How I Built myself a House
The narrative follows a couple, dissatisfied with their cramped suburban home, as they embark on the journey of building their own house. They envision a perfect residence that accommodates their growing family and social life, leading them to seek a suitable plot of land. After much deliberation and compromise on their initial desires, they settle on a location that lacks some of their ideal features but is deemed convenient. They engage an architect, Mr. Penny, whose expertise quickly overwhelms them. The couple's differing visions for the house lead to humorous conflicts, particularly regarding room sizes and layouts. Despite their attempts to collaborate, they find themselves at the mercy of the architect's professional opinions, which dictate the dimensions and features of their future home. As construction begins, the couple grapples with the reality of their plans. The house appears smaller than expected, leading to further adjustments, particularly from the wife, who insists on enlarging certain rooms. The husband, feeling the pressure of costs, tries to maintain a budget, but the architect's estimates and the inevitable "extras" push expenses beyond their initial projections. Throughout the building process, the couple faces various challenges, including the need for a porch, which they had neglected to discuss with the architect. The husband learns the hard way about the pitfalls of construction contracts, as unexpected costs accumulate due to changes and additions they request. Once the house is completed, they encounter settling-in issues, such as smoke problems from the fireplace and safety concerns regarding their children's nursery windows. The wife’s initial enthusiasm wanes, but she remains engaged enough to address these issues, leading to further modifications. The story captures the complexities of homebuilding, the clash of personal desires, and the humorous misadventures that arise from the couple's attempts to create their ideal living space. Ultimately, it reflects on the challenges of domestic life and the compromises necessary in the pursuit of happiness.
By Thomas Hardy · Genre: Literary Fiction, Humor, Autobiographical · 3,614 words
First lines
My wife Sophia, myself, and the beginning of a happy line, formerly lived in the suburbs of London, in the sort of house called a Highly-Desirable Semidetached Villa. But in reality our residence was the opposite of what we wished it to be. We had no room for our friends when they visited us, and we were obliged to keep our coals out of doors in a heap against the back-wall. If we managed to squeeze a few acquaintances round our table to dinner, there was very great difficulty in serving it; and on such occasions the maid, for want of sideboard room, would take to putting the dishes in the staircase, or on stools and chairs in the passage, so that if anybody else came after we had sat down, he usually went away again, disgusted at seeing the remains of what we had already got through standing in these places, and perhaps the celery waiting in a corner hard by. It was therefore only natural that on wet days, chimney-sweepings, and those cleaning times when chairs may be seen with their legs upwards, a tub blocking a doorway, and yourself walking about edgeways among the things, we called the villa hard names, and that we resolved to escape from it as soon as it would be politic, in a monetary sense, to carry out a notion which had long been in our minds.
What this Textopian page supports
How I Built myself a House is listed on Textopian as a short story by Thomas Hardy, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Thomas Hardy
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Fiction, Humor, Autobiographical, Social Commentary, Realism
- Length: 3,614 words
- Structure: 1 section, 40 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for How I Built myself a House by Thomas Hardy
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering How I Built myself a House?
- How does this short story by Thomas Hardy fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Literary Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Literary Fiction — The narrative explores personal experiences and reflections on domestic life, focusing on the protagonist's journey to build a house, which serves as a metaphor for personal fulfillment.
- Humor — The writing style employs wit and irony, particularly in the protagonist's misadventures and misunderstandings during the house-building process.
- Autobiographical — The story is presented in a first-person narrative, reflecting the author's personal experiences and thoughts related to home and family.
- Social Commentary — The text critiques societal norms and expectations surrounding home ownership and domestic life in the context of late 19th-century England.
Tags
Autobiography · Self-Building · Literary Fiction · Coming-of-Age · Domestic Life · Personal Growth · Social Commentary · Realism · Victorian Era · English Literature · Memoir · Home Building