the half - timber house , allen w jackson 00 ocr

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M E R



I IIE COU S I II>r I-IOUSE IJ1131tt-IRY

UUXGiiLO\VS

I ly I l r~ tr y I . Suylor

TH E HALF-TIJIBEIi HOU SE

B y A ll en : Jacbo11

COSCRETE A S D STUCCO HOUSES

B y O ~ l c a l d . IIerittg

ARCIiITECTURAL STYLES FOR COUXTRY

H O N E S

A

ryn~ posiu na y promirrent archit scts

I r

P l i E I d d 1 I O N

RECLAlhl lNG THE OLD HOUSE

By Charlao Edward IIooper

THE DUTCH COLONIAL HOUSE

B y A y m a r E m b u v y 11.

FURNISHING THE HONE OF GOOD TASTE

l l y Lucy Abbot Throop

THE COLONIAL HOUSE

B y Joseph ISceretl Chandler

HOJIES THAT ARCHITECTS H AV E BUILT

FOR THEXISELVES

Ily the Arrhilecls and Others

JlcUI1IDE,

NAST

R

COAII ANY,

PU LISHERS



I iaI I t imh rr \vork o l the p rn en t d a y

s

seen at its best in conjunction with other materials. wh ere the

contracting pattern h t w r r n the plaster an d the urood work is kept very simple. or restricted t o use

lor leatures o l the building that n eed accent.



T H E

HALF TIMBER

HOUSE

ITS ORIGIN, D E S I G N ,

MO ERN

PLAN

A N D C O N S T R U C T I O N

ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF OLD EXAMPLES AND

AMERICAN ADAPTATIONS O F T H E STYLE

BY

ALLEN

W. J A C K S O N

NEIV

P O R

RlcBRIDE,

NAS l

cP

CORIPtINY

9 2



C o p y r i g h t 191 9 y

A l c I l n ~ n ~ .

~ s r Co

Published hlarch.

9 9



-lWfs

l.r, PI-

_

N

7 7 5

J

I 9 l ~

TO

L L T H O S E

W O O W N

C S T L E S

S

S P I N



ontents

NGLISI~

ND MERIC N

OUSEL NS

ow T

PL N

H

HOUSE



The

lhbstrations

A modern half-timber house showing admirable restraint

in

the

imbering rontispiece

IE~crxoPAGE

T h e Gab les. Theln.al1. Eng land . . xvi

Symmetry in half-timber work . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

A brick an d half-timber house

at

Bryn h iawr . Pa

xviii

French half-timber buildings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A su rviv al of th e earliest form of ha lf-timber cons truction

4

T he IIal l. Compton W ynyates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gaten~ay . t. John s Hosp ital. Canterbriry

A gate house. Stokesag. Shropshirc

Tlie ch arm of n-eather-worn surfaces

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

T h e use of closely spaced v ertical tim bers

13

Half-timber work with brick filling

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

T h e overhang of upper stories and a n old house in I touen

. . . . . . 15

T h e projecting pins in half-tim ber work

G

Quatrefoil p atte rn in t imbering 17

Stonecroft. a modern English house

18

T h e charm of an English village str eet

19

A

stone

and

half-timber house near Philadelphia and an American

exam ple of E nglish craftsm ansh ip revived 40

modern American half-timber house expressing its plan

21

A typical English town house fron t 48

An English co th g e tha t seems to have gro nn in i ts sett ing

43

Grouped nindows

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

A small English manor a nd a charm ing exaniplc of c onlposition 95

W ide spacing of timbers

G

A sueccssful attempt to soften the roof Lines 47

Unpainted :imerienn half-timbering 4 s

Re strain t in the emp loym ent of half-timbering 40

Th e softening influences of time and v e a th e r

30

T h e half-timber house developed in

n

flat country

3

An Englisli gardener s lodge in Am erica 3 1

IIalf-timber work on a stone base 35



s TIIE

ILLUSTRtiTIONS

~ C U O OS

A contrast of half-timber pat terns 42

T h e long. low. m~nl)l ingype

43

T h e IIn11. Seal IIollow. Sevenoaks. Kent

46

An American tlining-room 47

A house built with sccontl-hand timbering 5

h cn

iouscs a t Por t Sunlight. Erigla~id

51

garage in a half-timber house

68

half-timber house in Cambridge. Blnss

5

IIalf-tinibcr embellishment with restraint

64

IIalf timbering

against plain walls as a foil

65

A detail of T h e Gables. Thclwall. England 72

T h e Gables. Thclwall. Eng1:lad

73

T r u e half-timber work in process of constriletion 76

Stonccroft. Appleton. Cheshire 77

IIalf-timber work is seen a t i ts best where the strong black-and-white

contrasts are limited t o a few points of accent

81

IIalf-timbering spread evenly over the malls of

a

house

82

Enriehrncnt of detail on a n old English cottnge

89

Flat red tile on a modern house 86

Graduated roof slates

87

T h e chimney as an important clement in the design

88

Elaborate chimney designs 8

Casement nindows and small panes

9

Small panes as an inevitable feature of half-timber work

1

T h e sheltered doorway of a n English house

94

A

new doorway and a n old one

9

T h e terrace 98

Rain-water heads 9

A

living-room and its fireplace

1 9

A

modem dining-room

1 9

Plastered ceiling and carved paneling 1 6

A modern English living-room 1 7

A room in Iiing's Head Inn

11

Two a w e d mantelpieces 111

T h e stair hall in a n American half-timber house 112

A

living-room

with

gallery

in

an h e r i m home

113



T

IS

book is not intended as a technical treatise.

I t has

not been wri t ten with the professional reader in mind and

is without pretent ion to be

a

serious contr ibut ion to the

history of architecture.

It

is addressed pr imar i ly to the general

reader having a n interest in house building o r to those who have

in mind building for the m sel~ es.

I f i t serves to call the at tent ion of a ny such to this E ng l ish

work o r to aro use their in teres t in t he m at te r a s a \ \?hole, i t will

have f~i lf i l ledt s purpose. I n the mind of the au thor i t is fur the r

m ean t to be a t once a protest against the s tereotyped use of cer-

tain historical styles for contem porary use, an d a plea for a gre ate r

freshness a n d vil-il ity th an is often foulld in the w ork of to-d ay.

It wol i ld be imposs ib le to acLno~~~ledgell the solirces of in-

format ion drawn upon, but nlent ion sho~i ldbe made of S 0

Aldy s

l h e

Ezlolution of the En gl is h I lo us e,

J

A . Goteh s H i s -

to r9 of

th

E a r l y R oznissnnce i11 Eiz ylu ~zd , n d th e various works

of

P

H

Litchfield. S o r n111st th e au tho r om it to es pre ss his

tha nk s to the Pub lishers of Counti-ZJ L if e (L o n d o n ), he Archi-

tectural I~c.c*iczr,n d

U T

atsford, for the use of i l lustrations

owned

by

tllein.

Chap t e r

111.

is largely tak en from a pre\- iol~s r t iele ~vhich

al)l)ca~.ecIn ZIolisc

rind

C:n~.Oeiz.

A f te r 1n11ch hesitation th e a l~t ho l. as i l lustra ted some of his

own work. Tc has hecn lcd to d o this not 1)ecnuse of its sllpl)oscd

~ n c ri t , l lt la the r bec:l~lse i t h ap pe ~lc d o i l lustratc eer tai ll points

\vhich hc wislietl to ~ ll a k e , ~ e tt e r l1a11 any other work of which

i l l ~ ~ s t r a t i o n sere available.

~ L S

V

JAC I<SOS



TH

HALF TIMBER

HOUS



htro xtion

T

H

whole question of so-called style in arehitectrire is

a n interest ing one for tlie s tudent . T h e r e esis ts an intel-

l igent opinion t h a t the arcl i i tect~iral tyles of the pas t a r e

dead a n d t ha t i t is a servile a n d barren arcliaisni t o persist in work-

i n g over old forms; mliieli beeause the causes of their being have

.

ceased

t o operate have become lifeless niaterial a n d the resul t

mor ibund a n d a n obstrrictiori to real advance i11 archi tecture a n d

esthetics.

Whi l e i t is t rue t l ia t tlie eonditions which gave bir th

to a n d differentiated tlie archi tectural styles ]lave lost their foree

they have a t tlie same time beeome so broadened arid made free

tliat a n y of the styles m a y now be proper ly used ~vl ie re heir

characteristics do not render them impracticable f rom the utili-

t a r i an point of view. Th i s is tlie only exeuse f o r t he ecleetieism

of the present day.

T h e differenees a n d peeuliarities of tlie various styles mere

due t o elinlate t o mater ia ls a t hand a n d to tlie peeuliarities of t he

civilization under wllieli t hey eanle in to esistenee. L e t us con-

sider briefly typical I t a l i an farmho~ise .

