Reed Modern House-Plans for Everybody

1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-3-98744-839-3
Verlag: OTB eBook publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 234 Seiten

Reihe: Classics To Go

Excerpt: In the modernised and revised edition of ?House-Plans for Everybody,? but little attempt has been made to change the text or floor plans, as these are standard features requiring no revision. In the matter of outward dress, however, nearly all the elevations have been redrawn, with special regard to modern ideas and tastes, and in this respect it is specially new and commendable. The author has been guided in this work by many years? experience, in planning and superintending the erection of country buildings, and has selected, from an extensive aggregation of original designs in his possession, such examples as seemed best to serve for purposes of simplicity, comfort, and economy. All the matters here presented are purely practical?well calculated to assist such as are contemplating the erection of either a village or country house. The plans embrace almost every variety of arrangement and style?each one is accompanied with a detailed description of its conveniences and construction?and its cost is shown by careful estimates, made to correspond with a uniform standard of prices, at present rates. To builders, this work will be valuable as a handbook of reference, to aid them when applied to for suggestions, either in the projection of new dwellings, or in the alteration of old ones, saving much time, study and calculations. The estimates of cost have been found correct as to totals, in the neighbourhood of New York, and in many other localities builders have offered to duplicate the structures for the figures given.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Reed, S. B.

