44 The Country House 



pointing of the wall on the outside, and also a space to be filled with sand or 

 gravel for the carrying off of water from the foundation. 



The excavation should be made to a depth which will insure a cellar head 

 room of 8 feet at least (see Fig. 2). The ordinary house, set on a level, requires 

 2 feet of underpinning above grade. If set on a side hill it may reduce the 

 uphill side; the total light and air area should not, however, be less than in the 

 level example. 



The foundation trench should be 2 feet at least below the cellar level and 

 of a width determined by the width of the building wall, which, in turn, 

 depends on the weight of the structure and character of the soil. In case the 

 cellar bottom is within reasonable distance of a known ledge, it is well to exca- 

 vate the foundation trench to it so that an absolutely firm footing may be assured. 

 If this extra depth is enough to warrant it, the width of the trench will have to 

 be increased on the inside to allow the mason access to his work. 



The foundation, usually of stone, is sometimes built of brick. Brick, how- 

 ever, is porous and is apt to chip and crumble with freezing, while the rough 

 field stone withstands moisture and wears better. 



Foundations should be laid in cement mortar, brought to a smooth face 

 inside and out and thoroughly pointed on both. This repels moisture and vermin 

 alike, whereas the common dry wall with only one face and rough projecting 

 stones on the back invites trouble. This common form of wall is little more than 

 useless. Being open at the back, the water passes into it, loosens the flimsy point- 

 ing and comes through into the cellar. The wet wall freezes and, aided by the 

 projecting levers on the back, heaves itself out of shape. After the water and 

 frost come the rats, and it is then simply a question of how long the wall will 

 stand the combined inroads of these three. 



The thickness of the foundation wall depends entirely, as already stated, on 

 the weight it has to carry and the climatic conditions. The ordinary wall in New 

 York and Boston is built of an even 2O-inch thickness. In Bangor, Maine, and 

 the vicinity foundations are built 3 feet at the bottom, tapering to 20 or 24 

 inches at the top. This is not merely a localism; the 2O-inch wall has been tried 

 and proved a failure. 



Sometimes it may be advisable to line up the inner side of the foundation 

 with brickwork. In this case it should be on a line with the inside of the under- 

 pinning so as to present one even surface, and it should be tied into the stonework 

 by being built with it. 



Underneath all foundations a footing course should be laid. This should pro- 

 ject beyond the outside of the foundation several inches on either side. The 

 amount of this projection as well as the depth is determined by the character 

 of the superstructure and the soil. Six inches projection on either side and per- 

 haps a foot thick is the average. There are two common ways of building a 

 footing course. The simpler and less expensive form is to fill the footing trench 

 with loose stone, laid dry, on which the foundation is raised. The loose footing 

 in this case serves as a drain for such water as may find its way through to the 

 cellar wall; the water is carried off in like manner through a blind drain of loose 

 stones. 