Tl ie mater ia l is stone

both beeause t ha t was the material easiest t o be had a n d beeause

i t ~ v o ~ r l deep o u t tlie heat of suliinier. T h e windows ar e siiiall

tlie eorniees overhang widely o keep ou t the eseessive liglit

of a southern sun.

T h e resul t if we g o no far ther is a certain

t y p e of house the logieal o r i t g r o~ i ~ t l if f ~ ~ l f i l l i n glie rcquire-

ments in tlie easiest way. W i t h Engl i sh f a r m we find tlie

same logieal result.

I n

tlie s tone eorintry of the nor th tlie build-

i r ~ g s re of s tone; in tlie t imber eount ry of tlie south of t imber ;

a n d beeause of tlie nlaliy dull g r a y days tllcy al l unlike tlie

I t a l i an lior~scs ons tlie srin \ritli p len ty o f wi i ido~rs n d lit t le o r

o

eorniee with its accompanyir ig s h a d o ~ r . T l ~ r i sworking a l o n g

tlie lirles pointed orit by

necessity

a n d convenience each arr ived



s v i 1 S T R O D U C T I O S

a t a

perfect

arcl l i tectr~mlesl)ress ion of 11is onm con dition, rc-

q l~ ire nie nts , lld p o i ~ ~ tf view. 'I'l~is tlevelopme nt was still fu r-

tlle r kept a r l~ i r ro r f t he pecu lia r gc r li i~ s nd e n v i r o ~ ~ m e ~ ~ tf tile

1)11ildcrsby t l l c i r i g~~or ancef ~vl la to t l ~ e r swere doing.

ile

E11glis11c:~ rpe r~te r ever saw the I ta l ian roof or the Spa r~isl i

patio

a n d w as r ~ o t em pted to espe rirllent ill tllesc th ix~ gs . 13

br~iltlillgwas unaffected. I-Iis vc ry Iilnitatio~ ls rere a sollrce of

s t r c ~ ~ g t l l ,~ l dhe differellee in the result correctly rlleasrlres the

racial di fferences between one c o r~ l~ t r ynd anothe r. T l ~ i s s as

i t s l~or~ l t le, an d a real style is

tile

inevi table resul t. I n this way

o111ycan

n

a r c l ~ i t e c t r ~ r a ltyle be fornled.

K ow let 11s look a t the case

i l l

this co l~ n try . Carl we have a

U ~ l i tc d ta tes s tyle of architectr lre? O u r arel li tectr~rewill differ-

entia te i tself from th at of oth cr corl~ltries,ll ju s t so n1uc11 as o u r

typ e aud degree of ciri lizat ion is diffe rer~ t rom theirs. I t will

be as individual an d peculiar a s tl le denlands, an d o ur abi l i ty to

fulfill them , a re pecrlliar a ~ ~ dndividilal.

I n

the twe ntieth ce nt u ry sr1c11 differences a re all v ery sligh t

alnollg the Inore higllly civilized nations. N o t only is th er e a

similarity in requirement and an equal facili ty in bnilding slt i l l ,

1)11t he b uildin g ma terials of the wo rld a re equally accessible

to all. T l ~ ee q u i r e m e ~ ~ t sf the life led by a gentlem an in Ne w

Yo rk, London, Par i s , an d Vienna nowadays are much the same.

All desire to live on the same kind of w ell policed stree t. T he ir

business an d social l ives ar e mrlch alike. A ll wear th e s a n ~ e

sort of clothes, heat their llor~sesn the same may ; modern sani -

ta ry appliances ar e conlnlon to all all have electric l ight all l ive

secrlre an d peaceful lives. T h e pow erful fanlilies of Ne w Y o rk

do not need fortified towe r into which to gath er their households

when the hirelings of a rival hoose come ch arg ing aro un d t he cor-

ner. T h e gentlem an on tlle Cllamps ElysCes does not need a mo at

an d drawbridge, or con tr iva~lces o gre et the gu est wit11 molten

lead. T h e Viennese citizen no lon ger builds his house with

a

watchtower, on the top of a ~~ re c i p i to usock. A n y of these

gentlemen can build of what material he pleases or can afford



I N T R O D U C T I O N xvii

-mood, stone, briek, tile o r steel a r e equally mithin the reach of

a .

Structurally

then their houses will be much alike, a n d a s

decoration should be the direct outgrowth of st ructure , a n d clothe

t he skeleton ~ v i t l ~race a n d beauty without deny i ng the esist-

ence of t he bones, there is no reason f o r a n y logical difference

in

appearances. Such differences as esis t a r e the measure of the

distance we have still t o travel t o reaeh the perfeet eosmopoli-

tanism. T h e loeal inherited forms a n d nlotives of deeoration

a r e nowadays n o bet t e r known t o the btiilders of a n y locality

t han a r e those of all the rest of tlie ~vor l d , irlee t he labors

of

311

D a g u e r r e a n d 3 I r . T h o ~ n a sCook have 111adeus all so nise.

Tl lere will be perforce, mucli

interchange

a n d borrowing ae-

cording

t o individual preference, a n d i t becomes

a

question of

individual taste in style r a t he r than rigidly imposed nat ional

one.

A n o t h e r g r e a t source of freedom is t h e gain in st ructural

material .

I n t he old days of briek, stone, mor tar , wood and tile,

the ambit ions of

him

who would soar were held dolr.11 by tlie very

limited powers of those materials. s tone will cover but

a

snlall

opening, a n d el-en a n are11 stretched t o the e s t e n t of those found

ill the R o m a n baths, pays g r e a t price in spaee a n d weight for

its still limited span. T i mber has a n even more restricted useflll-

ness in size a n d s t rength , a s well a s in dr~rabi l i ty . T h e same is

t r ~ ~ ef c o l u n ~ t ~ shich hold the s u p e r s t r ~ l e t ~ ~ r e ,n d even the a t -

tenuat ion at ta ined by the Gotllie b~ii l t lers n t l ~ e i r 11ost d a r i n g

work soon reached its l i rni tat io~ls. B ~ i t ~ o ~ v a d a y s ,i ~ l ee

11

Car-

negie has p u t a wand of stecl illto the 11a11ds f tlie bl~i lder , 1ehas

I ~ e c o n ~ co n i e t l ~ i ~ ~ gery like a magician, ant1

i f

he does r ~ o t uite

1 i l i l t l

castles i l l the air, 11e a t least appro:ielies very near it, a11d

is daily g r o ~ ~ i ~ ~ go 11aveless ant1 less respect for the oltl-f:~sl~ioned

law of grayitation. Cllinlneys ant1 t o ~ \ ~ e r sllic11

formerly

Iiad to

s t a r t from the groulld, nlny I I O W I ~ e g i ~ i

l l

the a t t i c nnd a r c not

nl lo~vedbelow stairs 1v11e1-e lley g c t ill the way. G r c a t audi-

torirlms may be plncetl in the centl.e of b r ~ i l d i ~ ~ g s ,it11 dozen

floors of offices over the cei l i~lg. Srll l orts :Ire

i l l

disgl.ace n ~ l d



ar e ei ther done a jm y with or relegated to ou t-of- the-way eorners.

Ant1

:IS

for I leigl~t , vl io hnll sa y ?

\ \ ' i t11

al l t l lc ~rorl t l ,1ie11, ha vin g eqrial access to a11 th e ~ n n t e -

rials of builtling, wit11 Ilor ~s ing eq rlirem e~ itsvarying but l i t t le,

wit11 cacll br~i ltle rperfect ly fnni i l inr \ r i th the arcl i i tect~~rnlioilri-

rn c ~ it s 11d I~ is to ry f the worltl, the re seems blit a so rry cllance of

a n y U ~i i tc t l Sta tes style. I t \vould require a new, mtl ical,

ul i l~eart l-of depa rture in our n i ode o f l i v i ng t o I ~ r i ~ i gor\vartl

dem and s so novel th a t they coriltl be m et on ly by fresh discoveries

i n ~~ i n t c r i n l s

1

n~ eth otls o rcal ly const i tute

a

new style.

I t \volild seen], theil, th a t if we a re to ha ve new sty les of

tlrchitec tr~re, hey \rill be world-wide an d 111ark new adv anc es in

b l ~ i l d i l ~ g~n tcr ial , r Iiew ant1 estra ord ina ry I~o nsin g roblems.

Jlean\vhile there is plenty of rooin for individllal genius to

esercise itself with tlie creation of beauty in builtling, and to this

there is no elid, for if there are nine and sisty methotfs of con-

strr lct ing tr ibal lays, there are

certainly

as many of

conceiving

each of nine and sisty different sorts of builtlings.

