Where the frame is to be built into a masonry wall, the back of the weight-box is closed in, and a moulding, called the brick mould, should be provided for covering the outside joint between frame and masonry. In order to make this joint tight in hollow-tile construction, it is essential to stuff the back of the brick mould with elastic roofing cement.
CASEMENT WINDOWS
There is not much reason to rehearse here the pros and cons of the casement window. When such windows open in, the screens and blinds are easier to handle, but the weather is apt to leak in more. When the sash opens out, screening is difficult, unless some patent operating hardware is used, but the window is more weatherproof. In either case, the difficulty of weathering can be overcome to a large extent by not attempting to keep out the rain, but lead it down and around the sides, draining it off at the sill. This is accomplished by cutting a ¼-inch half-round groove around the sides and in the sill to act as a canal for collecting the water which has seeped in. A few ¼-inch round weep-holes from the groove in this sill outward will drain this collection of water off. Casement frames are made of heavier material than those used for double-hung sash, 1¾ inches being common. As the sash is hung from the sides like a door, its weight must not be so great that it will cause it to sag, and for this reason it is customary to limit the width of sash to 2 feet maximum. Some designers believe that the sash should also be at least 1¾ inches thick.
Although blinds add to the cost of the small house without apparently adding practical value, yet they are one of the most useful mediums of securing variation of color on the elevations. In Colonial days shutters served to protect the house, and were made solid with only a small hole in them, generally of some ornate cut-out design, like a half-moon, flower-pot, etc. To-day we want slats for ventilation. A good compromise, then, is to make the lower part of slats and the upper part solid, with a cut-out design. The stiles and rails of the shutter are made of 1⅛-inch material, the bottom rail being 3½ inches wide, the stiles and top rails 2 inches wide. Intermediate rails are often made 2½ inches wide. It is best to project the stile 1 inch below the bottom of the lower rail, so that water collecting on the sill can drain off underneath the blind.
In addition to the blinds, the window should be equipped with screens. These should be of copper, for only this material is economical in the long run. They are usually made of ¾-inch material, and the lower rail, stiles, and top rail made 1¾ inches wide.
Other mill work of the exterior, such as porch columns, rails, etc., ought to be built up from stock mouldings and patterns. There are numerous concerns selling well-designed wooden columns. The great danger of using stock columns, however, is in the fitting. Certain stock lengths are made with well-planned entasis, but if the design calls for an intermediate length the column is cut short, which destroys its proportions. On this basis many select square columns, or thin wooden columns without much entasis. The illustrations show some common-stock sizes for other outside trim, such as lattice, top rails, bottom rails, balusters, etc.
Of the interior mill work the stairs are the most important. For the small house they should be very simple, not only for economy but for appearance. Plain round and square balusters, 1³/₁₆ inch, and two to a tread, simple hand-rail and simple newel post, 3¾ inches, are more effective than elaborately turned members. The height of the hand-rail from the top of the tread to the hand-rail on a line with the face of the riser should be 2 feet 6 inches. The slope of the stairs should preferably be confined between 30 degrees and 35 degrees, and the common proportion between tread and riser should be maintained (tread and riser = 17½ inches).