Fig. 33.—PLAN OF SECOND FLOOR.
DESIGN IX.
COUNTRY OR VILLAGE COTTAGE, COSTING $1,000.
This plan is designed to answer many requests for a “cosey and homelike Cottage, suited to the wants of Mechanics and Laboring People, costing from $700 to $1,000.” It is best adapted to a westward frontage—with the hall, entrances, and porches protected from the north, but may be easily adapted to an opposite frontage by reversing the plan—placing the hall, etc., on the opposite side of the main house. The width, 21 feet, adapts it to a 25-foot village lot, leaving a side passage to the rear.... Exterior, ([figs. 34 and 35].)—The style of any building is determined by the form of its roof; the steep and hooded style in this design accords fully with domestic feelings and artistic sentiments, and is growing in public favor for suburban structures. Compared with the usual Mansard style is more practical, less expensive, and serves equally well. The side-angles, porches, bay-window, cornices, and chimneys, each of simple construction, make up a pleasing variety of parts. All superfluous ornamentation is avoided. A too common fault prevails in villages, and even in the country, of building close up to the street lines. A clear depth of at least 20 feet in front should be devoted to a flower-garden, shrubbery, and vines, for flowers are proper accessories of cottage adornment, and architectural ornamentation can never compensate for their absence.... Cellar, ([fig. 36].)—Hight of ceiling, 6½ feet. It extends under the front half of the building, giving an average area of 11½ × 15 feet—quite sufficient for ordinary requirements. It has two small front windows. A good ventilation may be had through the chimney; openings in the rear foundation allow a circulation of air over the unexcavated portion.... First Story, ([fig. 37].)—Hight of ceiling, 9 feet; is divided into a hall, parlor, living-room, rear entry, and a closet. The Hall, entered from the front porch, connects through doors with the parlor, living-room, and rear entry, and contains the main stairs. The Parlor has a large bay-window in the front, opposite to which is a marble shelf resting on stucco trusses. It communicates with the living-room and hall. The remaining wall spaces are unbroken, for furniture and wall ornaments. The Living-room is a little larger than the parlor, has two windows, an open fireplace, a closet, and doors leading to the front hall, parlor, and rear entry. The rear entry is under the platform of the main stairs; is divided from the front hall, and is to be used as the common entrance. It has doors leading from the front hall, living-room, rear porch, and the cellar stairs. The parlor may be warmed by placing a radiator under the marble shelf, and passing the smoke-pipe from the living-room through it, as for [Design III.] The cost of such a radiator is $6.... Second Story, ([fig. 38].)—Hight of center ceilings, seven feet; hight of side-breast walls, 3½ feet. The stairs leading to this story are made with a platform, placed three risers below the upper landing, which allows for the required head-room. The divisions provide for four rooms, a hall, and two closets; the large chamber has a double window in front, a marble shelf on the chimney-breast, and a closet; the hall bedroom is designed to be used in connection with the large chamber as a child’s room.... Construction.—The excavation for the cellar is made four feet deep, and for the rear foundation walls one foot. The loose earth is graded around the foundation at completion, leaving 1½ feet of the foundation exposed to sight on the outside. The foundation walls are of broken stone, laid in common mortar, 16 inches thick, and neatly pointed where exposed to sight, and are generally even with the framework on the outside. Provision is made for the cellar stairway by extending the adjoining walls beyond the inside of the frame to the hight of the ground, and finishing above with brick-work. The chimney is started with the cellar walls, and arranged with two continuous flues to the top. Side-openings are made under the cap by inserting 6-inch earthen thimbles on each side of the flues. The top courses of brick-work are laid across the entire chimney, making a solid and more lasting cap. Sheet-iron thimbles are put in the chimneys adjoining the parlor and front chamber. The framing, inclosing, flooring, etc., are done in a substantial manner, of materials indicated in the estimate below. Beams placed two feet apart from centers; rafters and studding 16 inches apart. The cornice-trusses are made of 2 × 4-inch timber, as shown in [Design VI.], and the shingling and gutters in [Design V.] Sash, 1¼ inch thick, glazed with second quality of French sheet-glass, counter-checked, and hung to iron balance-weights, with good cord. Doors 4-paneled each, for the outside and rooms in first story, and 1½ inches thick; all others 1¼ inches thick, moulded, with double faces. The main stairs has a 7-inch octagon newel, a 2¼ × 4-inch moulded rail, and 2-inch turned balusters, all of black walnut. The side-walls and ceilings of the two full stories are white-sand finished, on one coat of “laid-off” brown mortar. This is the favorite mode of plastering through the Eastern States, while in the neighborhood of New York two coats of brown mortar are usually applied. Where one-coat work is properly done, more hair is mixed in the mortar, increasing its strength. The same quantity of mortar is used as for two coats. The advantages claimed for the “one-coat work” are, a saving of one-third in labor, and obviating the delay for the additional coat to dry. All the wood-work usually painted, and the chimney-top, have two coats of best American lead and raw linseed-oil. For more extended remarks on painting, see article with [Design XII.]
