Concrete for the Country Home 



The present insistent demand for the substitution of 

 durable, sanitary and fire-resisting materials for those not 

 possessed of these properties has been a pronounced factor 

 in hastening the adoption of concrete. The change means 

 impervious and monolithic structures as opposed to those 

 consisting of the more familiar types of masonrv with 

 their attending wooden features of combustible nature, 

 the latter also affording refuge for much that is noxious 

 and unsanitar}-. This enduring method is now applied to 

 all sorts of construction work. 



Small buildings, for one purpose or another, are always 

 required on the country estate. These structures include 

 garages, stables, wagon houses, poultry houses and build- 

 ings designed for many other purposes. A common 

 source of annoyance and expense is the decay or giving 

 way of building supports and foundations. When this 

 occurs it is ct>nsiderable trouble to replace these with new 

 timber or ordinary masonry. It frequently happens that 

 a building is in first-class condition while its supports 

 have disintegrated or collapsed. 



The following situation is to be found on many coun- 



used, the mixing methods and the care necessary to obtain 

 the best results. 



Concrete — a manufactured stone — is made b\- mixing 

 together Portland cement, sand and stone (or gravel j. 

 \'arious proportions of each are used, depending upon 

 the use to which the concrete is put. About half an hour 

 after mixing these materials together, the mass begins to 

 stift'eii, until, in from half-a-day to a day, it becomes so 

 hard that \ou cannot dent it with the hand. IJv a month 

 the mass is hanl, like stone — indeed, harder than most 

 stones. 



It is important that \our stock of cement be kejit in a 

 (.Iry place. Once wet, it becomes hard and lumpy, and in 

 such condition is useless. If, however, the lumps are 

 caused by pressure in the store-house the cement may be 

 used with safety. Never, under any circumstance, keep 

 cement on the bare ground, or pile it directlv against the 

 outside walls of buildings. 



Do not use very fine sand. If there is a large quantity 

 of fine sand handy, obtain a coarse sand and mix the two 

 sands together in equal parts ; this mixture is as good as 



TROLLEY POLE AND LIGHTING 

 .ST.\ND.\RD OF CONCRETE. 



CONCRETE 



SAND BOX 

 COURSE. 



FOR GOLF 



CONCRETE INLET— EASY TO DRAIN. 



try places : A comfortable and well-built house with sub- 

 stantial barns and outbuildings. Between these buildings 

 run the roads or walks used many times each day. but 

 hundreds are simply thoroughfares of mud during fre- 

 quent periods but especially in the spring, when the frost 

 is coming out. They certainly are a false and discordant 

 note in an otherwise attractive environment. 



Nothing gives more trouble and injures the appearance 

 of property so greatly as sagging gates and fences caused 

 by rotten gates and corner posts. 



Terraces too steep will not stay sodded and frequently 

 cause endless trouble and spoil the general appearance 

 of an otherwise fine lawn. 



There is nothing that pleases the appetite so much as 

 delicacies out of season. As for vegetables, they are not 

 costly luxuries and are within the means of any one who 

 will take the time to build a hot-bed or cold frame. 



In a series of articles to appear in these colunuis it is 

 the purpose to briefly describe dift'erent methods of con- 

 crete construction without the aid of expert mechanics, 

 as they apply to its use on country estates and suburban 

 home grounds, discussing, in this number, the material 



coarse sand alone. Sometimes fine sand must be used, 

 because no other can be obtained : but in such an event an 

 additional amount of cement must be used — sometimes as 

 much as double the amount ordinarily required. For ex- 

 ample, in such a case, instead of using a concrete, 1 part 

 cement, 2 parts sand, and 4 parts stone, use a concrete, 1 

 part cement, 1 part sand, and 2 parts stone. Besides 

 being coarse, the sand should be clean, i. e., free from 

 vegetable matter. "But," you say, "how shall I tell 

 whether the sand is what you call clean 'f" The presence 

 of dirt in the sand is easily ascertained by rubbing a little 

 in the palm of the hand. If a little is emptied into a pail 

 of water, the presence of dirt will be shown by the dis- 

 coloration of the water. 



Stone or gravel is known as the "coarse aggregate" of 

 concrete. Great care should be used in its selection. The 

 pebbles should be closely inspected to see that there is no 

 clay on their surface. A layer of such clay prevents the 

 "binding" of the cement. If necessary stone or gravel 

 may be washed in the same way as above described for 

 sand. Indeed, it is more easily done than sand, as the 

 water flows through the larger voids in the gravel more 



