HOUSE AND GARDEN 
September, 1912 
The grout style of field stones bound together with 
concrete is very durable and keeps ice well 
The combination ice house and cold 
storage room is convenient 
hold sufficient ice for a large dairy or a small hotel or boarding 
house. 
In considering the size, it is better to figure out pretty accurate¬ 
ly the actual needs of the family in the way of ice. An unusually 
large ice house is a waste of money and of ice. The house should 
be all filled with ice. Half filling means an unusual waste. It 
is better therefore to get the right size than to have one either too 
large or too small. 
The surface ice house is more popular to-day for the reason 
that it is more readily accessible when ice is needed, and its cost 
is not so great because of the difference in the amount of ex¬ 
cavation needed. The best site for such a house is where the 
land has a slight slope so that water will drain away. First mark 
out the lines of the foundation and build the foundation walls of 
field stones, using sufficient cement to bind them securely to¬ 
gether. Inside of these walls then lay a foundation at least 
six inches thick of coarse stones and gravel. These should be 
pounded down and brought to a level on the surface. The frame 
ice house is then built on top of the walls, and the latter are 
banked up with earth to a depth of two or three feet. Sometimes 
the walls are run half way up and then topped off with wooden 
frames. 
Lay eight or nine inch chestnut sills on the walls to which the 
studding is directly fastened. The corner joists should be 
heavy, and when the studding, sills and posts are nailed together, 
the framework is nearly finished. The framework is boarded 
If set in a hillside the .ce house may be filled from 
the upper side with less labor 
up on both sides, and the space between filled with sawdust, 
shavings, hay or straw. It all depends on the cheapest material 
to be obtained. Cover the outside wall with any kind of builder’s 
paper to make it airtight. Then nail strips of 2 by 4 inch joists 
to the bottom, middle and top of the outside, and nail plain, un¬ 
matched boards to them. This makes an inclosed air space out¬ 
side of the walls filled with sawdust. The advantages of this.'are 
apparent, for the sun strikes directly on this outside wall and 
raises the interior temperature. The air in this space must not 
be confined. The corners of the siding are left open so the air 
can circulate freely. This carries off the heat and prevents it 
from penetrating through the sawdust wall. The construction 
of a house such as this costs a little more, but in the end it pays. 
The frame roof is placed on in the ordinary way with no at¬ 
tempt to make it other than watertight so rain cannot drip 
through. The roof of the ice house is intended merely to protect 
the ice from the sun and rain. The rising air must circulate 
under this and have a ventilation at the top or side. This ventila¬ 
tion is essential. If the roof is made of double thickness so much 
the better, for that will keep the sun’s rays from unduly heating 
the inside, but as warm air ascends this heat does not penetrate 
far down. The top of the ice is thoroughly covered with a foot 
or two of sawdust, and this protects it. 
Cement or grout ice houses are very popular to-day on ac¬ 
count of their greater durability, and while the initial cost may 
(Continued on page 176) 
A house built like the one illustrated by the above plan may be situ¬ 
ated in this manner, with an entrance through the side of the hill 
A variation of the frame ice house that is shingled throughout and in 
quite good keeping with the other outbuildings around it 