If

we a r e

so metiines t c ~ n p t e d o c o n ~ p l a i n h a t we a r e b o n ~ oo l a te and

that all tlie changes have been rring on four walls :lnd a roof, we

may f i~i t lsome comfor t in Si r Joshua Reynol t l s ' remark that

A r t eomes by a kind of felicity an d not by rule, in wl~icli ase

we need not fear of es l~ au st i ng ts possibilities.



\ old farli~llouse it C l i : i u i ~ ~ o i ~ t

it tIoc.s n i t bcloiig to 11s in the w y that th c half t in~bcr ~ o ~ i s v sf E:llgI;rnddo



istoy

o

Efigl ish Domestic A~chitectm-e

IILE

what a re known as Ha l f - t im ber bui ld ings a r e

e qu al ly i n d i g c n o ~ ~ so E n g l a n d , F r a n c e a n d G e rm a n y, i t

is with tlic work in Englnnd tliat we shall chiefly concern

oursclrcs.

~ ~ T l i i l ehe Frencl i :u id German work is of jus t as

higll a type and of eqllal interest to the student of arcll i teeture,

fo r us it is a foreign sty le iu a sense in wllich th e m ore etlinic

work o f Engla i id i s no t. I n the ha lf -t imber l iol~ses f E ng la nd

were born, l ivctl an d died ou r own gr ea t- gr a~ id fa th er s ; these

ho~isesw ere coliceived a n d \ ~ ~ o l l g h tut by ollr

0 ~ ~ 1 1

roge~l i to rs

the y a re o ur a rchitectu ral heri tage, o11r l~om esteads , nt1 hold a n

im l~ or ta n t lace in o ur b ~l i ld ing i story.

'l'liis is no t t r u e of th e Gerlrlall alid I ~ r e n c l i vork, ~1711ich s

s tr an g e a n d fo reign to 11s in it s motives a n d feel ing, \\.it11 no thi ng

in conmmoii with tlie Island work but the name.

It

has had

11

iiiflr~erlceon ollr own work, and is entirely outside tlie story of

tlic E ng l i sh and Am er ican home n ~ i t h rh i c hwe purpose to con-

cern ol~rse lves n this book. Th is t i n ~ b e rwork of tlic Coiltincllt

is in f ac t a n esccllcii t esarnp le of h o ~ v l ie snnie materials used

for the same end ,

in

the hands of nleil of different geni~ls, ro-

t l~ lec rc s~ l l t l i~ i t n each case tal ics i ts color f rom the n i l i d of

i ts creator t is a sr ~ b tl e locl~n lent, bit of racial evidence of

tlie

atmosphere

t l iat surro un ds i t.

IIa lf- tin ib er work, or, as it is ofte n called, blaclr-and-white,"

is sonlctinies t lcfined 11y E ~ i g l i s h . i. iters as tha t sort of b u i l d i ~ ~ g

in ~vliicli he first s to ry is of masollr . n l ~ t lof which th c sec o~ id

story only is t iuibere t l; w h e ~ i he wllole bllildiilg is timbered it is

11ro11crly callctl "all-tilrll)crctl." 'l'liis is no t t l ~ c on inio nly

acce l>ted itlca of m os t arcliitec ts, who 11nde1-st:i~itl y tllc t c n n

1i:ilf-tin~ber th a t tlic wliolc or p ar t of tlic b r~ il tl i~ igs coil-

s t r ~ ~ c t e dith a t i~ ll b c r 1.anie fillet1 i l l wit11 brick , nlo rtn r, or solnc-



TI IE

I - I A L F - T I J I l 3 E R H O U S E

thi ng of the sort , th at produces th e effect of black stripe s on

wl ~ i t ewall. T hi s is blac1;-and-~rllite w ork , or, if lookcd a t

fro111 he

builder's

point of view, half timber a11d llalf filling.

'I'l~ismethod of b~l i l tl ing s very old. I t is easy to see h o ~ v t

calne into b e i ~ ~ gs an o ut gr o ~r th f the more pr in~ i t ive ork \vhieh

1)rccetled i t , and ~ v a s he natural outconle of following the lines

of least resistance, with n o tho ug ht of w ha t i t ~r oli l t l ook lilce or

~r l le re t wor~ ld eatl. I t i s evident that i t d id not become tl le

vogue beeallse str ipes happcnecl t o be th e f :~shion, b l ~ t or th e

mr1c11 m ore s atisfac tory reason th a t i t w as t h e sim plest, easiest,

ant1 q11iel;est way of getting a I~ouse, nd fulfillcd the few neces-

sa ry requirements.

Altl1011g11 here are prob:~l>ly ot standing to-day any half-

timber houses older than the fifteenth centllry, there is no doubt

tha t ho~lses f this e l~ ara cte rwere being built for a hundreti years

before th at t ime. T h e oltlest half-timber houses we have left

to-day are of ten disguised in a stran ge dress alld ar e nlade to pass

t l~emselvesoff as having ti le walls, or are boardetl in ~vitl lwide

horiz011ta1deal boards. T h e reason fo r this is not

a

desire to de-

ceive, b11t because t pro long s th e life, an d is ju s t as good, as

benzoate of soda is used ~ v i t h ld fruit . I n cases of this so rt i t is

ilglilless that is only skin deep, and our honest great timbers, sil-

vered \\.it11 age , a rc ju st beneath th e surface. T h e frames were

ortlinarily of oa k, which as i t f irst sllrunk a n d th en decayed, no t

only pnlled a wa y from th e m orta r f i ll ing bu t ope ned

u p

mortises

and p r e s e ~ t e d ap i ng jo i nt s t o t he mm t hcr , r ack ing t he bu il ding

ant1 nlaking it in collrse of t ime uninhabitable. T o m ak e the walls

t ight without rebuilding, the esp ed ien t \bras adop ted of str ap pi ng

them ant1 llanging on ti le, or b oar ding the surface, a n d 111 this w ay

contin lling the life and ~ ~ s ef u ln e ssf the strueture.

Th is typ e of w ork is no t follncl all over E n g la n d, bu t on ly in

th e timbered tlistriets, or ~v11at or m erly were the timb ered clis-

t r iets o~ lgl i ly peaking, in the ee l~ tra l , Tester il ,an d soli thern

portions. the north, stone has always been th e f irst th in g a t

ha nd an d was 1111i1~ersally e d for both ~\ralls nd roofing, even



ENGLISH DOAIESTIC AltCIZITECTURE

in the small cottages.

I n t h e so uth , ~ v i t h imber went eseellerlt

c lay fo r makin g t ile an d br ick, an d tllese were both m ~ ic h sed,

a l t hough a t

a

later t latc, as we find no mention of brick before

1400

and tile was probably coeval \\.it11 it.

Before considering the half- t imber work proper , let us see

rvhat preceded i t and of ~ r l i a tt was t he ou t g r o ~ r t h nd l eg itima te

successor. T h e earliest houses of \vliicli we have an y real k no ~ v l-

edge, mere formed by th e placing of g re at crucks, which were the

natural ly curved trunks of t rees, with their bases some distance

Fig. 1.

The frames of the earliest Fig.

2.

The next step was to put

houses formed with the curved trunks

a

wall under this roof gaining

of trees au attic

apart, and sloping tl lem toward enell otliel . until t l ie tops met.

T he tops were fas tened together an d the pa i r braced by ~v l i a twe

shollltl now call n collar beam, th e whole fo rm ing a letter

A

see

Fig

1 . A

sini i lnr f rame \~~; lset u p a t a convenicnt dis tance,

antl the two joined wit11 p ~ lr li n s ,he outs ide of t liesc s loping ~ r a l l s

or roof or they were both orie ant1 the o ther e ing f ~ ~ r t l i e r

braced ant1 joinetl wit11 sm aller s tr u c t~ lm lilling, ant1 then en tirel y

coverctl ant1 nlade tight against the ~veatlier y t l iatcli , slates or

\rl lntcver came to Iiantl. S om cti n~ cs ran sep ts calletl s l~ o ts

wcl-e constrllctetl a t r iglit angles to gain m ore spacc. A n ortl irlary

b~ iil t l in g or~sistetl f several of tllcse bays. Tlie determ i~ln tion f

the pro pe r spac ing of t llesc ])airs o r cr ~ lc k s ormirig bays is inter-

est ing, ant l typical of tl ic ki~ l t l f l )~ -c ss iu gl ti li tn r in n e q ~ l i r e n ~ e n t s

~vhiclidictate the di rcct iol~a n d 111old tllc g ro w th of arch itcc-



1

TI113 I I r l L F - T I 3 I U E R

I IOUSE

trlral style. I t Ilas bcen observed of them t ha t they wcrc always

s l~acc t l ~boll t i s t c c ~ ~ect apa r t . Th i s distance is exact ly t ha t

rcqr1iretl f o r tile s t a b l i ~ i g f a tlouble yoke of oxcn, wl~ich \.as t l ~ c

tca111 commol~ ly11scc1

l l

l ) lowing a t the t ime thcse 11011seswere

btlilt, Tl ie yrojcction of tlie cruck illto the room \ \ ~ o ~ l l da t ~ l m l l y

i~l t l icatc he plnce for a division o r part i t ion. A s a fur ther bit

of cvidei~cc ha t these bays were 1)rol)cr width for the s t a b l i ~ l g

o f cattle we f i ~ ~ t lha t t l ~ c a t i n w~.i terson agricul ture l ay i t

(low11 as a r111c t h a t a pair of oxell should o c c ~ l p ywhat is the

equivalent of eight fect,

slid

i t is interest ing t o see t h a t in a f a r

d i s t : ~ i ~ to ~ l n t r y , n d a f t e r

a n

ilitcrval of a t h o ~ l s a n dyears, t he

thick11ess of all ox has not changed ; so t h a t if lie is evolving

a t a11 it must be in t l ~ elirection of his lengt.11. T l ~ e 1011sesof

this pcriod a r e always spokcn of in the old deeds in terms of

bays, tllat is, a s being six bays, o r f o ~ i r n d one- l~al fbays a n d

SO

011.

