HOUSE AND GARDEN 
NUARV', 1913 
33 
weather and the plaster is very apt to be stained by dampness. 
It would be no more expensive if the wall were eighteen inches 
thick, and if it were twenty inches its vast superiority would 
more than offset its slightly increased cost. Another detriment 
of the stone wall is that to-day we lay it up with Portland cement, 
whereas our ancestors used lime mortar. The former sets in 
forty-eight hours, the latter sometimes took a decade. The result 
of the modern quick method is that as the wall is laid up its own 
weight often cracks the cement, thus destroying the bond between 
stones that is so essential to dry masonry. To obviate this, 
architects and builders have resorted to innumerable experiments. 
Lime mortar has been added to 
the cenient to retard the set¬ 
ting ; this undoubtedly does in¬ 
sure a more elastic bond, but 
as only a small percentage can 
be added, not over seven or 
eight per cent., it by no mean 
corrects the evil. Another ex¬ 
pedient has been found among 
the number of transparent 
waterproofing mixtures 0 f - 
fered, which not only correct 
the cracks but tend towards 
rendering the stone impervious. 
Such mixtures are applied to 
the exterior surface,' and in 
some instances it is necessary 
to heat the wall bit by bit be¬ 
fore applying the mixture—an 
expensive process. All this 
must be remembered in con¬ 
sidering an unfurred stone 
wall. If the wall is furred this precaution is not imperative, for 
dampness would hardly manifest itself on the inside, and as for 
the outside, nature will waterproof it in a score of years by filling 
its pores with dirt and dust which become one in substance with 
the stone itself. Hence the truth of the ancient argument that a 
stone building improves with age. 
The approximate cost of a stone house would be from thirty- 
five to forty cents a square foot of exterior surface without in¬ 
side furring. There are those who are willing to take the risk of 
plastering directly on the stone; that this is seldom successful is 
proven by the nu¬ 
merous expedients 
resorted to after¬ 
ward to make such 
a wall impervious. 
Brick is a per¬ 
fectly reliable mate¬ 
rial. True, it declined in popularity a few years ago, but that was 
due more to the public having grown tired of the monotonous 
shapes and colors which manufacturers were then turning out 
than to any inherent unsatisfactoriness of the material. But 
since the recent introduction of artistic brick-making, with its 
varying shapes and beautiful colors and technique, brick is again 
coming into its own. Like stone, brick walls are subject to sweat¬ 
ing and dampness and in the better class of work are similarly 
furred. 
One of the considerations before deciding on a brick house is 
whether competent brick masons can be found in the locality. In 
many obscure districts the car¬ 
penter is the only intelligent 
contractor, and except for the 
perfunctory and inartistic lay¬ 
ing of brick for cellar walls 
and chimneys he has no idea 
of the picturesque possibilities 
of the material, and in fact is 
often unable to interpret the 
plans. This state of affairs 
could spoil the best designed 
brick house. Unless an owner 
is prepared to build in the mod¬ 
ern spirit of brick work he 
should hesitate — it would be a 
pity to repeat the commercial 
aspect of the local factories. 
Brick in combination with half¬ 
timber or stucco in the upper 
stories offers an admirable 
chance to lend interest to a 
material which, in a small in¬ 
expensive house, is apt to look stiff and unattractive. In a very 
large brick dwelling it can be made to look interesting by the 
variety of motifs introduced; in a small one, where, of necessity, 
these many motifs are absent, one must look to a variety of ma¬ 
terial for the interest. By terminating the brick wall at the bot¬ 
tom of the second-story joists, and from there up building in 
frame, this is accomplished. Care must be taken to protect thor¬ 
oughly the top of the brick wall, for any moisture filtering down 
from this point would be most disastrous. Generally speaking, 
the problems of the brick wall are not unlike those of the stone 
wall; and in neither 
case can furring be 
regarded as the un¬ 
necessary precaution 
of an over-careful 
architect; not only 
does it insure dry- 
For certain types of rooms brick in suitable artistic patterns forms 
pleasing and not too expensive wall finishing 
The various sorts of plaster or composition board are a reasonable and efficient substitute for plaster. They may be applied directly to the stud¬ 
ding and if battens are used over the joints, successful approximate paneling is realized. 1 hey are ready for use and need only painting, but the 
directions for cutting should be carefully followed 