Estimate of materials required, and total cost.
| 58 | yards excavation, at 20c. per yard. | $11.60 | |
| 26 | perches stone-work, complete, at $2.50. | 65.00 | |
| 2,000 | bricks, furnished and laid, complete, at $12 per M. | 24.00 | |
| 360 | yards plastering, complete, at 25c. | 90.00 | |
| 1,694 | ft. timber, at $15 per M. | 25.41 | |
| 1 | sill, 4 × 7 in. 26 ft. long. | ||
| 3 | sills, 4 × 7 in. 15 ft. long. | ||
| 1 | sill, 4 × 7 in. 23 ft. long. | ||
| 8 | posts, 4 × 7 in. 13 ft. long. | ||
| 1 | girt, 4 × 6 in. 15 ft. long. | ||
| 3 | ties, 4 × 6 in. 15 ft. long. | ||
| 1 | plate, 4 × 6 in. 26 ft. long. | ||
| 1 | plate, 4 × 6 in. 23 ft. long. | ||
| 14 | beams, 3 × 7 in. 21 ft. long. | ||
| 13 | beams, 3 × 7 in. 15 ft. long. | ||
| 20 | ceiling-strips, 1¼ × 5 in. 13 ft. long. | ||
| 50 | joists, 3 × 4 in. 13 ft. long, at 16c. each. | 8.00 | |
| 200 | wall-strips, 2 × 4 in. 13 ft. long, at 13c. each. | 26.00 | |
| 130 | siding-boards, at 23c. each. | 29.90 | |
| 160 | shingling-lath, at 6c. each. | 9.60 | |
| 40 | bunches shingles at $1.25. | 50.00 | |
| 12 | spruce plank, at 20c. | 2.40 | |
| Materials in cornices, $14; stoops, complete, $20. | 34.00 | ||
| 95 | flooring, at 18c. each. | 17.10 | |
| 2 | cellar windows, complete, at $3 each. | 6.00 | |
| 2 | single windows, complete, at $12 each. | 24.00 | |
| 3 | double windows, complete, at $15 each. | 45.00 | |
| 15 | doors, complete, at $9 each. | 135.00 | |
| Closet, shelving, and nails. | 20.00 | ||
| Stairs, $50; bay-window, complete, $50. | 100.00 | ||
| Tin (gutters, valleys, and leaders). | 11.00 | ||
| 2 | marble shelves, $10; painting, $80; carting, $15. | 105.00 | |
| Carpenter’s labor, not included above. | 100.00 | ||
| Incidentals, sink, pump, etc. | 60.99 | ||
| Total cost. | $1,000.00 | ||
Fig. 34.—FRONT VIEW OF COTTAGE.
Fig. 35.—SIDE VIEW OF COTTAGE.