Leseproben

DESIGN V.
A CONVENIENT HOUSE, COSTING $650.
The accompanying plans were designed for a simple, compact, and economical house, and will be appreciated by any one who may desire to know just how little is required to build a comfortable home. They provide ample room for a small family.... The Cellar extends under the whole house, the walls are built as shown in the details of foundation and frame, given in Design VI., with 3 feet of masonry and 3 feet of frame-work.... The First Story contains a good-sized Hall, Parlor, and Kitchen, or Living-room, with two closets, pump, and sink. The stairs to the cellar lead directly from the kitchen, passing down under the stairs in the main hall. A “fire-place heater” can be put in the parlor fire-place, which will also warm the chamber above. This method of heating is economical, and occupies but little room.... The Second Story has three good-sized rooms, two closets, and small hall, in the main house, and an attic over the kitchen. The floor of the attic is one foot lower than that of the main house; this gives valuable room for storage, etc.... The hight of the first story of the main house is 8 feet 6 inches; of the second story, 7 feet. The hight of the kitchen ceiling is 7½ feet. The attic is arranged to have just standing room in the center.... A great saving of time and trouble is made, when openings are provided for regular sizes of sash, blinds, and doors, as they may be obtained of seasoned and well-made stock, at any time, from any dealer in such materials. These plans are drawn with reference to such regular sizes, viz.: the first-story windows are 2 ft. 7 in. × 5 ft. 6 in.; second story, 2 ft. 7 in. × 4 ft. 6 in.; cellar, 2 ft. × 2 ft. 8 in., all 1¼ inch thick. All principal windows should have their frames made with pockets and pulleys, and the sash hung with iron weights and good cord. The cost for the addition of these necessary parts, beyond what is required for the plain frame, is about as follows, for each window of ordinary size: 4 pulleys, (at 40c. per doz.) 14c.; 20 lbs. iron weights, 2½c. per lb., 50c.; ½ lb. sash-cord, 16c. per lb., 8c; 1 doz. screws, ? in., 35c. per gross, 3c.; labor putting in pockets, pulleys, etc., 20 c.—Total, 95 cents, and when once done, will need no further attention or expense, while the house lasts. The satisfaction of having neat-fitting, easy-working sash, where the upper, or lower one, may be opened at will, is great. The saving of little fingers, and older nerves, to say nothing of shattered sash and glass, more than repays the extra cost of hanging sash.... The front, rear, and parlor Doors are 2 ft. 8 in. × 6 ft. 8 in. × 1½ in.; other first-story doors, 2 ft. 6 in. × 6 ft. 8 in. × 1¼ in.; second-story doors, 3 ft. 6 in. × 6 ft. 6 in. × 1¼ in.; all 4-paneled, and neatly moulded. The 1½-inch doors have mortise-locks; other doors rim-locks, all with porcelain knobs and escutcheons.... Blinds are included for the first and second stories, in the estimate appended, at an average cost of $2.40 per pair, and may be omitted, but are recommended as useful; they protect the sash from storms, and can be operated to give almost any desired light or shade in the rooms.... Many people may be in circumstances that would justify the building of one part of a house first, to be occupied as a temporary residence until means and opportunity warrant the building of the whole. A newly-married couple could arrange to have the kitchen part built as a residence for a season, rather than forego the opportunity of setting out trees, vines, and shrubbery, planting, and otherwise developing their grounds. They would then be near the work when building the main part, to superintend it, and care for materials, saving much that is often wasted, or lost. The wing, or kitchen part, could be built at a cost of about $185, so arranged as that the main house could be joined to it at any time—or, what would be better, the main house may be built first, at a cost of about $650, and the kitchen added at convenience.... The exterior dressing of cornice, window-caps, and stoop, are decided in their character for simplicity and boldness, giving a generous and finished appearance to the whole.... Novelty Siding, fig. 18, is mentioned in many of the estimates for these houses. This form of siding I first introduced some sixteen years ago, since which time it has grown into general favor and use in this neighborhood. It has the following merits to recommend it: 1st, It is easily put on by ordinary mechanics. 2d, When properly nailed to the frame, it strengthens it, so as to make bracing of the frame almost unnecessary. 3d, The spaces between the studding, when the interior is plastered, are each air-tight compartments, containing only stationary air, which is a non-conductor of cold (or heat), thus protecting the inside wall from the extreme changes of outward temperature. 4th, A cheaper quality of lumber can be used, the more cross-grained the materials, the less likely they are to check, or shrink, and any small, sound knots are easily covered with shellac before painting, which closes them effectually. 5th, The general surface is even, so that any brackets or other ornamentation can be put on without the trouble and difficulty of “scribing” them up to the clap-boarding.... The Shingling referred to in the estimate is of 18-inch pine shingles, and may be laid 5¾ inch to the weather, and secured with large-headed “shingle-nails.” It is best in laying shingles to lap at one-third the breadth, never in the center, for should one shingle check in the center, as they are liable to do, an opening is made through the three courses, and a leaky roof will be the result. “Shingling-lath” 1¼ × 2 in., with the lower edge placed just where the buts of the shingles would cover, will allow air to freely circulate on both sides of the shingles, and preserve them one-third longer than when laid on close planking, which holds the moisture, and assists decay of every part of the roof.... Gutters.—The old wooden gutter has nearly gone into disuse, and always seemed a barrier to any satisfactory finish of cornice. It was difficult to get timber of sufficient width for projections, and in such cases, the cornices were proportioned by boxing off, and building up around this “gutter-stick,” which was bad construction—the outer-edge of the gutter, being higher than the edge next the house, would cause the water, during heavy storms, or when the leader was choked up, to flow over against the frame-work of the building, which was one of the most frequent causes of decay and settling in the older houses in this country.—The tin-lined “box” and “trough” gutters are often troublesome; the tin can not be laid in them except in long lengths, which have been soldered together while flat and smooth. To lay these long lengths into the ready-formed gutter, requires much bending and hammering, which breaks the best tin at the soldered joints, on the under-side, where it is impossible to repair it, so that, while it may not appear at once to leak, it is sure to do so soon, to be discovered after the cornice has been swelled out of shape or destroyed. The gutter that I have adopted in all cases where practicable (see section, fig. 19), either for shingles or slate, is made of charcoal-tin, 14 inches wide, in lengths as long as can be well handled. One edge is turned or rolled up around a ? iron rod, which makes a strong edge. Then a bend is made at 3½ inches from the turned edge, forming a right angle the whole length. This is laid on the second course of shingles, with one end lower than the other, so as to give a good run for the water. The ends are turned up, where required, to stop the water, and a tube put through the cornice in the usual manner.... For Tin Roofs, having a pitch of at least one inch to the foot, the gutters are formed in a similar manner, with the flat, or bottom part, about ½ inch wide, making a flange, which is soldered to the roof near the eaves, to a line drawn at an angle to make one end lower than the other, as for shingle roofs. This is the simplest and best kind of gutter, will outlast any other, and in the event of a possible damage, or leakage, no harm will be done beyond the loss or waste of the water that runs off over the eaves. It can be easily repaired, or replaced at any time, without interfering with the principal roof, and it saves the trouble and expense of building and boxing for gutters, or of making cornices with special reference to them, and it is cheaply constructed.—Estimate of Cost of building by this plan in the vicinity of New York City: 38 yards excavation, at 20c. per yard. $7.60 5,000 brick, furnished and laid, at $12 per M. 60.00 230 yards lath and plastering, 3 coats, at 28c. per yard. 64.40 1,412 ft. timber, at $15 per M. 21.18 1 sill, 3 × 8 in. 92 ft. long. 1 girt, 4 × 8 in. 12 ft. long. 4 posts, 4 × 6 in. 21 ft. long. 2 ties, 4 × 6 in. 16 ft. long. 2 plates, 4 × 6 in. 19 ft. long. 2 ties, 4 × 6 in. 19 ft....