1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
253 
A House Costing $4,000. 
BT 8. B REED, ARCHITECT, CORONA, LONG ISLAND, N. T. 
This plan of a large house, provides ample and 
conveniently arranged apartments, containing the 
most requisite of modern improvements, suitable 
to the requirements of a good sized family. The 
general outline of the ground plan is nearly square 
—30 x 36 feet, securing the greatest economy in 
expense of construction, and embracing a liberal 
provision for comfort, and a suitable regard for 
appearances, without sacrificing one for the other. 
There is always a certain boldness in the exterior, 
or elevation, of a square double front, which no 
other style affords, expressive of substantial dig¬ 
nity. The two Bay Windows and Porch are united 
in construction, the Porch having its ends partly 
sheltered by the projecting Bay Windows, is a 
pleasant feature. The Second Story, Attic, and 
Cupola Windows, have circular heads, with heavy 
dressing. The main Cornice is heavily trussed ; the 
Cupola is large and roomy, and all are proportioned 
to make this house worthy of almost any situa¬ 
tion-The Cellar extends under the whole 
house, with walls of hard brick and mortar 8 inches 
thick, and 7 feet high, and should extend li inches 
outside of the frame work of the house, so as to 
be “ flush ” with the sheathing. The cross-walls, 
as shown on the plan, are of the same materials— 
all such walls should have “heading-courses” 
every 20 inches, and if in sandy bottom, a suitable 
bedding should be provided, as described in the 
June American Agriculturist, which will insure a 
perfectly safe and satisfactory foundation. The 
Area walls should be made of hard brick, with 
stone coping and steps, laid in cement mortar. All 
Chimneys should be started and laid up with the 
foundation, and the materials interlaced to bind 
them together ; this will insure additional strength 
to both foundation and chimney.—We recommend 
plastering or “laying off” the ceiling of the cellar, 
with one coat of brown mortar, at a cost of twenty- 
five dollars, which would be a permanent benefit to 
the whole house, in preventing the damp cellar air 
from rising up through the floors and framework of 
the house. Such air is almost sure to be vitiated 
by decaying vegetable matter, and is the undoubted 
source of much disease. Another advantage 
derived from such plastering, is the shutting out of 
rats and mice from the frame work of the house, 
and lastly it affords an 
opportunity of purify¬ 
ing and sweetening the 
cellar easily, by (the 
simplest of all means) 
a coat of whitewash.... 
The materials used in 
the Frame, are indi¬ 
cated in the estimate 
appended below. Sills 
should be framed for 
each cross, and outside 
wall, so as to secure 
equal bearings, and al¬ 
low for even shrink¬ 
ages ; and when put in 
position, they should 
be bedded in mortar, to 
prevent any inequali¬ 
ties in the bearings 
of the frame-work, to 
strengthen the founda¬ 
tion, and also to effectu¬ 
ally shut out cold air 
from getting between 
the cellar ceiling and 
the first floor. All 
Beams and Studding 
are placed 16 inches 
from centers. The first 
tier of Beams should be 
framed into the Sills, 
and their tenonswedged 
from the outside, to 
“draw them home.” 
They should also bear 
upon the wall equally 
with the sill. All beams 
having a span of 12 
feet and over, should 
have at least one row of 
cross bridging of 11 x 3 
inch “fencing.”—The 
second and third story 
beams,are notched over the ties,and spiked fast. The 
Cupola posts rest directly on the center girts, and 
the principal roof timbers are framed and secured 
to these posts. In this frame there need be no ten¬ 
dency to self-destruction, so common in large build¬ 
ings, such as oblique or outward thrusts, or irregu¬ 
larity of bearings, but a perfect “ repose ” is secur¬ 
ed to every piece of timber in the house. The Bat 
Window framework (see fig. 5), is one inch less in 
depth than the principal sills of the house, to allow 
for the thickness of the boarding beneath them, so 
that the water table when put around the house, 
maybe in line. The distances given on the diagram 
of the bay frame, may be relied upon as correct. 
“Bay windows are apt to be cold,” is often said, 
but a sure preventive of such “cold” is easily 
secured, by filling in between the beams and panels 
with dry sand, which will make them as tight as 
any other part of a house....The character and 
quality of a house depends greatly upon the mater¬ 
ial, and manner of In our estimate we 
have provided for mill-worked sheathing, which 
should be put on diagonally, and thoroughly nailed 
to the frame, which will serve the double purpose 
of securing more warmth and strength, than any 
“filling in” of brick, and is less expensive. A 
strip of the same thickness as the sheathing, and 
two inches wide, should be first nailed to the sill, 
close down to the masonry, to prevent the air from 
entering the joints of the sheathing, and following 
them upwards into the house. Tarred paper is 
next stretched over the sheathing, when the win¬ 
dow frames, water-table, and corner-boards should 
be set, and lastly the Novelty-siding put on, and 
double nailed to each stud. The Windows are 
arranged for each sash to be hung, and all to have 
blinds. All windows above the first story, have 
“circular heads,” with caps turned of 4-inch tim¬ 
ber. The Keys shown on the elevation, are sawed 
out at the back, so as to fit over the caps, (not cut 
through them). This is much simpler, more orna¬ 
mental, and does not impair or affect the solid 
head....The Bioot' projects twenty seven inches 
beyond the frame of the building, and is covered 
with I. C. Charcoal tin, laid and soldered in best 
manner, on sound hemlock boards. The gutters 
of the main house, are made as described in 
the May American Agriculturist .The 
Sitovy plan, (fig. 3), shows the general divi¬ 
sion of four rooms and three halls. The En¬ 
trance-hall or “ Reception-room,” is 7 x 12 feet. 
The Stairway-hall is also 7 x 12 feet. The Rear- 
hall is 7x7 feet. These halls are divided from 
each other by sash doors. The Entrance-hall is 
divided from the Parlor and Dining-room by large 
double doors. The advantages of dividing the hails 
in the manner shown, will be obvious to any one 
when they consider how cold, windy, and cheerless 
most halls are. By this arrangement all drafts are 
prevented, either when opening the entrance door, 
or when passing from one room to another. The 
inside double doors may be swung open altogether, 
throwing the principal rooms of the lower floor into 
one spacious room if occasion should require it for 
a large company, without altering to any material 
degree, the temperature of these rooms.-—The 
Stairway hall contains the principal stairs, which 
are of the easiest “ platform ” construction, so ar¬ 
ranged, that a more private stairway is entirely un¬ 
necessary.—The Rear Hall is the common hall of 
the house, and is easily reached from every part.— 
The Parlor is the largest room, has a Bay-Window, 
Marble Mantel, Fireplace Heater, and is separated 
from the Library by Sliding Doors. The Dining¬ 
room has also a Bay-window, Marble Mantel, and 
Fireplace Heater, and is intended as the Living- 
room. It is conveniently connected with the 
Kitchen, Stairway-hall, Entrance-hall, and has a 
good Pantry (e).—The Kitchen is separated from the 
Fig. 1.— elevation oe front of house. 
