12 
House & Garden 
There is a plasticity 
about stucco which per¬ 
mits a great variety of 
finishes. On the side 
wall below, for example, 
the rough finish of the 
wall is half its charm. 
Add to that the peculiar 
shape of the chimney 
and the irregular fenes¬ 
tration. and an unusual 
facade results 
Among the unusual fea¬ 
tures is the walled-in 
front garden, lending an 
atmosphere of secrecy 
and privacy to the gar¬ 
den. A brick coping adds 
a touch of color to the 
rough stucco finish. A 
heavy gate pierces the 
wall. The residence of 
Charles .4. Miller, Esq., 
Forest Hills, L. I. 
GILLIES 
Stucco lends itself especially to the English cot¬ 
tage and farmhouse type and the Norman styles 
of country houses. Here elements of these have 
been combined in a small house of unusual merit. 
Harrie T. Linderberg was the architect 
cost up considerably, as these items figure: 
per sq. yd. 
Hollow-tile .... 
. . .9" 
wall 
stuccoed $3.08 
Common brick. . 
.. .9" 
wall 
2.94 
Patent brick. 
.. 9" 
wall 
2.46 
Face brick. 
. .9" 
wall 
3.21 
Brick veneer. . . . 
,. .9" 
wall 
2.48 
Labor to apply same.$10.75 
1000 sq. ft. sheathing paper. 2.73 
Labor to apply same. 1.32 
10 M. stained shingles—5-2 random 
widths @ $8.35 per M. 83.50 
Labor to apply. 32.70 
$172.70 
(3) Two-coat stippled cement stucco 
on metal lath. 
1200 ft. B.M., Ls” sheathing @ $34.75 
per M. 41.70 
Labor to apply same. 10.75 
1000 sq. ft. sheathing paper. 2.73 
Labor to apply same. 1.32 
Furring strips . 6.75 
Labor to apply same. 2.80 
Metal lath 111' yds.’(a) 32c per yd. . . . 35.52 
Labor to apply same @ 6%c per sq. 
yd.i. 7.21 
111,yds. stucco (a? 83c. 92.13 
1 extra ton of stucco required over 
other methods . 8.25 
$209.16 
(4) Stucco on stucco board. 
1000 sq. ft. stucco board @ $35.00. . .$35.00 
Labor to apply same. 6.00 
111 yds. stucco @'83c per yd. 92.13 
$133.13 
For the average comparative cost per 
sq. yd. of wall surface we have: 
per sq. yd. 
(1) Clapboard construction .$1.46 
(2) Shingle construction . 1.56 
(3) Stucco on metal lath. 1.88 
(4) Stucco on stucco board. 1.19 
When we begin to consider brick and 
hollow tile, we find that we are running our 
The number of square feet of outside 
wall surface on the average small house is 
2500 and taking a comparison between clap¬ 
boards, the lowest cost unit for wood con¬ 
struction, and stucco on stucco board, the 
most economical cost for stucco, we have: 
Clapboards for 2500 sq. ft.$405.00 
Stucco on stucco board 2500 sq. ft. . 332.50 
$72.50 
or a saving of $72.50 on this construction. 
If we compare stucco on a base of hollow 
tile and stucco on stucco board (including 
studding) we would get as follows: 
Hollow-tile 9" wall stuccoed.$856.04 
Stucco on stucco board. 371.18 
$484.86 
showing a saving of $484.86 in favor of the 
frame-stucco construction. 
The prices given in this detailed list may 
vary somewhat throughout the country (it 
is a simple matter to substitute costs accord¬ 
ing to location and get the right compari¬ 
son), but the relative costs will remain in 
every case practically the same. 
We have now taken care of the first cost. 
What about the cost of keeping a stucco 
house in good shape, as compared with the 
cheapest form of wooden house? First of 
all, stucco requires no painting, while the 
wooden house must be re-painted every three 
years at a cost of $39.96 per 1000 sq. ft., 
to which must be added the damage to flower 
beds, vines and so on. Then the stucco 
house, as has been suggested, saves 25% 
of the fuel bills, another point which is ob¬ 
viously in its favor. 
Cracking and Craftsmanship 
We sometimes hear the objection raised 
against stucco that it cracks. Stucco posi¬ 
tively will not crack if the base, mix and 
application are correct. It must be applied 
by a competent workman in the right way. 
It cannot be treated in the same manner as 
inside plaster, and because a man is a good 
plasterer it does not follow that he can do 
a good stucco job. 
After trying out every known base for 
stucco and all the different methods of ap¬ 
plication, I have arrived at the conclusion 
that wood lath is one of the very best bases. 
The theory of the expansion and contrac¬ 
tion of wood lath is largely an excuse for 
the cracking of the cement. The expansion 
co-efficient of wood lath as given by the 
British Board of Trade is 0.00000276 for 
each degree of temperature (Fahrenheit), 
and in a lj/ 2 " lath this evidently does not 
explain the trouble since equal failures have 
occurred on other bases as well. Structural 
cracking excepted, too quick drying of the 
stucco mixture may be assigned as the cause 
of such mishaps. 
Bases and Stucco Mixture 
A very good and economical base for 
stucco is a stucco board which has a heavy 
fiber backing covered with asphalt, in which 
dove-tailed laths are imbedded. This makes 
possible a direct application to the studding, 
thereby saving the cost of sheathing and 
sheathing paper. The “key,” moreover, 
clinches the stucco and the backing saves 
one-third of the stucco material, while the 
laths cannot rot because they are protected 
from the inside by the asphalt and from 
the outside by the waterproofing which is 
contained in the stucco. 
The mixture of stucco is very important 
if good results are to be obtained. Select 
a good brand of Portland cement—one that 
comes up to the standard specifications of 
the American Society for Testing Materials 
