Fig. 151.—Side Elevation of Garden Retreat.
The iron should be screwed, not nailed, to the rafters, and should not cost more than 40s., including 1½ gross of galvanised screws and washers. The dotted lines at N N ([Fig. 143]) indicate the area covered. Its low cost, the ease with which it is fixed, and the few timbers required to carry it, make an iron roof very suitable for a building erected by an amateur workman. It, however, has drawbacks, the chief of which are that it conducts heat too freely, and has not a very artistic appearance. Some precautions against the first defect have already been suggested, and if the snuggery is erected where it will be shaded by trees during the hotter part of the day, this disadvantage will be somewhat overcome. Its inartistic appearance is greatly due to its colour, and some improvement may be made by painting. If surrounded by trees, an iron roof looks very well when painted a reddish-brown colour, while in other situations a buff, or a dull sage green, might be suitable. The paint needs renewing often. Another method is to cover the roof with trellis work raised a few inches above the iron, and upon this to train ivy or other climbing plants.
Fig. 152.—Detail of Seat of Garden Retreat.
It will be better to paint the inside of the snuggery than to paper it, as paper would crack on the boards. Should the second and cheaper plan of boarding be adopted, the rafters, which are left exposed, might be coloured dark brown, and the intermediate spaces of the ceiling painted a buff colour, whilst on the walls a dark sage green might be used for the framework and a lighter sage green for the panels. If the whole interior is lined with matchboarding, according to the first method, the simplest and perhaps best finish would be to use a varnish that had raw or burnt umber ground into it. No fireplace has been provided, but in ordinary winter weather an oil stove would suffice to warm so small a room; if more warmth is wanted, a coal stove might easily be provided, a hole for its pipe being cut through the roof. In either case a ventilator, which can be opened or closed at pleasure, should be arranged near the ridge at each end of the building.
