Researching the craftsman style, I found the old Craftsman magazines available online.

This one article from the final issue of the magazine really resonated with me (from 1916).

An excerpt:

"That very night they held a family consultation, debating the question, 'Would it cost any more to build a house 30 feet square that was planned to suit our family, than to rent the same sized house planned to suit some builder?' Then came the query, 'What would be required for a home?' 'Pipes placed where they won't freeze, wide living porches, big closets in every room, enough cupboards to hold dishes and household linen, a fire place round which the family can gather, a convenient relation of rooms to facilitate work, proper ventilation, a garden, trees for shade and for fruit, flowers and a small place for chickens, comfort for every one of the family and beauty for the consideration of neighbors as well as ourselves.'

The father of the family summed up the situation thus: 'If we can embody our needs and wishes in a house where the interest we will have to pay on the investment would be no more than the rent for a house which does no t suit us, why should we not build. If it pays to build a house to rent to us (and surely it must, else landlords would not do it), it would pay us to build, even though we have to borrow nearly all the money. If we faithfully set aside each month what we would have to pay for rent, in a few years we would hold a deed instead of a large pile of rent reciepts. Besides, a deed is a much more marketable possession.'

So with high enthusiasm they began the joyous task of planning and building...

Here is a link that might be useful: Article - Building for Comfort

This post was edited by ZGAnderson on Thu, May 16, 13 at 15:40