Mister Blandings Builds His Dream House

Based on a book written just after WWII, this 1948 film is a light comedy about the trials and tribulations of building a custom house. Some of the elements are revisited in movies like the "Money Pit", but are comic when done well. The story is basic and seen as an everyman story. Set after the war, an over cramped city-dwelling family wants to spread out in the suburbs that are now encouraging white flight. Relocating from an unnamed borough of NYC, Connecticut is the green paradise with 10 acres for anyone willing to drive an hour commute to the city. The first half hour of the movie sets up the disdain for the cramped apartment, ideas for the house, budget, location, and otherwise unprepared buyer/builder shenanigans that occur with some clients building their first home. At first the Blandings family believes they can salvage the existing farmhouse on the land, but the building is revealed to have major structural damage and unable to be saved, so long historic structure! When meeting with their architect, the couple blows the budget, the plans, the elevations, and the vision out of the water. Understanding what they can live with versus their dreams begins to solidify the Blandings' concept of their house. Again, more hi jinx occurs due to miscommunication, poor communication, and lack of communication. These scenes are similar to when a couple in a romantic comedy meet the first several times and prejudices and preconceived notions of each other arise. Regardless, the house is complete, with the family surviving, the husband and wife still together, a great new contract for the husbands' office, and a lesson learned about building a single custom home.
The first house can be seen as a fortune teller, warning the buyers of the land and house that there are many bridges to cross, then disappearing, similar to a Shakespearean sooth-sayer. The way in which the second house plays a role is interesting, it as an potential friend or lover. Learning about what it takes to turn each other on and each others boundaries. The owners push for a bigger house, but the budget doesn't allow. Colors, windows, locations of rooms, and exterior finishes are similar to dressing the unpolished character into the belle of the ball. Refining and learning about each other as the story moves forward, the unknown house becomes a friend, with the values of the owners expressed throughout the house.
Whether or not the writer or director knew it, the role of the house growing, maturing, or whatever you want to call it, it is about finessing a character from a rough lump of coal to a shimmering diamond.