I t might also be noted in p a s s i ~ ~ gha t our field measllre, the

rod, is dcl.ivct1 ill the s a n ~ e ay, a n d is the space take11 u p by fotlr

oxell l ) lo\r ing abreast. T o make our f a r ms p r o d ~ l c e o t only a11

materi:~l l~ i l lgs iccessary to life, 111lta abst ract system of men-

s ~ ~ r a t i o ns well, is kccping our feet on thc g r o ~ l n d re t ty consist-

ently. T h e r e is somet l ~ i ngypically h g l o - S a x o n about deriving

our s y s t e n ~ f nlcasurcs frorn the size of osen and the t i l l :~gcof

the soil, j u s t a s the logical a n d scientific mind of the Gal11 is

scc11ill his t ak ing the n1athematically

determined

c i rcun~fcrencc

of the ear th as his unit of measurement .

I 11is ma t t c r of the spacing of the crucks to form bays

in

these

ear ly stables is of interest because tllc architectural influence of

t11e ox persists long af tc r the t ime ~ r h e i l he E n g l i s h n ~ a ~ ~ ~1o11se

was not only his castle bu t his stable as well. E l -en ~vl lcn his

primitive a r r a ~ ~ g e m e n t as o n t g r o ~ v na n d thc Inan separated

from liis beast, the old sistecn-foot spacing of the bays c o ~ l t i n ~ ~ c d

in tlic g r ea t 11a11s of the nol~i l i ty n d gent ry , even into the large

n11d

S ~ ~ O S

nallors 1vl1ic11 s p r a n g

u

all over thc lantl d l l r i l ~ g

the s i s t een t l ~ entury, a n d as late as the end of the Tl idor Per iod



TII

I - I A L F - T I 3 1 B E R H O U S E

t r a ~ l e cof the ~r ea t l le rb y l o u r ~ e s .

Later the f i res were bui l t

a31ilist the ston e walls of tlle room a n d covered by a gr e a t pro -

j e c t i ~ ~ g~ootl , on leti~n es f stone, sonletilnes of me tal, an d ofte n

of d a ~ l b o r mud p l as te r on ~ r icke rr vork . T l ~ i s

ollected tile

smoke ~vliicliwas car]-ied off by a f lue set a p i n s t the wall a n d

r unn i ng up t l l r oug l ~

ile

r o o f . T l ~ i s lue was built of tlie same

~ ~ ~ a t e r i a l s ,nt1 und oubted ly one o f th e reasolls

w y

so few traces

o f flu es iu t he old I n ~ i l d i ~ ~ g sre fouud is because of their eon-

stri letio~ l of srich i~lf la n~ n la b le aterial . L aw s were fil lally

passed forbidding Aries to be built having any wood about

tllem.

Up

to this point the bui lding is al l roof , or at least wall and

roof ar e one, ~v hic l~e ve re clloose to call it, bu t a s skill in b uildin g

i~ lereased nd the demands were for so m et l~ ingmore elaborate, i t

was easy to pu t a ~ r a l l nder this roof an d raise i t into the

air

an d t l ~ i s a in an a t ti c F i g .

2 ,

also to ad d a shed roof on either

sitlc paral lel t o t l ~ e entre aisle l ike the t ran sep ts of a basiliean

cl iurel~, nd so

p i l l

in 1vidt11 as ~ r e l l .

Tile

se rv an ts slep t in lo fts over t11e ca ttle , th e m en on on e side,

the n~ ai d s n the otller. I n sue11 an int imate gather ing of m an an d

beast ~ l n d e r ne roof t he a l l - p e n d i n g \rood smoke mus t have

I~een real blessi l~g, erving as i t undoubtedly did in a gr ea t

measure as a deodorizer and

insecticide.

Ev en a f te r the cat t le had been given bui lding to t l~emselves

an d the lords of

tile

nianor llad beg un to l ive with some po m p a nd

eireumstance in their own l~o use s, he s erv an ts of both seses s lep t

on th e floor of the g re at hall of

tile

nlallor, wllieh was tlle din ing -

room and ge neral nleeting-place d u r i ~ l g he day. Th is promis-

cui ty was the cause of n~ ue ll ibald wit in the son g an d story of

the 3Ii tldle Ages.

IVllile for the purp ose of pla nn ing o ur bui ldings to-day i t is

~ )e rh ap s f l i t t le pl-act ical

assistance

to t race the llis tory of E n g -

lisll house p la ~ ~ rl in g ,t is of some interest to th e stu de nt of domes-

tic arclli teeture to follow the development of the plan and note

how eaeli step is in answer to some developed need, and to fulfil



E N G L I S H D O A I E S T I C A R C H I T E C T U R E

an d meet some condit ion t l iat has arisen. A s this logical an d in-

evitable gro w th an d chang e ar e tl ie blood an d bones of ou r arclli-

tectural style, or rath er

re

t lie style, wve shall not arriv e a t a clear

and correct nnderstanding of hal f - t imber work as we see i t

to-d ay in E n g la n d unless wve do look somewrhat in to the conditions

u nd er wvliich it wvas pro du ce d. TVhile th is nil 1 be don e m ore

fully elsewhere, i t sl iould not be uninteresting or uniiistructive

to fol low the development of the plan

a

l i t t l e fur ther than the

half barn, half house of t l ie yeoman and franklin, and see how

their betters fared.

I n the t~ i rbu len t imes of the M iddle A ges i t was necessary

tha t every man's liouse should be a for t ress as ~r e l l . W e see even

to-day the crags and hi l l tops of Ellrope capped wit11 cast les or

ruin s of forrner strongh olds ~v hicli elied la rge ly on their inacces-

sibi li ty for imm unity from at tack. Tl icy were usual ly briilt su r-

ro un di n g a court -ard, so tliat in tim e of siege tlie defen ders m iglit

1iaw.e sonlc place t o ta k e th e a ir. W h e n , liowewrer, w leave the

nlountair ious countries an d conlc to F ra n ce an d E n g la n d la t

lands with no strategic height on which to perch a for tress-

dnr e l l i ng , we f i nd men su r r ou~~di ngheir l iouses ~vitl iwvatcr in

lie11 of prc cipito ns a n d ro cky cliffs, as a m ean s of ke ep ing off tlie

niararitler. 'I 'l~efosse, o r m o at, a s ~ v cmom i t in E ng l and , ma de

the insular Bri tain st i l l more insular , and gave him an excel lent

su l~s t i tute or tlie lof ty perch of his Cont inental brother . L i l x

him, l lo~\~evcr ,nd for the same reason, he kccps the cour tya rd in

tlie cen tre.

A s time goes on, an d a m ore peaceable era stleceeds the earlier

riotous colit l i t ions, the first movement toward tl ie disarma~nent

of t l lc horlse is the k~~ocliiriglit of the front side of tlie rec-

t :i r~gular ~uil tl ing o th a t tlie c o ~ i l ~ ts esposet l , ant1 the U -sl ia~ )et l

i I i g

a r . 17ro111 t lie rlsrlal fac t of small 11orcli in the

e el ~ t r c f the cross wing, forming s light project ion

i l l

plan, i t

is Inore of ten spolien of as th e ty p e of 111a1i. 'l'lle p re tt y tlico ry

that tliis was

a n

a r c l i i t e c t u r a l c o ~ i i p l i ~ ~ ~ e ~ i to Q ~ e e l l (:liznl)etll,

in wvliose rcig11 nialiy liol~ ses f this so rt first n pp ca rc d,

will

not



8 Tl lE

1 I r l L l ~ - T 1 1 \ 1 B E I 1

I IOUSE

sta nd th e tcst of llistoric rcscarcll ant1 a s tag c in mntt cr-o f-fac t

c v o l ~ ~ t i o nall Iiartlly be turn ctl to s~ lcl l ycoph antic accollnt.

