Floor Plans: A Swiss Cottage in New Jersey — for $4,000

Yes, we know. You cannot buy a five-bedroom, high-end, single-family home anywhere in New Jersey for $4,000. But you could 123 years ago.

And in some ways, the home offered then is not much different than what’s being built today.

But in other ways, it is markedly different.

A Vintage Home With 'Modern Improvements'

The vintage home featured is a “handsome semi-Swiss suburban cottage” taken from the pages of the July 1883 issue of Manufacturer and Builder Magazine.

According to the magazine, five of these cottages were to be built in Newark and were to be “supplied with modern improvements, and built in a thoroughly first class manner” — all for an estimated cost of $4,000 each.

First floor and cellar layout

An Elegant, Curved Staircase

Designed by the New York architect, D.T. Atwood, this “suburban cottage” featured many of the bells and whistles modern buyers are looking for — an elegantly curved staircase in the main entrance area, hardwood floors, a separate parlor or living room, separate dining room, separate china closet, study, a kitchen with a walk-in pantry and private outdoor living spaces (front and back porches).

Bedroom levels [Click for larger view]

Eye-Opening Differences

However, contemporary buyers accustomed to a house this size having two or more bathrooms would undoubtedly be surprised by the home’s single bathroom.

Even more of an eye-opener, the bathroom could only be accessed through one of the bedrooms.

Indoor Plumbing and an Intercom

In addition to indoor plumbing, other modern conveniences included cisterns, “cess-pool walls and drains,” a tin roof and “speaking tubes” — a forerunner to the intercom, maybe?

Specifications

Mason's Work 160 square yards excavation 13,500 bricks laid 250 feet drains, cistern covers, etc. Six 4x6 B.S. sills Cess-pool walls and drains Two mantels, grates, etc. One kitchen mantel Three chamber mantels 588-square-yards of lath and plaster 13 stucco centers Carpenter’s Work 6,000 feet of timber and scantlings 3,200 feet of rough plank 1,500 feet of vertical plank 1,600 feet novelty siding 5,000 feet of finishing pine 30 squares of metal shingles, tin and leader work 2,928-square-feet of flooring 1,000 feet 7/8-inch ceiling 500 feet of architraves 700 feet of bases 1,400 feet of molding, scroll-sawing, etc. Stair rails and newel Doors, sashes and blinds; hardware and nails Plumbing Gas piping, tank and sink Pump, pipes and traps Washtubs, water closet, wash bowl, bathtub and strainers Bells and wire Speaking tubes Painting 450-square-yards Labor 250 days

Plans courtesy of:

Cornell University Library, The Making of America Digital Collection
“Design for a Swiss Cottage”
The Manufacturer and Builder Magazine. Volume 15, Issue 7, July 1883  pp. 164-165

To read the Cornell collection article about the Swiss suburban cottage, click here.

Editor’s Note: Labels have been added to the floor plans in this article to make them easier to read.

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