The House That Jill Built, after Jack's Had Proved a Failure

The text follows Jill and Jack as they plan and build a house, blending practical architectural advice with humorous domestic scenes; chapters proceed through site, foundations, heating, ventilation, kitchen arrangements, stairs, flues, light, paint, and finishing touches, offering illustrated examples, floor plans, and common-sense rules for adapting design to ground and household needs. The author emphasizes fitness to site over stylistic fashions, promotes economy, cleanliness, and health, and uses episodic vignettes and letters to introduce specific problems and solutions, concluding with the completed home and reflections a decade later.