May 1964

CAN YOU INSURE EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY ON ONE LIFE POLICY?

HOW MUCH DO IMPROVEMENTS ADD TO YOUR HOME'S VALUE?

Sometimes an investment in a highly desirable home improvement will raise the value of your house by all or a large portion of its cost. Other times, no more than 40 to 50 per cent, sometimes less, of the cost of modernization will be reflected in higher house value.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH INTEREST YOU'RE PAYING?

You should know, because credit is like anything else you buy: the seller (in this case, lender) is not doing you a favor-- you are giving him business he needs. And you have every right and plenty of good reason to shop around for the best possible deal for your family.

HOW RELIABLE ARE MONEY-BACK GUARANTEES?

Today, as never before, reliable manufacturers guarantee their products, and if an item doesn't stand up in reasonable use, they will replace or repair it. But don't delay action: using a product for an appreciable time after you know it's defective may kill your claim.

WHAT MAKES A STOCK GLAMOROUS?

IS TRAVEL INSURANCE A GOOD BUY?

Only if, like most people, you don't already have the complete insurance protection you should have. But even in that case, it pays to shop for the best travel insurance for you, and that depends on how much you travel and how much additional protection you really need.

IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN "INNOCENT" HEART MURMUR

Doctors who attempt to capture on paper the most critical of human sounds generally settle for "lub-dupp," a rough approximation of what they hear when they listen to the heart. Actually, they hear much more: a complex orchestration of meaningful rhythms, subtle distinctions of timbre and pitch, tell-tale shadings in the strength of each heart beat when picked up from different locations-- all blended perhaps with an unscheduled whispering, a soft and delicate murmur.

A GOOD START FOR BIG IDEAS

GOOD NEWS FOR MEN

A monthly report to the family man on products for the home, auto, shop, and garden.

DRAPERY HARDWARE

A handsome window treatment that will easily let in the breeze and allow enough light doesn't depend on fabric quality alone. You must make sure you select and install the right kind of drapery hardware. It can make a big difference!

DECORATING WRONGS MADE RIGHT

COMPLETE GUIDE TO SHOPPING A NEW HOUSE

You'll need a note pad. As you read, jot down all points that are important to you. Some will be completely personal. For example, whether or not you want a family room-- and, if so, where in the house. Other points are basic to every quality house-- such things as equipment, construction, materials. When you come to discussions of these in the article, you may want to clip and keep them in your note pad. This way you can have your own tailored shopping list, simple enough to use for on-the-spot rating of every house you see.

THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN BY "EDITORS' CHOICE"

Just fold out the opposite page and you'll be looking at the six best ready-to-buy houses of 1964-- houses so outstanding that they set the pace for the entire building industry. Each has received the 1964 Better Homes for All America Award from our editors, and is part of our Editors' Choice program.

THEY'RE ACTUALLY THIS BIG--AND BIGGER!

BEDROOMS WITH COMFORT COMPLETE

What is complete comfort in a master bedroom today? To begin with, it's the difference between just a room to sleep in and a private retreat for the adults of the family.

VERSATILE NEW PATTERNS FOR A BEDROOM

Try all three of these dashing designs-- adaptable to any size bed from twin to king- and queen-size. Created especially for Better Homes and Gardens, these dramatic motifs are easy to translate on the sewing machine, and a constant pleasure when completed.

COCKEYED CONTAINERS!

They're everywhere! Waiting to be discovered! We've found them in such unlikely places as under the sink (plastic bottles), on the mantel (ornate candlesticks), in utility drawers (baking dishes), among picnic supplies (our towering triumph built with paper cups).

HOW TO ORDER PLANS FOR HOUSES AND PROJECTS

THESE STAIRS DO A DISAPPEARING ACT

These are the most versatile stairs we've ever seen. One minute they lead to the children's basement play area. Next, they are closed off by trap doors that shut to form a kitchen work center, serve-eat bar, or refreshment center. Or close the swinging gate, and there's a toddler's playpen!

LOOK AT THIS LIGHTING

NEW LIGHTS FOR SPECIAL PLACES

Here are big ideas for your basement recreation room

MAY GARDENING WHERE YOU LIVE!

We would like to plant flowers in an 18-inch-wide strip between our house and sidewalk. What do you suggest we grow in this sunny area?

FREE RIDE ON THE DOORS

If your kitchen closets and cabinets are jumbled and overflowing, go piggyback to gain extra storage space. You just need hooks, hangers.

SOMETHING FOR THE SHADY SIDE

If gardening in the shade seems difficult, try these. They can make any dark corner smile. But do give them a chance. Be sure that "shade" is the problem-- not poor drainage or soil that's robbed of moisture by tree roots. Give them the care you would give a new rose, and they'll take to shade like moss to a log.

THIRTEEN STEPS TO COOLER, CHEAPER AIR CONDITIONING

On the first hot day this spring, thousands of air conditioners will start up-- but many of these units won't be doing the job they could. Their owners may set the controls too low, turn the system on and off, or generally ignore the basic steps it takes to make an air conditioner perform well.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A DOG OWNER

You owe your dog food, water, care, training, and protection. In other words you owe him a home. Your children should know how to care for the dog, how to handle him (whether a pup or full-grown), and what their duties are.

WHICH POWER TOOLS FOR YOU?

If your main interest is remodeling, building, or home maintenance, portable tools are your best buy. With them you can take your shop to the work site.

THIS IS A VERY GOOD KITCHEN REMODELING!

Imagination helped make something wonderful out of this 12x 11-foot kitchen. Two conversation areas, a comfortable dinette, home office, and refreshment center are the much-enjoyed new parts of the room.

FILL THE GLASSES!

MOST DRIVERS DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE SAFELY ON A FREEWAY. DO YOU?

Freeway, or expressway, driving presents a new kind of traffic, with many of its own rigid rules for survival. Too few drivers appreciate that, because of the combination of congestion and high speed, there is little or no margin for the errors that ordinary traffic permits. Slight crimes of confusion, hesitation, inattention, or discourtesy are instantly punishable by disaster.

CALIFORNIA'S GOLDEN COAST

Of all our 50 states, California is the most diverse. Her vast dimensions embrace brisk, teeming cities and primitive forests; mile after mile of ocean-drenched shore line, then acre after acre of desert; creeping, tortuous sea-cliff roads, and freeways where the traffic fairly shrieks; ultramodern homes next to old Spanish missions; religious fanatics and beatniks.

SHOPPING BY MAIL WITH BETTER HOMES & GARDENS

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

April showers may bring May flowers, but they sure make a soggy mess out of the leaves I didn't rake up last October.