In "Anticipations" Mr.Wells writes: "The erection of a series of experimental labor-saving houses by some philanthropic person for exhibition and discussion would certainly bring about an extraordinary advance in domestic comfort; but it will probably be many years before the cautious enterprise of advertising firms approximates to the economies that are theoretically possible to-day." This is truer now than when Mr.
Wells was writing.
The great difficulty in the way is the first outlay.

So many things will have to be designed, patterns made and machinery built to make them; for this advance in construction will not be by hand-made things.

There will be more head-work put into the various articles, but the mass of constructive material must be machine-made, at least for the family of limited income.

And these articles need not be ugly.

There must be many of the same kind in the world, to be sure; but if the design fits the purpose, this may not be an evil.