280 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
Country House, Costing $1,750 to $2,000. 
(Cost, as here Described, SI,969.) 
CLASS II.—2nd PRIZE.—BY C. R. CRABB, COXSACKIE, N. Y. 
The Judges, in making the award to this plan, 
say: “ A very good plan in many of its features, 
notably in arranging a large kitchen, which is the 
great workshop of the house, and having it roomy, 
central, and with convenient appointments. Two 
or three changes, however, would be decided im¬ 
provements we think, as for example : (1.) A rear 
entrance to the Kitchen could be easily made with 
small expense, and it would both save steps, and 
the carrying of various articles in and out through 
the 1 stoop ’ door, which is exposed to view from 
the street. (2.) Re-arrange Pantry and adjacent 
closets,to have a direct passage from kitchen to fuel- 
room, instead of going through two ‘ entry ’ doors. 
There is here the same objection as noted in the 
plan given in May, viz., that the bath-room cannot 
be used by occupants of the second story, except 
by passing through the Kitchen or Sitting Room, 
and then through the bed-room, when it may be 
occupied by persons sleeping there or by an in¬ 
valid. A bath-room should always be placed where 
it can be freely entered by all' the occupants of a 
house, without disturbing any one else; and also 
so as to be warmed in cold weather.—We now give 
the descriptive text, or “ specifications,” sent by 
Mr. Crabb, with such condensations and sugges¬ 
tions as seem desirable. (These specifications not 
only describe the materials and kind of work, but 
also serve as a basis for giving out the work by con¬ 
tract. In a written contract, some additional items 
may well be stated, as the kind of blinds, quality 
of lead t.o be used in the Tank, etc., etc. The 
book, “House Plans for Everybody” supplies 
many suggestions which will be very useful to any 
one about to construct a house, large or small): 
Mason’s Specifications. — Excavate 
for Cellar under entire house, and for footing 
stones under Veranda, Woodhouse, and Privy ; also 
for drain and cesspool. (If water can be found 
near, dig a well deep enough for a constant supply 
of water,’about 6 feet from foundation, in rear 
of Kitchen ; stone it up 21 feet in diameter in the 
clear.— Foundation walls to be 18 inches 
thick, and of good building stone, started in 
trenches 4 to 6 inches, according to the soil, below 
the cellar bottom, on base stones, if obtainable, 
wide enough to reach across the wall. Lay to line 
both sides, 3 feet high in cement mortar, and the 
remaining 3 feet 8 inches, in lime mortar. Lay up 
cellar-way with stone in cement mortar. Steps 
to be of cut stone, 12 inches wide, 3 inches thick, 
and 5 feet long. Use brick for risers. [Where 
stone is not accessible and cheaper than brick, the 
latter may be used for cellar walls, etc.— Ed.] Build 
6ix piers of brick, 12 by 12 inches, where they are 
6hown (fig. 3), each capped with a .stone the size 
of pier. Build a double pier for Sitting Room 
chimney.—Start the Kitchen chimney from the 
[J ULY, 
cellar bottom, to have one flue from cellar, also' 
a flue from Kitchen fire-place, built for a No. 9 
Range. Use a 4 by 8-inch stone lintel, and slate 
hearth bedded and set in cement. Put a 6-inch 
tube in ventilating flue 4 inches above second story 
ceiling timbers, and all necessary tubes in draft 
flue.—Build Parlor chimney from cellar bottom 
with single flue. Make fire-place for a common 
iron grate, for wood or coal.—Start Sitting Room 
chimney on piers, carrying up single flue. Put in 
all necessary tubes and covers. Top out in cement 
mortar, and as shown on Elevations. All piers and 
chimneys to be started on large stone bedded in 
cement. Lath walls and ceilings, and also a space 
overhead in cellar, large enough to cover a swing- 
shelf, with hemlock lath, breaking joints every 
sixth. Put on a heavy scratch coat with mortar, 
well haired, and at least a week old. Hard finish 
ceilings on scratch coat (broom scratch), in best 
manner with Plaster Paris, white sand and lime. 
Finish walls for paper with a brown coat of mortar 
and lime, skim troweled down hard.—Set a plain 
marbelized slate mantel in Parlor, and do necessary 
mason work in setting kitchen range. Lay the cel¬ 
lar drain with brick tile, and sink drain with 3-inch 
glazed tile, making joints perfect with cement, and 
scrape it smooth on inside. Tile to be laid on a 
6-inch hemlock board, brought to a true and even 
grade. If the ground slopes well away from the 
house, make a shallow cesspool with stone, laid 
dry, extending and putting it not less than 200 feet 
from the well. If nearly level, build it of brick, 
well cemented inside. Cover with large flag-stone, 
leaving a man-hole 22 inches in diameter. Make 
the cesspool 6 feet by 6 feet, and 8 feet deep. Set 
large flat stones below posts under Veranda, Wood- 
house, and Privy, each to have a place cut on 
upper face, to set an iron rod.—Leave house broom- 
clean, removing mason’s materials and rubbish, 
and leaving mason work complete and finished. 
Carpenter’s Specifiealions. —First 
Story to be 8 feet 6 inches in the clear, and Second 
Story, 8 feet in clear. Posts 16 feet from top of sill 
to top of plate ceilings of upper room, to finish 10 
inches on rafter.—Sills for house, 6 by 8 inches ; 
for Wood-house, 6 by 6 inches ; for Veranda, 4 by 
6 inches.—Studding next to openings, 3 by 4 
inches; intermediates, 2 by 4 inches. Corner posts,, 
4 by 6 inches. Plates, doubled, 2 by 4 inches. 
Rafters, 2 by 6 inches, 2 feet to center. Collar beams, 
2 by 6 inches.—First Story floor timber, 3 by 8 
inches, 20 inches to center. Second Story floor tim¬ 
ber, 2 by 8 inches, set 16 inches to centers. Rafters 
and floor timbers to be Spruce, the balance of the 
frame to be sound hemlock.—Frame the sills to¬ 
gether with mortise and tenon, using 6 by 8-inch 
cross-sills under partitions, as shown, set on edge. 
Frame in lower floor timbers flush with top of sill. 
Every other floor beam in Second Story, under tank, 
to be 6 by 8 inches ; cap of partition, under tank to 
be extra heavy, studded up with 2i by 4 inches, 12 
inches to centers. Studding in outside wall to be 
3 by 4 inches, set 16 inches to center, w'here weight 
of tank comes. Plane and cut the ends of rafters 
=R0RCIf ROOTsl 
Fig. 5.— SECOND STORY. 
to pattern, as in figure 7, allowing them to project 
20 inches over, plate.—Sheath the frame with hem¬ 
lock boards, well fastened on with tenpenny nails. 
