COTTAGES AT £135, WITH NOTES ON THE ECONOMIC BUILDING OF SMALL COTTAGES. PLATES XII AND XIII. COTTAGES IN BLOCKS OF EIGHT, AT £135. [Illustration: FRONT ELEVATION GROUND PLAN BEDROOM PLAN PLATE XII. COTTAGES IN BLOCKS OF EIGHT. SEE PAGE 16.] Plate XII gives the plan, with elevation, of a block of eight cottages, the accommodation of which is the least, and the dimensions the lowest, that should be provided for homes with one living room. The accommodation is as follows:— GROUND FLOOR. Living Room, 12 ft. 4 in. × 13 ft. Kitchen, 8 ft. × 12 ft. 6 ins. (with “Cabinet” Bath, and boiler with patent steam exhaust). Larder under stairs. BEDROOM FLOOR. First Bedroom, 9 ft. 2 ins. × 13 ft., and recess. Second Bedroom, 8 ft. 4 ins. × 11 ft. 2 ins. Third Bedroom, 7 ft. 6 ins. × 8 ft. Total cost, £135 per cottage. Laying out of garden, £7 10_s._ extra. Cubical contents, 64,800 ft. at 4_d._ per foot cube = £1,080 per block, or £135 per cottage. There has been considerable discussion of late with regard to the building of cheap cottages suitable for labourers and the poorer artisans, both in the country and elsewhere. Experiments have been made in which the building materials employed have been other than brick, the object being a reduction in cost. The bye-laws which do not at present sanction the erection of cottages in some of these materials will, it is hoped, before long be altered. Meanwhile, what is wanted in most districts is the cheap dwelling in brick. [Illustration: PLATE XIII. BLOCK OF EIGHT COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 16.] The example here given is of a similar plan to one from which a number of cottages in blocks of _four_ have been erected at Bournville. Owing to a decision on the part of the Village Trust not to build in blocks of more than four, the plans here given have never been carried out at Bournville, but in view of the danger there is of under-estimating the cost of such cottages, and the importance of avoiding inaccuracies, estimates have been obtained for their erection under similar conditions. Economy of construction has been the main object in the design, without sacrificing that pleasant environment, privacy and homeliness of appearance which are, as already indicated, essential to the cottage home. The cost of erecting in blocks of four only is necessarily increased, and the lowest estimate for those at Bournville is £160 per cottage, the particular estimate being, however, for a block of four on “made up” ground, necessitating deep footings, the cottages including the sunk bath, which is more costly than the “Cabinet” patent. The plan might be simplified, if desired, by omitting the division wall between the living room and scullery, thus making one large room. The boiler, sink, and bath might then be planned in a small recess which could be screened off by a curtain when not in use.