The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1331 
Laying, Out Building, Foundations 
>_ L J. 
I am thinking about building a house, the dimensions 
of which I have not decided upon. I do not understand 
method of squaring the cellar, so as to have it true. I 
would very much appreciate information about this. Is 
it well in building a house to buy ready-cut lumber? 
Onondaga Co., N. Y. M. J. M. 
L OCATION.—The location of new buildings on the 
farm is somewhat of a problem. In very few 
cases is there an immediately adjacent, carefully 
surveyed property line to serve as a base, .and from 
which measurements may he taken, as there is in city’ 
or village building. Nevertheless the proposed building 
must he set “square” with the road or the already 
existing buildings in the group, if it is to look well. 
There is something about the careful and exact 
arrangement of rectangular farm buildings that gives 
an appearance of solidity and prosperity that cannot be 
obtained by any haphazard placing. Regular arrange¬ 
ment denotes method and ability. It is said that the 
huts of savages are round because they have not the 
ability to construct a building of rectangular shape. 
| Turkman, the historian, tells how 
the early French settlers found the In¬ 
dians building round stockades or forts. 
These were easily taken, because there 
was no way of concentrating a raking 
fire upon any point. The French taught 
their Indian friends how to make 
square or rectangular forts, where this 
raking fire could be concentrated.—Ed.l 
LAYING OFT FOUNDATION.— 
Although it calls for careful and exact 
work, there is nothing difficult, nor are 
special tools required for use, in the 
laying out of a foundation. W liile a 
good steel tape 100 feet in length is a 
decided advantage, other methods of 
accurately measuring distances may be 
used. Suppose that it is proposed to 
erect a new building 200 feet west and 
150 feet, north of an existing building, 
and with its sides parallel to it. The 
first step is to measure out a short dis¬ 
tance, say five feet from the corners of 
the existing building, and set stakes at 
the points A and B, Fig. 41G. Measur¬ 
ing out in this way serves merely to 
place the base line far enough out from 
the building to permit working about 
it conveniently and to prevent any pro¬ 
jections on the building from interfer¬ 
ing with the line of sight. By standing 
at C a third stake, D, can be sighted 
in at an indefinite distance, giving us 
the line AD as our base line parallel 
to the existing building. Now as the 
proposed building is to be erected 
200 feet west of this existing one, a 
measurement of 200 feet is taken along 
the line AD from B and the point F 
located. The point F is similarly lo¬ 
cated by measuring along the line AD 
from E the length of the proposed 
building. 
FURTIIER MEASUREMENTS.—The 
line EG is at right angles to the base 
line AD, and its position is determined 
by carefully measuring back from E 
toward A, a distance of 60 feet along 
the base line, and setting a stake care¬ 
fully in the line at this point, 11. To 
establish the point I, E is taken as a 
center, with a distance of SO feet on 
the tape as a radius, a short are is 
scratched on the ground where it is 
estimated that the point 1 will fall. 
In a similar way II is taken as a cen¬ 
ter and a distance of 100 feet used as 
a radius. Where the arcs intersect 
will be the location of the point I. If 
two tapes can be obtained the distances 
E, I and III may be laid of! simultane¬ 
ously, the point 1 falling where they 
meet. If a tape is not obtainable sat¬ 
isfactory work can be done by care¬ 
fully measuring off the proper lengths 
of light wire, as stovepipe, and using 
these to lay off the distances with. 
Rope or cord is likely to stretch. In 
any case the points E, 11 and 1 should 
lie exactly located with short stakes, 
into the top of which a tack or nail 
has been driven to serve as a measur¬ 
ing point, and the measurements carefully checked 
up to see that they are accurate. After the point I 
has been determined the line may be prolonged by 
sighting over it from E and placing the pole at G. 
The line FJ is established in exactly the same man¬ 
ner, simply using the old principle of the triangle: 
“Any triangle whose sides are in the ratio of three, 
four and live is a right-angled triangle.” If the dis¬ 
tances given are inconvenient to use. because of lack 
of space or other reason, distances of six, 8 and 10 
feet. 12. 16 and 20; 24, 32 and 40; 48, 64 and SO; or 
any other group of three distances that have the 
same ratio to each other, the ratio of 3 :4 :5 may be 
used. The distances of 60:80:100 will usually he 
found convenient when a steel tape is used, however, 
and the longer they can be kept the greater the de¬ 
gree of accuracy that can be attained. 
