310 HOW TO MAKE A COUNTRY PLACE 



Flying Arch. 



A flying stone arch or two supporting a porch room or a flight 

 of steps, if properly built, will be found far more ornamental than 

 the usual plain arch. 



Stone, brick and cement are the best materials for the sleepless 

 arch; wooden arches except for decorative purposes are impractical. 



If brick construction is used, the water table can be formed 

 by corbeling and drawing inward five or six courses above the stone 

 foundation. Soffits under the eaves and big bracket supports are 

 preferably covered with cement on galvanized wire lath, or hollow 

 brick, but this necessitates an absolutely tight roof to prevent the 

 cement from scaling. A porch room is much improved by beams over 

 a cement ceiling. 



Exterior iron work must be made absolutely rust-proof by gal- 

 vanizing and thorough painting. This also prevents staining of 

 adjacent brick and stone. 



All wire lath should be galvanized for outside work, as plain 

 iron will rust even if cement covered, and painting it is but a make- 

 shift. 



Iron posts in the cellar (supporting iron girders) with suitable 

 foundations, take less room than brick or stone but are more easily 

 damaged by fire than are brick. Both post and girder are nearer fire- 

 proof if encircled with 34~i nc h mesh of galvanized wire and evenly 

 swathed in cement. 



Rat-Proof House. 



Tf the house is of timber construction, use large sized timber. 

 Rat-proof at sill line by filling in with rough grouting, brick, or 

 stone, and curb the fire risk at plate line end of floor timbers 

 by stopping draughts and filling between studs with odd pieces of 

 joist. Extra crippling is an additional advantage in hanging heavy 

 pictures. Reinforcing any specially important bearing by two or 

 four inch wrought iron pipe filled with cement as extra supporting 

 pillars with wide flanges gives added strength. 



The sanitary cement base is an advantage in cellar, laundry, 

 kitchen, back halls, and closets. If wire screening is inset in cement 

 of floor and wall, rodents pass by on the other side, and even cock- 

 roaches and water bugs are unknown. 



Cement Expansion. 



If cement walks are used, they must have below frost line foun- 

 dations, and each cement block should be cut through its entire thick- 

 ness to allow for expansion and contraction, and an asphalt expansion 

 joint inserted every fifty feet is a good precaution. Mere marking 

 will not avoid cracking. Secure footing is obtained by slightly cor- 

 rugating (crandalling) the surface, preferably in some geometrical 

 design, and a convex surface makes a dry walk. 



