212 
[June, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
A House Costing $2,000. 
BY S. B REED, ARCHITECT, CORONA, LONG ISLAND, N. Y. 
The plans published in the March American Agri¬ 
culturist have called out considerable correspon¬ 
dence, indicating a general interest in houses of 
that character and cost. The plans here given are 
somewhat larger, but can be built for very nearly 
the same cost_ file vat ion, (figure 1.)—The 
Front is irregular, having an angle, which narrows 
the parts, supplies more vertical lines, and adds to 
their length comparatively. These are important 
features, imparting a graceful appearance, and in¬ 
fluencing the entire character of the house... .The 
angle affords ample room for the Piazza, which can 
be built for much less cost than when its three 
sides are exposed.—The next attractive features of 
the front, are the Bay Windows below, and double 
windows above, with the Ballustrade, and Hood, so 
proportioned and arranged, that they conform with 
each other with pleasing effect. Cellar, (fig. 
2.)—The Foundation Walls are of hard bricks laid 
in mortar, 8 inches thick, and 7 feet high. In lo¬ 
calities where the foundation rests on loose sand, 
care should be taken to provide a bedding, laid 4 
inches below the cellar bottom, 10 inches wide, of 
brick, or better of large flat stones. Still greater 
care should be bestowed on the bedding for the 
chimneys and girder supports, for they sustain the 
greatest proportionate weight, and any settlement 
of these parts will cause a depression of the floors, 
disarranging the whole house, and become an im¬ 
mediate and continuous source of anxiety and ex¬ 
pense. The Area in the rear is built of hard brick 
and mortar, with blue-stone steps and coping. 
Blue-stone Sills are provided for each of the cellar 
Windows- 1’irst Story, (fig. 3.)—The inte¬ 
rior arrangement of the plan will be appreciated as 
making the best possible use of the room. The 
Front Hall is wider than is usual in houses of this 
character. The Stairs are arranged with the 
“quarter circle” about midway of their bight, 
which brings the niche down where it becomes an 
important feature of the hall.—The three principal 
rooms, the Parlor, Dining Boom, and Kitchen, can 
be entered from the hall. The latter two rooms 
have doors leading to the lobby. The Lobby is 
built of 4i-incli tongued and grooved ceiling-boards, 
with sashes made to swing. A Shelf, 11 feet high, 
and another just above the sash, give sufficient 
framework to fasten the center of the boarding; 
the ends are nailed to the sill and plate ; these 
shelves will be found useful for many purposes. 
Attached to the lobby, and built with it, is a good 
sized Pantry, (p,) for the din¬ 
ing room. The kitchen is pro¬ 
vided with a Closet at the side 
of the chimney, a Sink, with 
small closet underneath, and 
a direct communication to the 
cellar stairs under the hall 
stairs. The window in the 
side of the dining room may 
be omitted, if the house is in 
a village and joins another, but 
this is desirable to give abund¬ 
ant light in this, which is 
really the living room of the 
family.—The method of lieat- 
ingindieated in the plans given 
for March are applicable to this 
plan i,,... SecoEiusl Story, 
(fig. 4.)—The peculiar manner 
of constructing the Stairs, 
brings their landing nearly in 
the center, so that hall space 
sufficient only for four doors 
is necessary, leaving almost 
the entire floor to be laid off 
into rooms. The heavy lines 
show the most simple method 
of dividing this story into four 
rooms. Should another room 
be desirable, it can be taken 
off from two rooms as shown 
by the dotted lines. In this 
case another window may be 
inserted as indicated. Every 
one’s experience is that there 
cannot be too many closets, 
and we nave added one to every 
room in the house, except the 
parlor_ dosssts-aaetioia. 
—The bill of timber appended 
indicates a “regular” Frame. 
It is a great satisfaction, and 
saving, to have the timber properly “laid out,” 
and framed by, and under the immediate direction 
of a master mechanic, so as to be quickly and sub¬ 
stantially raised. Four good carpenters would 
easily frame all the timber in this house in 2 days, 
and raise it the next day. At least one man of well 
known ability and experience as a mechanic should 
be with and take charge of those employed to 
build a house. It is not economical for one about 
to build a home to trust such work to the caprice of 
an inexperienced man, who has “helped” arouud 
some job, until he has learned the name of tools, 
but who has no positive knowledge of the trade, 
and could not for his life “lay out” the corner 
post for a two story house, yet is shrewd enough to 
screen his deficiencies by suggesting “balloon,” 
or something indefinite, that requires little or no 
skill. It sometimes happens, in localities remote 
from cities or large towns, that persons are obliged 
to do with make-shifts, to get a home at all. It 
was such a condition of things that led the well 
disposed pioneer of the west to adopt the method 
called “Balloon framing,” which is really no fram¬ 
ing at all, and required no skill to get up a kind 
of home, acceptable under such circumstances. 
But wherever skilled labor may be had, it is ridicu¬ 
lous to see a gang of intelligent (?) mechanics 
standing up pieces of diverse lengths, and prop¬ 
ping them in a vertical position with rods running 
every way as braces, not one of which can be re¬ 
moved until the upper ends arc secured by ties of 
some sort. A good frame in a house is equivalent 
to a good constitution in a man, and is of vital im¬ 
portance; it need not be clumsy, or overloaded, 
but should at least have the merit of being able to 
stand alone... .lPsaiBBtiitisr. —The principal ob¬ 
ject in Painting should be to protect and preserve 
the materials used in construction, as also to give a 
good appearance. All exterior wood-work, though 
executed with the greatest care and in the most 
substantial manner, if left exposed to climatic in¬ 
fluences is very soon destroyed. It is economy to 
use only the best lead and linseed oil in painting ex¬ 
terior wood-work. They will outlast all other 
compounds, present a better appearance, and in 
the end furnish a much better foundation for fu¬ 
ture painting. The difference in cost between the 
best materials and the imitations, for painting the 
exterior of a house built on these plans, would not 
exceed twelve dollars, and the cost of labor would 
be just the same in either case. The first coat, or 
“priming” should be put on with the greatest 
care, so as to thoroughly cover and close all the 
pores in the exposed surface. All window and out¬ 
side door frames, corner boards, window caps, wa¬ 
ter table, and stoop flooring, should be primed be¬ 
fore setting, especially their edges, where joinings 
require to be made, as it will be the last opportuni¬ 
ty to do justice to these parts, where moisture is 
liable to collect and remain. When priming is 
w r ell done, it is best to let the building stand until 