ESTABLISHING CORNERS.—Now as the pro¬ 
posed building is to be located 150 feet north of the 
one already existing, this distance is measured from 
N 
pnoroi to 
H 
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METHOD OF LOCATING 
PROPOSED BUILDIHG 
Locating the Building. Fig. J/16 
the points F and E along their respective lines, 
locating the points Iv and L. From these points the 
width of the building is measured along the lines, 
and the corners M and N established. These corners 
are marked by stakes, and represent roughly the 
position of the proposed building. To make for 
greater accuracy, and so to locate the corners that 
they will not be disturbed by digging, batter boards 
are erected as indicated, their construction being 
shown more clearly in Fig. 417. They consist of three 
stakes, driven solidly, surrounding each corner as 
shown, and at a distance of about three feet from 
the line, a distance great enough at least to permit 
subsequent digging without disturbing them. To the 
stakes are nailed the batter boards as shown, at a 
height to correspond with that of the finished wall. 
This means of course that they must be level, and 
this position can be obtained ‘by the use of a good 
carpenter’s level and straight edge 12 to 16 feet in 
length. To use this a row of stakes can be set down 
between corners at the proper distance 
apart .to accommodate the length of the 
straight edge in use, and a level line 
carried from one to the other in this 
way. The level and straight edge should 
be turned end for end, after each read¬ 
ing is taken, to correct any error that 
there might *be in either, and to insure 
accurate results at the finish. The 
most accurate work can be done by 
either driving the stake or cutting it 
off about one to 114 inches below the 
•level position. A nail is then driven 
into the top. and by trial driven down 
to the desired point. This is shown 
more clearly in Fig. 418. 
OBTAINING ACCURACY.—After the 
batter boards are all in place cords or 
chalk lines are stretched up, as shown 
in Fig. 418. their position being deter¬ 
mined by dropping a plumb-bob down 
to the corner stake and moving the 
cords until they are exactly over it. 
When the four cords representing the 
sides and ends of the building are in 
place and adjusted so that their inter¬ 
sections are directly over the corner 
stakes, fasten them temporarily and 
test for accuracy. If distances of six 
and eight feet respectively are meas¬ 
ured out from the crossing of the 
cords and pins thrust through the cords 
to mark the points so obtained, a Id- 
foot pole should just reach between the 
pins, as shown in the sketch. Another 
test is to measure the diagonals of the 
space enclosed by the cords—they 
should be equal in length. If the tests 
show inaccuracy adjust the cords on 
the batter boards to correct it. and 
when their proper position has been 
determined make a permanent mark, as 
a saw kerf, indicating their position. The 
cords can now he removed from the 
batter boards out of the way of the 
preliminary excavating, and at any¬ 
time stretched up again when it is de¬ 
sired to locate exactly a corner, side or 
end. When building the wall a second 
cord can be stretched up, which will 
represent the thickness of the wall as 
well. This work, if carefully done, 
will be more than repaid in the con¬ 
struction work to follow by the greater 
ease and facility with which it can be 
carried on and in the better appearance 
of the finished structure. It pays to 
start right. robkkt ii. smith. 
£'an Jacinto Apple. Fig. 419. (Sec page idj 7) 
Lime Top-dressing on Meadow 
Would you advise the use of limestone 
to top-dress a new meadow that is poor 
iu spots, and would it be advisable to 
sow grass seed following the top-dressing? 
What is the proper time for using lime¬ 
stone and sowing? u. u. 
Conueaut. O. 
No ; not from our own experience. We 
have never had good results from- top¬ 
dressing with lime; that is. spreading it 
on top of the sod without working it iu. 
l imestone is better than burnt lime for 
such purposes, but the true way to use 
lime is to spread it after plowing or disk¬ 
ing. and harrow it in. 
A 