T h e corrlcrs of th e typical old

rectangle

oftcli wcrc marked

I \.

towcrs \vllicIi rcniaincd to acccnt thc ends of tllc U when the

fl.orit sidc of tllc rectangle was rcnioved. S o w the sidcs of t lie

U or wi ~i gs f the I io~ise d isappear or a t lcas t g ivc placc to

m cre fencc or wall ant1 th e towe rs rcninin stan diiig a t some dis-

tan ce from th e Ilouse while ill the effetc times of lolig-contilined

peace they bccaiiie nlercly gar dc n or tool houscs. T o complcte

tlle d w i ~ ~ d l i n gf the old pile th e towe rs finally follow th e rest

an d wc have no thing bu t a s lcndcr fence to n ~ a r k v liel -elie em-

batt led ~v al ls nce stood. Tlll is

w

sllear our castle t i l l there is

lcf t but a s irnple I~ om ewit11 a n enfenced yar d in f ro nt ; an d i t i s

this m emory of nledie~ ?al sage t ha t ou r forefathers brorlglit to

th is country in the fenced and gate-posted f ront yards of the

Colonial dwellings which we see st il l s tandin g u p an d down th e

Atla nt ic seaboard .

This t l~c l i n br ief is the typical course taken by th e cot tage

on the one Iland an d the cas t le on the o t licr down th ro u g l~ l lc

Middle Ages in Eng lan d as they were ac ted upon by T im e wi th

his train of at t en da nt circumstance all the products of a chang ing

conditioli of m en an d things. Re sp on di ng trlily to tlic logic of

events i t continued by t lie forcc of such ada pta tion t o keep

alive

and to be a gr on ln g l iving organism unt i l fashion roughly supe r-

ceded

it

with a n impo rted a l ien s ty le .



he

N

O W l e t us suppose t l~a t smal l but prosperous fanner of

the year 1.500 n~is hes o Lllild a eolnfortable

IIOIIS

for I l i l i i -

self and his fanlily sonlewliere in the south of England.

I - Ie will seorn the idea of : ~ d ~ n i t t i n gat t le undcr t l ie same roof ,

as his forefa tliers did, an d is able to affo rd a house of some eoni-

fo r t , even 11lsury. H e will have large

1 00111

fo r l i v i ~ ~ gll(] ea t-

ing, with g rea t

fireplace

an d ingle, windolv-seat a n d row of glazetl

a n d leatletl windows, a low, lieavily beanled ceiling and a Aoor of

tile o r flags.

111 the old ~ ro rl ; lie fireplaecs, a ft e r they llatl re trea ted fro111

tlie mi(l(1le of the floor in the fo ur te en th e en tu ry alltl baclied u p

i gain st tllc wall, adoptecl th e llls ur y of a flue to eollect alld g uide

the sinolie in n s t ra i gh t a ~ t lla1,row way out of the roonl an(]

Ilo~lse. l lley we re big honest affairs, besp eak ing p len ty of d r y

split logs

in

tlie s l~ e tl ; lorious g rc a t ~1110lietl avern s, n~llieliwere

kitellen rang e, ho t-wa ter boiler a nd lle at i~ lg ysteni a ll in one ancl

tlie cen tre an d lieart of th e Ilol~se s they tleservetl t o be. T h e re

i s noth ing inore l~ leasa~ i t ,l~o leso me nt1 Ilearty tl1a11 the nvay l l

1rhic11

i l l

soilg a ~ ~ dtory, art ail t l history, t l ie E~lglisll I lcarth

ant1 home ar e l inlied toge ther. I l~c chimney eo nle r was the

loi~n ging -roon l, il)l .ary, stud y, ant1 snioking-roonl, a ~ l dlie Ilistory

of lS11glis1~ol lse- l ) Ia~~l l i l igw i~lg s bol lt this a s

r

pivot. I t is tlie

clnehor of the ~rliole.

l lle fa n n e r will I I X J T ,211 cntry-way a~ lc l t a ir s l i e u tlie e e l ~ t re ;

I~ ritt cr y, iitehen an d palltries to 011e side.

11tlie se eo l~ d loor,

~ ln tl e r lle roof, lie

\rill

I ~ a v c ,ctlroonls wit11 the ir wilitIo\rs elose

lllltler th e caves, o r I lig l~er, o th a t the eaves nirlst sw ccp 111) ov er

tlicln. l l~c 11:111 01, corridor fro111w11iel1 l)e tlr oo~ ns11:1y 1c:ltl \\ :IS

all iclc:~ ha t waited lon g before i t c:lllie c r : l s l ~ i ~ ~ gllto the I I I ~ I I I

o f s o ~ n elior~g litf r~l)1:11111cr ~ l e ~ I I O S Csilnple es l)c tlie llt s t1i:lt



1 l IIE IILIL~ -TIAIBER

If

O U S E

it

tak es a g re a t rnnn t o diseover arid fo r th e lack of rvhicli a11 so rt s

o f i n c o ~ i v e n i e ~ ~ c e sl l soci:ll intc reo llrse were ellt lure d, an d 111lnla11

progress i l l soci:11 at lj ~ ls tn ie li t tself held I~ a ck . Tl ie in ve nt or

of th e corridor tleserves a s ta tu e as ~n licli s does E l i 1Vhit11cy 1-

Jan ies l lT: lt t, illsteat1 of f i l l ing a n ~ l ~ l k n o w nrave. t was no t

o nly t he hu mb le f a rm e r rrho n ~ l s t as s t l i r o ~ ~ g l iome one else's

room t o ge t 011t of liis

OIVII

in those days, but lord s in the ir cnstlcs

The chimneycorner was from the first the centre

and

heart of the nglish Home

a n d kings in tlieir palaces p u t u p mitli having tlieir. suites of rooms

turned in to passageways. t

is tlie same in F ranee , Ge rn iany

a n d I t a ly . \Ve find s u m p t u o l ~ s uites of roonls in g r e a t houscs,

b u t all s t r u n g together in a w a y t h a t the

nod ern

f la t - l~un t i r ig

young couple mould pronounce inlpossible.

T h a t i t was fe l t

t o be

a

grea t ineonrrenienee is sliorvn by tlie clunlsy espedient , in

m a n y of the old houscs, of having a nimlher of staircases both

i11sit1e a n d out t o serve as a sor t of digllifietl ladder by which one

might leave liis bedrooni witliout embarrass ing his neigllbors.



1 3 TI IE I IrlLF T13IBER

H O U S E

fire. A t all ear ly pe~.iotl n Lolidon i t was one of tlie building laws

tliat all tliateli 1111istbe kep t ~v l i i te~mshe t l ,n d i t beeanle so com-

nioli t h r o ~ l g l i o ~ l t3nglantl tliat the villages wit11 their white roofs

spark l ing in tlie sun ~ n l l s t ave 1)i-eseliteda very different pietrlrc

f r o m what we see to-day in the hamlets where tllatcli is still t o bc

f0lllltl.

L e t 11s slippose, liorrever, t h a t the fa rmer does not wish t o use

tliateli for tlie roof. I - Ie ~ n s y se tile m a d e by Iiand, of a escel-

lent qual i ty a n d bllrnt t o a pleasant red of vary ing shades. I n

t he tlistriets where the p r o p e r clays Irere to bc forliltl, tile was a

very popular n~e t l iod f e o v e r i ~ i g o t only roofs bu t \i~alls. O f t e n

when the oak beams of a half-t imber house had so s l i r ~ ~ l l ir ro t ted

f rom tlie effeets of a g e a n d weather t h a t the filling had disinte-

g ra t ed a n d tlie \rliole s t ruc tu re was no longer proof against wind

a11d ~veatliel.,instead of repa i r ing a l o n g tlie same lines, n~li ieh

would be a difficult th ing t o lo, they hrlng the ~ r a l l s ith tile, ant1

Inany l<eli t a n d Sil r rey tile-covel.ed farmhouse of to- lay is

really an old half-t imber building in a new chess. Tllese tile

were, of eourse, h a n d - ~ n a d e , n d as a eonseqllence possessed a cer-

ta in Illievenness of t e s tu re , which when adtled to the fact tliat the

hanging holes were f a r f rom being p ~ ~ n c h e d\.it11 mathematica l

esaetness, gave tlie ~ r a l l n ~vh ieh hey were 11rl1iga softness of

srirfaee wliieh was most pleasing, aeeidental a n d fo r tu i to i~slioligh

it was. T hese tile were thicker than those we g e t to-day, and , a s

was t o be espee ted a l o n g with tlie o ther hnl)el.feet methods of

nlanufactlire, eame

in

a g r e a t var ie ty of eolor, prodilced b y the

uneven burn ing in the kiln. T h e tile Irere oftell e u t with

rounded o r eurved bu t t , so t h a t the builders \rere fond of ge t t ing

variety by l ay ing first several rows of the curved, and then several

rows of s t ra igh t entls. T hese tile, lilie the slate, were h u n g ~ r i t l l

wooden pins which of eollrse in t ime ro t ted a n d gave way,

b11t coilld be easily replaced, a n d in a collntry where there was

no severe frost o r heavy snowfall , they \ re re perfect ly suited t o

their purpose.

