THE GENESEE FAEMEK. 



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DESIGN FOR A FARM HOUSE. 



I SKND you a plan and description of my first farm house. It was built five years ago 

 this summer, for Abraham Thayer, of Somerset, Niagara county, N. Y. It has been 

 examined by a great many persons, and pronounced very convenient. It is built in the 

 cottage style, for which the ground plan was designed. It possesses the external irreg- 

 ular shape necessary for the pointed gable, without exposing that heavy roof which is 

 so common in the country, wherever they are made steep or square on oblong houses ; 

 and it is chiefly for this reason that I send this for publication. Something of the kind 

 seems to be demanded, and impressed upon the mind of the farming public. 



A Gothic house differs essentially in all its parts from one in any of the other orders of 

 architecture, and can not be engrafted on a foundation adapted to them. Its founda- 

 tion must be laid in the earth, and long, straight sides must be avoided, as very broad 

 ends should be. For instance, a house is required 25 by 32 feet, — that is about the 

 common size, — -and a steep roof is wanted, say a half pitch, which would give a roof, 

 124- feet high; and with the projection of the eaves, would make the rafters about 20 

 feet long. This would seem to weigh down on the sides of the house so heavy that it 

 would be painful for the eye to rest upon ; and yet such houses are being built and 

 called Gothic! Oh! shade of Downing, is this cottage architecture? The arrange- 

 ment of the windows, too, is very important, and no pleasing eft'oct can be produced 

 with the common factory sash in such houses. If they are beautiful at all, it is the 

 beauty of outline, rather than in detail, of costly work, which of course must be subor- 

 dinate to the general plan. 



But to my plan. I will describe it, not claiming perfection of course. The parlor 

 and dining-room may be considered the main part of the house, 16 by 33 feet on the 

 ground, and IG feet high. The front hall is 9 by 15 feet, and 16 high. The nursery 

 and bed-room are only 9 feet high. The end of the bed-room forms a bay-window, 

 which in external appearance is very pleasing. The kitchen is 11 feet high, (it should 

 have bfen 16). You will observe that each room is square, and the parlor and dining- 

 room 33 feet long, yet the longest horizontal jiart of the roof'exposed is 9 feet. 



In the internal arrangement, the dining or living-rt>ora should be first considered. It 

 :s 16 by 17 feet, and is connected with the parlor by sliding doors, making, as before . ^ 



