The outside cuts from chestnut logs were nailed to an ordinary stud frame, the chinks being filled with cement on wire mesh 
A Studio of Chestnut Slabs and Cement 
THE BUILDING OF A SUMMER HOME WITH UNUSUAL MATERIALS AND METHODS 
-USING WASTE CUTS FROM THE SAW-MILL TO HOLD THE COST DOWN TO $3,000 
by Edward Fesser 
W HEN I first decided to build a studio in the country my 
ideas were very modest. I wanted a quiet place in which 
to work, with green trees all around and something of a view in 
the distance. 1 picked out a site on the highest and wildest por¬ 
tion of our old farm and went to work with an ax to make a clear¬ 
ing. When this was done 1 had a beautiful view of the Bronx 
valley with Kensico Lake below me in the near distance. I was 
careful to locate near a good spring which, fortunately, 1 found 
at a higher elevation so that the water would reach the cabin by 
gravity. My first impulse was to build a simple little log-cabin, 
containing a single large room, a big stone fireplace and a large 
studio window facing north; but my ideas began to expand when 
1 contemplated the view 1 had made by chopping down the trees 
and bushes which had grown in this spot for years. 1 decided to 
add two sleeping-rooms — then, of course, I had to have a porch. 
The expansion continued by gentle gradations and I reasoned that 
by extending the walls upwards and with the same roof 1 could, 
with very little additional expense, have a second story. This 
would give me a good-size living-room, two bedrooms and a 
piazza on the first floor and, by running out a gable from the north 
side of the roof, I could have a large window, 8 x io ft., on the 
second floor and plenty of room for a studio over the two bed¬ 
rooms. By this time I had caught the building fever and I 
finally determined to build an up-to-date rustic cottage, so I set 
about drawing- plans to scale, located the nearest saw-mill and 
consulted a reliable carpenter. 
I soon found out that it would be impracticable to build 
the cabin of whole logs, as there were very few trees in my imme¬ 
diate neighborhood that were sufficiently straight and of equal 
dimensions. The saw-mill, however, gave me the idea of using 
slabs which to all outward appearances would give an effect similar 
to that of whole logs. A slab, in the vernacular of the saw-mill, 
is the first outside slice of a log, retaining the bark; hence, in order 
to cut a square timber, there would be four slabs cut from each 
log. These slabs are practically useless and are used by farmers 
for firewood or to make pig-pens or rude fences and they are 
sold for fi.oo a double load — all you can haul away on one trip. 
My first step was to secure a good mason for the foundations to 
the house, piers under the veranda and for the chimney. As 
the site chosen was on a side hill there was very little excavating 
to be done for the cellar; aside from this, building on a side hill 
always insures good drainage. The next step was to get a contract 
from a reliable carpenter — after bids had been received from 
several — for the framework, the roof, floors, partitions, stairways, 
windows and doors. All the rest of the house I finished myself 
with the assistance of a competent man who was handy with 
tools. 
The first operation was to sheathe the whole exterior with 
slabs, nailing them firmly to the studding and leaving a space of 
from half an inch to an inch between the slabs for the cement 
sealing. Next 1 procured some half-inch wire mesh and cut it 
into strips sufficiently wide to cover the open spaces between the 
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