64 commodious Houses with earthen waUs; 



better sort of facing stuff may have a small quantity more 

 of lime in it. 

 Foundation. The foundation should be of brick or stone, carried up 



nine inches above the ground ; and if a plinth is to be shown, 

 then one course above the same should be of brick or stone, 

 to prevent the water that might lodge on the plinth from 

 damaging the earth wall. 

 Season for The proper season for performing this work is any time 



that the earth is to be procured sufficiently dry for the pur-* 

 pose; the more early in the season the better, in order to 

 give it time to dry before finishing, or if late it would be ad* 

 visable not to finish till the year after it is built. 

 Windows and Windows and doors may be left in the walls wherever 

 doors. wanted, by fixing the head of the moulds and carrying up 



quoins to form the same : in erecting which some bond tim- 

 ber should be laid in coarse mortar and rammed in with the 

 earth. Lintels may also be laid at the proper height. This 

 method is cheapest, where only one window or door of a size 

 is wanted, but if many, the readiest way would be to make 

 some rough frames of boards of width equal to the thickness 

 of the walls, and place them in the situation of the windows 

 and doors. When done the earth is rammed up to them, 

 laying bond timber at the sides and lintels over them. In 

 both cases the windows and door frames are to be put in 

 their places, and fastened to the bond timber, after the wall 

 is up. The bond timber, lintel, and plates, should i>e kept 

 as thin as possible, in order to prevent any disagreement 

 between the earth and timber in the shrinking or drying of 

 the same. The bond timber about 4 inches by *|; floor or 

 wall plates 6 inches by 2 ; lintels about 4 inches thick ; and 

 it may be worthy of notice, that any slabs or rough stuff may 

 be used, the earth being sure to ram close to it and keep it 

 io place. 

 Finishing of For common cottages, when the whole of the walls are up 

 ordinary wor . a|j( j covered in, the holes should be stopped with very coarse 

 mortar, made the same as the facing stuff, but used wetter, 

 and the wall then lime-washed over with lime and sharp 

 sand, which should be made up in small quant'rtes and used 

 while hot. This may readily be done by adding a knob of 

 lime and sand a little at a time as it is used. 



For 