I f , Iiowever, the bnilder has an

objection

t o tile, he nlay, if he



nr ~ t l t l ~ i r r ~ l l c .. u n l l ~ l ~ l t .

f tllc

c . l l ; i r l l ~of

sot1

tt.st~lrc

hat

rrsltltctl

i l l

tllc

oltl

wor

from 1 1 1 ~

11c 1

tllnt i t \r :ls

not tjuilt

\r itll ~ ~ l r l t l l c l l ~ : ~ t i c : ~ Ix n c t ~ ~ e s s



I he sticks ere vrrtic.al in the rarlier work and rathrr closr together. there

bcilig :tbo~ltIS rnuch plaster showing as tvood



TI1E HALF TIiIlBEli

H O U S E

I N EXGLAND 13

1l:lppells to live i t ] the r ight district, cover llis roofs wit11 slate o r

other flat stone, rouglily spl i t , heavy but tlrlr:lble, t lefyi r~g ire a n d

frost , i111tlp~.eselltirlg fine, substal1tial

appearance

T o be s u r e

Ile nlllst r ~ l a k ehe raf ters s t r o n g a n d tie the111well, for this roof

will llever sleep, but its collstallt pressure will 11eet1stout work

below to keep i t in the air. However , there will be 11

lack of

11ea1.y t imber of solid oak. TIVO-by-four-inch pruce studs a r e all

i n v e n t i o ~ ~f Inore arel1itectrlritlly a n a e ~ n i c ge. T h e pitch of

the roof was dcterlrl i~letlenlpirically by str iking a metiirim be-

tween a f l i ~ t ~ ~ e ~ ~h a t threw the gr ea t n ~ e i g h t f the stone ful l o n

the r:if ters alltf ealletl f o r g r e a t s t r ength in theln, alld the steeper

roof t ha t carlsetl the storles t o d r a g heavily

O I I

tlieir wooden pins

nlld in t ime p1111oose a n d fall to the ground. A s a result of these

conflictirlg problenls we usiially find as

a

mat t e r of fact t h a t t he

roofs ~vliichare, o r were mean t to be, covered ~ v i t h tone a r e

flat ter tl1a11 he tile o r thatell roofs.

Tl le s t o r ~ e r a s laid over a layer of st raw. T h e r idge was

fornled eitlier with a saddle board of rolled lead, o r often wit11

a continuoils row of over lapping half-roll tiles ernbedded in

nort tar. T h e use of f l as l~ ing ( thin slleet nlctal ~ l s e d o ]]lake

t ight tlle etfges alld joints wit11 cl l in~neys,end walls, etc.)

is

really collfessioll of n~eakiiess, n d tlie old builders got a l ong

wit11 srll.prisingly lit t le of it.

Nonr we 1m-e o u r roof imd floors; let us corlsider what killd of

wall he will Iiave to hold then1

I I ~ .

T h e r e is li t t le b~ i i l d i ng t o ~ c

:tt I ~ a ~ l d ,lld Ile cert:li~lly \ \ i l l not propose t o br ing 111aterialof

one sort from a tl ista~lce vlle~l le has anotller perfect ly gootl sor t

a t 1i:111d. Ilriek is

I I O ~

et

i l l

conlrnoll rise a n d not well ullderstootl,

lnlt jvllat lie does ha\.e

i l l

abr~ntli inces timber. T h e llills a r e cov-

erctl \ritll fine oak trees, tllali 1vllie11 110 filler bl i i ldi l~g rood has

ever esistctl. I I e r e it is, ready to Iland, a n d here a r e tlie axes

all(] broatl-iises alld 1i1ei1V O 11avcthe proper 11antlling of tllelrl as

:ill

i1111el.ita11ccrom ~ l l ~ t o l delierntio11s.

If

they a r e not boni

\\.it11

rill :IS

in their Ila~rtls, ne fi~ltls tself t1icl.c very sllol.tly. S o

t11c1111cwill begill to chop ; I I ~ Wt does 11ot titkc liliilry 11ollrs \\.it11



TIiE H A L F - T l AI 3Elt HOUSE

a n a s , squa ring 11p the t ru n k of a t ree, to learn tha t i t is easier

to make one's tu i~ be rsar g e tlian sm all.

It

is a s ~ i i ~ ~ c l i ,f not mo re,

bother to g ct o ut a thin plank , t l ian i t is

a

gre at s t ick; an d so he

will save time an d use the big timbers. 7Vitli t lieir g re at size a n d

s t r e ~ i g t l iie may well space tl iem some distance apart , and fil l in

between with som ething or other no t so hard to m ake as planks.

For this prirpose he will use

a

mo r tar or d a u b made of lime

and s t raw, or c lay and twigs, or anything that wi l l s t ick an

harden , an d reasonably res is t the ~rea t l i e r , rh ie hs not rigoroi.

or one that makes great demands on bui lding mater ia ls .

grorlnd\vork f o r latliing fo r this pla ste r lie will weave w illow twig

together and nlake a groove in the sides of his t imber to

P L A T

E - R

Woven w illow twigs engagin g in grooves in the timber. form a

support for the plaster

the ends and make a t ighter bond between the f i l l ing and t l ie

beams, so th a t if the t imb er does shrink aw ay there will no t be a n

open crack s t raight throu gh the wall. T he n if he plasters th e

inside of t lie wall all over he \\i ll be as sn u g as possible. H e ma y

m a k e

it

more substant ia l wal l by using as

a

filling briekbats,

small stoiies or what-not, and covering the \~rIiolewith plaster.

. I n place of the pla ster fil ling we sometimes find brick laid up

in

a

herringbone pat tern, set in m or tar an d lef t to show thei r re

'

surfaces fram ed between t lie gr a y t imbers.

F o r th e corner posts barilk was used, cu t near tl ie foot

c

the t ree t o ge t the beginning of the sweeping curve where i t run

ou t into the roots. Th ese sticks were turn ed upside down an d th

curved end formed the bracket t o su pp or t the gi r t for the ovel

ha ng ing second story, ~v hil e he crooked branches were used for

the cr ~n -e d t rr it s an d braces.

n

old wri ter , Harr ison, says,

N o oke ca n g r o ~ vo crooked bu t i t falletli o u t to some use.

t



in to the design of this Ilorizontal banti of shadow a n d t he very

nlarked division of the stories whic11 i t represents, aclcled

a

most

I > l cas i l ~geat l l re t o the whole ~ r h e t l ~ e rr not introduced nritli t ha t

itlea. Orir j~leasul-es largely duc, no doubt , t o its c i i gag i l ~g an-

(lor ill Ictt ing us into the secrcts of its interior a r mngen i en t t o

t ha t e s t e i ~ t .

Thi s t11e11 s the original method of m a k i i ~ g hese walls, per -

fectly logical, fo l lo~vingh e lines of least resistance, a n d ut i l iz i l~g

~ r l ~ a toines to hantl. I t is like a11 good architecture in t ha t i t is

tlie by-prod~ic t f I~ones t liilding.

Tllus we have the reslilt of o u r farmer's work in black-aiitl-

white ~va l l sof Ilalf-timber. T h e sticks a r e vertical in tlie

earlier work a n d close together , there being about as much plaster

showing as wood. I the l a t e r work, w l ~ e r ehe t imbers a r e placed

f u r t he r apa r t , w e have more 11711ite a n d less black, a n d thell,

as they became more facile, the b~i i lder s n ~ u s e dheniselves ~ v i t h

a r r a i ~ g i l ~ glie upr ight t imbers a n d sticks t o form diverse a n d

i r i

genious pat terns, so t h a t we ge t the quatrefoil , cus l ~ s , iamonds

with concave sides, a n d a n a l n ~ o s t nfinite var iety of ar range-

~ n e n t ,n adtlition t o tlie more sober placing of the sticks. These

tiiiibers a r e all do~vel led, lie u p r i g l ~ t sllto the sills a n d the hol-i-

zontal pieces into the ~ ~ p r i g l i t s ,n d pinned with oak pins, t he ends

of whieh a r e lef t pro jec t ing a half-inch or so, t ha t they nlay be

still fur ther driven in should the joints loosen a n d need to be

c1ran.n t ighter together . f a c t the poorer class of work, the

jerry-building of the time, is described as without a u g u r holes.

