Audels Country House

For you who liked my earlier piece of small cottages from the classic Builders Guide,
https://thelastminstrel.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/a-little-cottage-of-your-own/

here is a larger example of early Twentieth Century residential architecture.
The ten foot Piazza, or porch, circling both floors has me at first sight before even looking at the floor plan, but if you must look inside, here it is.

Audels First Floor

A few things you may note; there is no kitchen [ probably meant to be a separate structure out back], just a Butlers pantry, the glorious bays on the side of the house, and the porch. Think of the money you could blow just furnishing the porch; tables and chairs, gliders and porch swings, matched rocking chairs, hammocks at each corner – — — .
No matter which direction the storm is coming from you have a sheltered spot to sit and watch the rain sweep across the land ——

Now many of you will complain that are only two bathrooms in the house, but, note that one is accessible to the Master suite thru a closet, if that’s not convenient I don’t know what is. Some people just can’t be happy though.
The change I would like to make is to extend the two lower bays thru the second floor, and the smaller one thru the roof to make a Widows Walk above the house.
Also note the absence of any exterior stairs between the two porch levels, something I,ve never seen this type of house without. Usually there would be at least two, on opposite sides.

An hours drive south of my home there is a long, shallow valley with a small meandering creek running  through it. In the late Spring, early summer, the land is covered with Buffalo Grass, about eighteen inches high that is just reaching maturity and has a faint bluish cast to it. The wind gets into the grass and chases itself  up and down and across the valley. If you stop and watch, it seems like waves upon an endless sea. I picture this house sitting on a slight rise in the middle of that valley, me in an old fashioned rocker on the broad porch, watching the breeze at play in the long, waving grass.

All in all, I think I could manage to be happy here, rocking away the cool autumn afternoon, watching the grand kids running laps around the house, sipping on a cool one and just let the rest of the world go by. You?