74 
House & Garden 
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Herman Uihlein Residence, Milwaukee, Wisconsin . 
Kirchhoff & Rose, Architects. 
To own a home is the ultimate result of 
all ambition, the end to which every enter¬ 
prise and labor tends, and of which every 
desire prompts the prosecution. — Johnson 
Home ownership affords that sense of security 
and substantial comfort so necessary to true 
contentment. And if our home be a structure 
embodying beauty and permanence, we take 
unbounded pleasure and pride in it. 
Throughout our country we find some of the 
most beautiful homes built with Indiana Lime¬ 
stone—a natural stone whose velvety texture 
is inimitable in manufactured materials. 
And for garden statuary and the numerous 
details of interior decoration, such as exqui¬ 
sitely carved fireplaces and mantels, Indiana 
Limestone is practicable, for its texture permits 
the utmost freedom and ease in working. 
The natural beauty of Indiana Limestone is 
permanent and its cost comparatively moderate. 
Our booklet, “Designs for 
Houses Built of Indiana 
Limestone, ’’will be mailed 
on request. 
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Z7ie ARISTOCRAT o/~ BUILDING MATERIALS 
Indiana Limestone Quarrymen’s Association 
782 Bedford, Indiana 
If You Are Going To Build 
(Continued from page S3) 
Below is shown a 
detailed method of 
backing up face 
brick with hollow 
tile. A section of a 
13" wall 
Detailed section of 
frame wall showing 
the method of ap¬ 
plying cement stucco 
on metal lath 
Section in detail of 
frame wall showing 
method of applying 
wood shingles over 
sheathing 
Since the vanishing of our great water 
sheds, and the destruction of our for¬ 
ests, mainly through heedlessness, con¬ 
crete has become recognized as one of 
the most valuable building materials in 
this country. To many people concrete 
and stucco mean the same thing, but 
stucco is really the finish for the out¬ 
side structure of a wall already complete, 
whereas concrete is an actual building 
material which can be used over metal 
lath or terra-cotta building blocks, and 
which can be left rough, finished with 
stucco, or given a final coat of small 
stones that come in a variety of colors. 
Where the concrete is built up solidly, 
reinforcing iron should be placed in 
the structure. For the interior finish, 
wooden or metal lathing is attached to 
furring strips to avoid the slightest pos¬ 
sibility of dampness. Where a certain 
color, not the natural tone of concrete or 
stucco, is desired, it should be introduced 
into the material itself and not painted 
on the wall. As a rule, three coats of 
stucco are used and allowed to dry. To 
the last one the color should be added. 
Then it is inherent in the structure of 
the house itself. 
Stucco and Half-Timber 
There is an increasing interest, just at 
present, in the combination of concrete 
with half-timber. When timber is used 
it should be allowed to weather and 
should not be painted, as the smooth 
coat of paint against the rough concrete 
surface is inartistic, and the painting has 
to be renewed many times during the 
lifetime of the concrete. 
Among our illustrations we are show¬ 
ing a beautiful plain concrete surface in 
which no other material is introduced as 
a decoration. A finer example of the 
artistic effect to be gained from the 
lights and shadows thrown on a con¬ 
crete wall by trees and vines would be 
hard to find. And surely no introduc¬ 
tion of brick or stone in the lintels or 
sills of a house could add to the beauty 
given by the drifting of sunlight through 
the trees over the surface of this build¬ 
ing. 
The only colors which can be safely 
recommended to be used on concrete 
and stucco are red, yellow ochre, buff, 
and the different shades of sand, gray 
and brown. Color mixed in the mor¬ 
tar should be introduced sparingly, as it 
injures the strength of a compound. 
The cost of stucco is considerably less 
than brick facing, and when well applied 
is durable and attractive. The use of 
half-timber construction originated in 
England. In the fine old English half¬ 
timber houses a wooden frame was built 
and filled in between the timbers with 
brick or stone laid in lime mortar. As 
long as oak was used, this half-timber 
construction was satisfactory, because 
oak does not shrink or swell very much. 
But the use of other woods brought dis¬ 
astrous results; the houses leaked be¬ 
tween joints and wooden frame; to 
avoid this the joints between wood and 
stucco must overlap. 
Of course, metal lath is well used in 
the structure of both interior and ex¬ 
terior walls. 
Wood 
The clapboard house is essentially an 
American method of construction. Prob¬ 
ably because of the scarcity of timber it 
is seldom found in England or on the 
Continent, except in Scandinavia. But 
when we first began to build houses in 
this country white pine timber was 
plentiful, it was easy to erect saw mills, 
and there were such huge old trees that 
wide clapboards could be secured free 
from knots. As timber became scarcer 
and nails cheaper, the narrow clapboards 
came into general favor. The old clap¬ 
boards were nearly always made of 
white pine; it is still a favorite. Cedar, 
however, is more generally used. It is 
light, substantial, and cheaper than the 
pine. Cypress also has its good qualities. 
Clapboard houses are easily built. 
They are cheap and durable. Of course 
they have the disadvantage of not being 
fireproof, and require frequent painting, 
but they will always be popular in 
wooded localities where the bringing in 
of brick, breaking of stone and the cut¬ 
ting of shingles would be difficult and 
expensive. Also certain types of the 
Colonial house will always demand wide 
clapboards or shingles for walls. A new 
use of the wide clapboard will be seen 
in one of the illustrations, where the 
boards do not overhang but are put in 
flat. The effect of this is extremely in¬ 
teresting and picturesque, especially 
when used for houses of established 
Colonial design. 
There can be no doubt that the old 
Colonial flavor in a house is preserved 
(Continued on page 76) 