I n some of the work the plaster is kept flush with the face of t he

t imber outside, bu t as this makes the slightest crack between the

two much in evidence, a sillliiilg of the plaster a quar te r of an inch

o r so back of tlie face not only made this less prominent but gave

the nrhole surface more variety a n d a more solid a n d r ugged a p -

pearance. T h e feeling of t ex t u r e in this old \vork is of course

enor n~ous l y n l ~ a n c e d y tlie rough surfaces of tlie t imber as i t

conles f rom the a s , f o r sn loot l~ s they i1111sth a r e seemed to the

a s nian, they were n o t l ~ i n g s comparecl t o the pl.oduct of tlie buzz



Th e t uil tl~ rs oon broke awa y from the use o f vertical timl,ers alo ne, introtlircing

diverse and ingenious patterns si~ch

s

the qiiatrefoil which is seen here



THE

HALF-TI31BER

HOUSE I N

ENGLAND

7

sanr. This 1vit11 the vary ing widths of these t imber faces a n d a

certain a m o u i ~ t f crookedlless in the sticks themselves together

witll t he a p p a r e n t

unconcern

of those having the spacing in

charge gives the whole ~ v a l l ve ry sof t a n d gracious presence.

F o r us a s we see it to-day this is all accentuated by the heavy l ~ a n d

of a g e ant1 a c c o m p a n y i l ~ g ecay which h a r e still furt l ler softened

the lines a n d b l u l ~ t e d he anglcs ~ v h i l eK a t u r e has crep t u p

arorlnd the base leaving her m a r k in every cranny. S h e has laid

o n her colors ~ r i t l ih e wind a n d rain 1111til h e wllole with its till]-

ber a n d thatch seems almost t o ]lave reverted t o the vegetable

lr i l lgdon~ nd become some new species of g ian t plant .

T h e idea t h a t these people wcre ac tua ted in their work orlly

by the desire t o build t igh t warn1 a n d cheap

shelters

wit11 li t t le

r e g a r d fo r beauty canllot bc enter ta ined fo r m o m e n t ~ t ~ l ~ e nre

sec the s n ~ o u n t f ca rv ing 011 molding barge-boards a n d ~vherever

there was a cllance fo r ellr icl ln~ell t ;clearly indicat ing their love

of beauty their p r ide in their work alld their ~ ~ ~ i l l i n g n e s so t a k e

the ti111eantl espense t o g ra t i fy it.

T h e details of doors with their na i l l~eadsa n d s t r a p hinges

the \villdo~vswit11 their pa t te rned bars of lead the g ian t ch iml~eys

burs t ing in to flower a t the top the generous fireplaces cnnningly

jointed pane l i l~g a n d the accolnpal ly i~lg details ~vhicll these

builtlers wrought p i d e t l ant l tlirectetl in the s tn lgg le for I ~ e a ~ l t y

by a n imagination ~vh ich ook its color fro111 the vigorous vital

s t r ~ l g g l i l l g g e in w l ~ i c h t f o u l ~ dtself a r e \vo r t l~y f more tliall

s

pass ing glance.

W e will

11 11~

onsider ~ r h e t l l e rhis is not s ty le of archi tec ture

t h a t is most facile alltl f le s i l~ le rltl t h a t lentls itself 111ost grace-

fully t o tlie acconlmodatioll of o u r prescnt-day needs.



1 s

he H@-timber

Style

z~iten

our

Need s To-+?

I

E R

tliat most illenlbers of th e arch itec tur al profession will

dissent with sonle heat from the observation of the mild

T l ~ o r e a u h a t T h c r e is som e of t l ~ e ame fitness in a man's

building his

1~11

louse that there is in a bird's building its own

nest. Th is sounds well enough unti l we t h i ~ i k f some of the

stock- jobbers whom I r e l il lo~v, ~ a v in g uch potentia lly dangerous

things as l lanuller and nai ls thrust into their hands and being

sent fort li to b l~ i ld hei r nests . T ru e, as Thoreau continues,

W h o kno\vs bu t if men co ns trl~ cte d he ir own dwellings wit11

their own hands, an d provided food for then~ sclves honestly

enough, the poetic faculty would be universally developed, as

birds unive~.sally ing whcn they ar e so engaged. It is

a

p r e t t y

picture, surely, of these worthy citizens balancing

I I ~

he dizzy

ladd er ~ r i t h ods on their shoulders an d madr igals on their l ips ,

bu t

I

fea r tha t even the unive rsal developm ent of the poet ic

facu lty is too high a price for us t o pay . TV lde every bird is

born a n arch itect, no nlan is.

I f , then, i t is a difficult, slow a nd painfu l tas k to learn t o bu i ld

properly, i f i t requires countless experiments with their at tend-

a n t fai lures to learn t o use r ight ly, wisely a n d economically t lle

m a te ria l a t h an d w i th t l ~ e ools a t hand , th e f inal ~ .esu l t hus

a rr ived a t must g i ve i t ahnos t t l ~ e orce and dignity of a law of

na tu re. 1711en n-e h a re followed th e thre ad of common sense in

an d out a nd u p an d dow n wherever i t llas led us , wi thout fa l ter -

ing o r evasion, we m ay expect to come ou t a t las t into the l ight

a n d find ourselves

in

th e presence of Al.chitectu~.e.

F o r i t m u st

e

unders tood tha t t l~ i seflection of the pre vailing

civilization, this mirror of the custonls, manners, linlitations and



THE HALF TIbIBER

S T Y L E

1

environment of a race, showing the slo\v, pa infu l process of the

growth a n d devc l opn~en t f a people, is what goes to t he maki ng

of , a n d has as a result , wliat we call

a

style of arellitectrire.

A n d eyen when i t beeoines no longer possible t ruthful ly t o reflect

the customs, requirements, a n d desires of

a

people in t he old in-

herited fornls

-

ven then wc niay n o t t a l k of a new style, but

ra ther of modifications a n d a d j u s t m e n t s of tlie present one, the

wliole problem being oiie of growth, both in wan t s a n d in their

fulfillnlent.

I t is a s in~possible o r

a

people t o repudia te i t s a r c h i t e e t ~ ~ r e

as i t 1~011ld e to deny i t s l i terature. people's arclli tecture fits

them a n d no one else can wear it. W e nlay see nlucli t o a h l i r e

in others blit o11ly olir o n n is flesli of our flesh.

T h e p a r t i c ~ i l a r

style t h a t i e have been boril into, developed by o u r fathers

thi.011g11 h e centuries, keeping pace with t he slow, pai i l f r~l rog-

ress of t he race, a n d always a t r u e index of its eontemporary

condition; a perfect, inart ieulate measure of i t s cul ture a n d

refinement; this style, this g r owi ng embodiment in stone of a

people's dreams a n d idealism, this f o r us is t he Gothic style of

E n g l a n d .

T h e Georgian style, v h i c h was br o~ l g l i t o this count ry a n d

flourislied here with some modifications under the name of Colo-

nial or , a s the r edundan t plirase has i t , O l d Colonial," Iiad

nothing Georgian about i t unless i t be t ha t both the arclli tecture

a n d the dynas t y were foreign, for i t was not a n indigenous style

of brlilding like tlie other. I t was a n impor ted fasliion, ail alien

style, a s li t t le a t lioiiie in ca ter ing t o nr i t i s l i institrltions as we

might expect such a typically L a t i n protluet t o be. I t was iioth-

i n g b u t tlic classic al.chitectiire of oltl l ton ie r e v i ~ e t ln Sort11 I t a l y

in tlie fifteei~tli e n t ~ l r y n d bror~gl i t n to E ~ l g l a l l d y tile tlcvious

w a y of l ~ r a i i c c licl .Hollaiitl, a11t1s l i o w i ~ ~ ghe inflrlenee of tlie

countries tlirougll ~ r h i c l i t Iiad passed oil its jour~ie .. t111d even

if we admi t t ha t l ong eustonl Iias s e r ~ e c l o imljae t l ~ e s cbor-

rowed forms \vitli s o n i c t h i ~ ~ gf the r l ~ l g l o - S n s o n enlperanie~ l t ,

we have still tlic inl~ercl l tunsuitablclless

of

what is a n essen-



t ial ly r n o n u n ~ e ~ i t a ltyle of arcl~i tect i i re et to serve intinlate a n d

dor~lesticuses. I t s siniplicity ant1 l igl~i ty r e all very well, but

they arc bolliltl to a tyrannical s y ~ n m e t r y , igid, cold a n d immut -

able W e all lirlonr the work as it was bro11g11tover a n d done in

tlie Color~ies harming, but a l i t t le frigidid, dignified but hardly

illtinlate, chaste bu t of ten timid, too oftell described as simple

by its adniirers ~ r ~ h e ntupid ~ v o r ~ l de t l ~ c et ter word: its vocabu-

l a r y sniall if select, its calions fised a n d rigid, so t h a t its r a n g e

of effccts is of necessity very limited.

