couch or lounge, and perhaps a desk or book-case: in the dining room provide a location for the sideboard, and in each chamber there will want to be wall room for the head of the bed, also for dressing case, commode, etc. Then have the doors swing so as not to interfere with anv of the furniture, or with other doors. Clothes closets should be made sufficiently deep to hold a trunk. If possible, provide room for a refrigerator on the first floor (outside of the kitchen), thus saving a woman the many steps required to carry food down cellar. Where ice is not obtainable, try to provide a closet with dumb waiter, so that as the food is cleared off from the table, it may be placed on the shelves of the dumb waiter and then lowered into a closet in the cool cellar, which closet may be provided with a wire-mesh door to keep out insects; then when the food is wanted, the car of the dumb-waiter can be drawn up again, thus saving many steps.

Of course, you will always arrange so as to have a rough attic to stow away trunks, chests of bedding, etc., and for drying the washing in stormy weather. Do not have a basement kitchen if you can possibly avoid it, as they are regular ivoman-killers.

A study of the following house plans, together with oilier ctitcisms thereon, will be of great help to those who wish to plan houses that will prove convenient.