1865.] 
AMERI CAN ACRIC Ul/r U RI ST. 
41 
Cheap Frame House, with Specifications. 
Tlie house plan herewith presented is sent to 
the American Agriculturist by a practical builder, 
Mr. J. P. Hopper, Godvvinville, N. J., and is, 
with a few slight modifications, precisely as fur¬ 
nished by him for a house in Hoboken Town¬ 
ship. Tlie specifications were caiculated on 
prices prevailing here a year ago, so as to bring 
all work to be done in a 
good and substantial man¬ 
ner, and the ground cleared 
of rubbish and left in good 
shape, etc., etc.— Cellar to 
be made 4| feet deep; 
foundation walls to be stone, 
laid in lime and sand mor- 
tar,18 inches thick and 7 feet 
high, and neatly poi)ited. 
Windows in cellar 4, 10 hy 
15 glass, 3 I'ffhts wide. 
Frame, 26x28 feet, witli 18 
feet posts and hi|) roof, of 
sound, si')ruce or liemlock 
timber; iiosis and sills 4 
by 8 inches; the ties and 
plates 4 by 6; ratiei's 2 by 
6; studs 3 by 4, and 2 by 4; all beams 3 by 
8; second floor ceiling pieces 2 by 6 inches. The 
whole to be well fi'amed and braced; all beams 
and rafters 24 inches between centres; sludding 
and second story ceiling i)ieces 10 inches be¬ 
tween centers_ Outside, to be of good narrow 
siding, say 5 or 0 inches to the weather, and 
lapping 1 inch, with close joints, and nailed to 
each i)ost, brace and stud.—Water-talile, cor- 
Klg. 2.—First Floor, or ground Plan. A., Hall : R. Sitting 
Room or P.arlor; C., Kitchen; D., Bedroom; E., Bed¬ 
room or Store Room; jV., iV., Closets, sizes Indicated. 
the cost within §1,600, which price would, how¬ 
ever, be considerably exceeded now. The 
house fronts toward the north, having a piazza 
on the front and east sides, shown only on the 
front in the plans (figs. 2 and 3). The front 
floor, 4 feet 8 inches in width, opens into an 
entry sufficiently capacious, containing the stair¬ 
case. Prom this we enter the sitting room or 
parlor on the left, or pass through to the kitchen 
in the rear. On the right of the passage is a 
room entered from the kitchen, answering the 
double purpose of store room and kitchen closet 
or buttery. A small bedroom on the same floor 
communicates both with the kitchen and the 
parlor. There is a cellar under the xvhole 
bouse, the stairs to which descend just outside 
the backdoor. The house is 26 by 28 feet; 
height between joints is as follows; cellar 7 
feel, first floor 9 feet, chamber floor 8 feet. 
“ SPECIFICATIONS 
of materials and workmanship required in the 
erection and completion of a dwelling house 
to be built according to accompanying plans; 
all materials to be of merchantable quality, and 
Fig. 3.— Shcond Floor, or Chamber Plan, K, Hall; J. K., 
L., M., Bedrooms of tlie sizes indicated; JV., M, Closets. 
ners, window and door casings, Ij inches thick, 
the water-table rabbeted. The cellar stairs to be 
inclosed with narrow beaded ceiling boards.... 
Cornice, according to plan (fig. 4); that on piaz¬ 
za smaller than that of main roof.... Piazza. 
—Rafters 2 by 4, planed smooth, covered with 
narrow beaded ceiling stulf; gutter formed to 
discharge the water at two points. Columns 
and caps according to fig. 5. Roof am\ back 
stoop rafters, covered with 1 inch spruce or 
hemlock boards, with close joints and well 
nailed on each rafter. Gutters formed to dis- 
chai'ge the water at two points bj^ leaders to the 
ground. Roofing. —Any good cement or other 
roofing, the cost not to exceed 5 cts. per square 
foot... .Floors. —1^ inch spruce or pine, wedged 
tight and well nailed. The divisions into rooms, 
etc., to be according to the plan.. . .Doors. —All 
1st story doors to be in. thick, double faced 
and moulded, and 7 feet high ; 2d story doors, 
single faced and moulded, 6 feet 8 in. high. Fixed 
lights over front and back doors.... Windows. — 
2 first story windows with 7-inch mullions, 
lights 10 by 15, 8 in each half; 3 windows with 
12 lights of the same size each; 3 second story 
windows with 7-inch mullions, lights 10x21, 8 
in each half, and windows of 12 lights each, of 
same size. All 14 inch sashes, counter checked. 
hung with cord weights, and pio 
vided with sash fastenings. Gla.ss. 
first quality American... .Stairs, to 
have 14 inch siring and steps, 3 
inch risers, wedged, glued,blocked, and sti’ongly 
back nailed, with a 24 b}- 34 moulded black 
walnut rail, 6 inch fancy-turned newel post, and 
14 inch fancy-turned baluster_ Trimmings .— 
Parlor and front entry trim¬ 
med with 54 inch casing 
“coved out” to the bead; 
moulding and back band 7 
inches wide; kitchen, bed¬ 
rooms, etc., with beaded 
casings and back moulding. 
Base 7 inches wide, with 
Grecian ogee moulding. 
Closets, with plain casing 
and base, shelved and fnr- 
nished with clothes liooks, 
as owner may direct. Steji- 
laddcr to scuttle in roof. 
... Plostering .—All the rooms and closets jilaster- 
ed throughout; parlor and entry receiving a 
good sand “skim.” All other rooms, two coats, 
even Va\([ .... Chimney carried up fi om cellar, 
with two 8-inch flues, topping at 20 by 28 inch¬ 
es, and 3 feet 8 inches above the roof... .Hard¬ 
ware .—Locks all mortise locks; porcelain knobs 
and key plates, and 34-inch loose-joint butts to 
first story doors; mineral knobs and 3-inch 
butts to second stoiy doors. Bolts to outside 
doors. Judd’s axles and pulleys, and Japan s.ash 
fasteners. Five doz. clothes liooks.. .Painting .— 
Two coiits white lead and oil outside and inside.” 
These particulars will be of value and interest 
to many readers, and the technical expressions 
will be easily understood by those at all familiar 
with building terms. The house would be 
made warmer were it lined with brick between 
the lathing and clapboarding. This would add 
considerably to the expense, but more than 
proportionately to comfort. The bricks for fil¬ 
ling in may be laid in a clay or “ dirt” moitar. 
Gravel Wall Houses and Barns, Etc. 
Winter is the time when farmer folks discuss 
building, and we have numerous letters asking 
our opinion of gravel wall and concrete houses. 
The subject is a very important one to all who 
build dwelling houses, or erect any masonry 
structures in a country where stones and gravel 
are abundant. At sundry times we have con¬ 
sulted good ma.sons and house carpenters in 
regard to the value of concrete for house 
walls, and invariably had assertions like the fol¬ 
lowing most authoritatively made : That the 
whole thing was a humbug; that the walls 
would not stand; that they would absorb mois¬ 
ture like a sponge, and go all to jiieces after a 
severe freezing and thawing; that, even if they 
stood, the houses would be damp, the walls 
“ sweating” on the inside; that they could not 
be built with any regularity or evenness; that 
they would always look unfinished and patchy 
if indeed, they stood at all, and it was clearly 
•proved (if we would accept thpir premises) tfiat 
Fig. 5— COLUMN. 
