It has been asserted by some who consider themselves authorities in matters of taste that nothing of the nature of a greenhouse ever harmonises with natural surroundings, or is otherwise than an eyesore in a garden in other respects beautiful. The hard, straight lines of wood or metal, and wide surfaces of shining glass, are not pleasing, and are too suggestive of the shop and factory to accord well with natural objects. It has been suggested that the difficulty might be overcome by combining rustic work with glass. This, at the first glance, looks fairly easy; but, on consideration, it will be seen to be otherwise. Rustic carpentry is in its nature irregular, and cannot be brought to those level planes and straight lines essential to glass-work; whilst for interiors, and especially those of houses intended for vines, rough bark-coloured surfaces afford too much shelter to insect pests—so that, in reality, rustic-work can only be made applicable to a very limited extent. In the grape-growing verandah shown by [Fig. 134], therefore, only a limited amount of rustic-work has been introduced, and that on the outside.
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Fig. 135.—Side View of Bottom of Post for Glazed Verandah. |
Fig. 136.—Side View of Top of Post for Glazed Verandah. |
Such of the materials as are of a rustic kind are, for the parapet and uprights, some rather small larch poles or other tolerably straight, round stuff, and for the panels, some of those "slabs," or rough outside planks. As to the posts, and such parts as are not rustic, they are supposed to be of good deal. The sash-bars, which carry the glass both in roof and walls, are to be bought struck by steam at a lower price than they can be worked by hand, or sashes may be bought ready glazed. For glazing work of this kind, 16-oz., or sometimes 20-oz., glass is used.
As in the design for an open rustic verandah (see [Fig. 133]) it is intended that the collar-posts should be set upon and dowelled into a raised platform of masonry. The present structure is, of course, intended for the warmer sides of a house, south or west. The width, to meet particular cases, can be varied, but is, according to the drawings, 4½ ft. The posts are 6 ft. high and 3½ in. square. They are set with spaces between them alternately of 3 ft. and 4½ ft. On their tops rests a wall-plate of the same width as themselves, and 2½ in. deep. The rafters, which are sash-bars rebated to carry the glass, rest on this wall-plate, and against a second vertical one fixed to the house wall.
[Fig. 134] is a front elevation of a portion of the verandah, whilst [Fig. 135] gives a side view of the lower half of one of the collar-posts. At a, in [Fig. 135], is seen the section of the upper cross-rail, which has its top 2½ ft. from the ground; at b is the lower cross-rail, or sill. Both are of quartered rough stuff, and are mortised to the post ¾ in. from its inner edge, so that when the ¾ in. boarding, c, is nailed against them, it will come flush with the inner side of the post. At d is indicated the sash-frame, with its rebate for glass, which occupies the upper part of the opening; and at e is a metal flashing between rail and sash to throw off rain. It is proposed that the sashes in the narrower openings only should be made to push outwards at bottom for ventilation. At f is a piece of halved rough stuff nailed to the front of the post.
The panels, which occupy the lower part of the space between the collar-posts, are filled with pieces of rough plank or "slab," as shown in [Fig. 134]. These pieces should wear their natural bark as far as possible; they are nailed to the inner boarding.
In [Fig. 136] the upper part of a post is in like manner shown in profile: g is the wall-plate in section, and h is the lower end of a rafter. At i will be observed a strip of quartered stuff nailed across the post (with a fir-cone bradded beneath it), which gives a starting-point to the upright k, by which the openwork rustic parapet is supported. These uprights are of small round stuff, slightly flattened on the side towards the post. The openwork parapet is too plainly figured to need description; it is intended to break to a certain extent the straight lines, and partially to conceal the glass-work of the roof, without seriously interfering with sunshine.
So much of the planed wood-work as shows outside should be painted of a good brown, to assimilate with the rustic-work.