TVc all litlonl the Colonial house h e f r on t door

in

t he cent re

f l a ~ ~ k e dn either side by the paired wiildows above a n d belo~v,

cacli \ r indo\r tlie esac t size of every other.

t

may be there is

a guest room in one corner nrld a batllroom in the other, bu t such

is not a p p a r e n t on the surface. TVe mi gh t have liked to have,

f o r comfort a n d convenience, t h e e wi ndo~vson one side, a n d

one on the other , some Ilighel. o r some snlaller, but i t ~ v o u l dbe

Iieresy to t a k e such liberties ~ v i t l ~liis a r ~ s t e r e ront . L i k e the

unlucky traveler in tlie bed of Procrustes , the poor plan is made

t o fit the elevations by brute force, either by stretchirlg o r lop-

p i n g off.

xow, se t t ing the mat t e r of style aside for the moment , i t is

a n archi tectural nlasim as applicable t o a clog kennel s t o a

palace, since men first piled one stone

011

another , t ha t t he eleva-

tions of a b ~ ~ i l d i n ghall express, as best nlay be, the plan hall

give s o n ~ e nkl ing not only of what a r e 111 a general way the

uses of the building, but , fur ther t11a11this, sliall indicate the uses

of the rar ious par t s of t ha t building as seen f rom ~ r i t h o u t . L e t

us suppose, for example, t ha t me find ourselves in the square of

a s t range village; i t is not enough t h a t we can tell mhic11 building

is the public l ibrary, ~vliic11 h e fire-engine l ~ o u s e n d 1vllic11 the

t o ~ ~ - nall, for the archi tecture is not vital o r organic unless we can

also tell, as we look a t th em , ~ r h e r ehe reading-room of the l ibrary

is, where in tlie engine house tlie firemen sleep a n d where the

hose is hung, a n d ill the town hall where the assembly room is

located. O f cor~rse llis cannot be carried into too much detail .



urrr

LL bu l l e l l r i r c h i f e d

~notlern ~ o ~ ~ s en thc s11b11rb~f 1 lril;~tlrll)llinhat s well done \vithotlt obvious effort

I

r clrt; ) I I I O I I ~ S U it cif



THE

H A L F - T I I \ I B E R S T Y L E

It

would be obviously absurd t o press this point too far . I n gen-

era l a n d in a l a r ge way, l~olvever, t is a valuable archi tectural

t ru th .

N o w r e t u r n i ng t o o u r house with t he s jmmet r i ca l Colonial

f r o n t : how is i t possible for the meanest and tlle most honored

rooxns t o be eqrlally espressed on the ester ior by t he same t h i ng

he ~ r i n d o ~ r r ,o r il lstance? I f a givcn ~ r i n t l o ~ vs a t r u t h f u l

es l ~ r ess i on f one room, how ean it be of the otl ler?

W e obviously

cannot e s p e e t such versatil i ty fro111olir openings. T V I I ~ I I ork-

i n g in the derivatives of t he classic style a s appl ied in domestic

work, not to be able to tell fro111t he es ter ior of a Iiouse the bath-

room f r o m the parlor , t he biitler s p a n t r y f rom t he ballroom, is

basic defect of style t h a t forces niany

ind desirable

coml)ro~nises

t ha t nrollltl be

unnecessary

in less r igid system.

It

is not so

much t h a t tlie style is inarticulate as t h a t it knolvs so fen1 sen-

tcilces with ~ r h i e ho t r y a n d espress so illany ideas. Tliel-e should

not be this coi~flietbetween the p l an a n d its elevations by wliicll

one mus t give way t o t he other , serious sacrifices having t o I)e

made before the two ean be coaxed into joining hands.

I n this

f eud between T r ~ i t h n d I-Iarmony, Ut i l i ty s t ands but

a

sor ry

chance. T h e elevations mus t fol low and gr ow fro111 t l ~ e 11ai1;

they shall espress what t hey s l ~ i e l d ; they a r e the effect a n d

not the cause. B e a u t y m u s t wait on Use , a n d is only noble ~vl lcn

it serves.

If

then, our ester iors will not subordinate themselves, if t hey

a r e not

perfectly

t ractable a n d flesible, i t is a weakness, aiid i t is

tliis weakness in arehiteetonies t h a t

we

think csis ts t o

a

mar ked

e s t e n t in the classic stylc, a n d one which never appea r s so tlisas-

trollsly as in the inaniioltl cs ige~ lc ies f modern house-bliiltling.

If

tllc

ctrtctztc cor 1inlc

is I a e k i ~ ~ gll tile Georgian work 1)etwecn

tlle ])Ian ant1 its elevatioiis, i t is,

11

the otller l i a ~ ~ d ,n this ve1.y

mat t e r tllat tlie s t r eng t h of t l ~ errle Nnglish work of tlie T ~ l t l o r

l ~ e r i o d ies, for t h e ~ . a n ~ l ) l i n gin~bere t lo r plnsteretl lloilses of

this tiine, by wholly i g r ~ o r i n g

ymmetry.

gain a t tlie very o ~ i t s e t

ail u ~ ~ m e ~ ~ s e

reed on^.

I3rit 11eca11sc ylnnletry is ~ leglec ted ,

w e



THE H A L F - T I J I B E R I - I O U S E

nirlst not for moment assume tllat the work is haphazard a n d

allowed to follow its olrm devices wi t l ~ou t h o u g l ~ t r care f o r the

r c s ~ l l t . Balance a n d accent, var iety a ~ i d omposition, a r e con-

s c i o ~ ~ s l yr u l~consc io l~s lyeen, o r ra ther felt , everywhere in these

bl~i ldings.

l l~eplan here m a g flllfil t he most cs t r ao r d i na r y requirements,

niay hollse the most incongruous mat te r s under one roof. China-

closcts m a y come n e s t t o chapels, pant r ies under boudoirs, ye t

each have every requirement of light, space a n d convenience ful-

filled wit11 its proper a n d . f i t t ing es ter ior espression.

T h e

gr ound may be level, sloping o r broken, ~ v i t h o u t mbarrassing us

in the least. T h e r e is here t he best possible unders tanding be-

tween the plan a n d the elevation

h e understanding t ha t the

p l an is master a n d t ha t the other mus t honor a n d obey.

T l ~ eesult in E n g l a n d , t he home of this work a n d where i t is

seen a t its best, is those soft, beautiful houses which affect us by

tllcir perfect repose a n d harmony, their feeling of rest and sim-

plicity o stress o r str iving here, only peace a n d quiet. N o -

~ r l ~ e r ere there such

homes

as these.

T h e r e a r e others su r -

rounded

by g r a n d e r scenery a n d more complicated landscape

the restless blue of the AIediterraneall m a y n l u r mur a t their feet ,

sno~vcladn ~ o u n t a i n s n d frowning precipices m a y s t a n d g u a r d

over chr*llctsa n d f a r ms ; there is a charm by t he sinuous D a n u b e

banked with vineyard a n d studded with myster ious castles rvliose

storied past s ~ r a t l i e s l ~ e n i n romance; b u t when the t ired t rav-

eler, satcd ~vi t l i he aggressive beauty of other lands, feels once

more the sof t a i r and views t he l u s l ~ egetation of the E n g l i s h

shires with their peaceflll, l ~ o m e l y illages, he will be r e a d y f o r

their message of peace a n d quiet. T o know them they must be

wooed in various moods hen t he h a ~ v t h o r nbuds powder t he

hcdges and the blossolns a r e dancing on the trees and the 11appy

st reams croon a n d g u r g l e t o then~selves under the ancient

bridges or , in some quiet pool, t l ~ r o w ack the image of the guar -

dian cl iurcl~; when t he sinliirig sun lends a coat of gold t o the

homely t l~atcl l , r when the gr ea t smoking chimneys of the cot-



A-



TH

H A L F - T I M B E R S T Y L E

,,en thro ug h th e g au nt , winter l imbs B a re ruin'd

lere late the s~ ve et i rds sang.

houses tak e their place in the landscape mo re like some

N ature tha n of ma n, more as if they had grown than

hey were made , nestl ing am ong the t rees an d verdure l ike

wer of some lar ge r plant . R ule s of the books, prece pts of

schools, seen1 ve ry artificial, thi n a n d p rofitless in the ir pres -

e. Th ese buildings have no acquaintance with the paint shop

the planing -mill; the y ar e offsprings of the soil, with their

brick an d m orta r from the f ields, an d rough-hewn t imbers dra gg ed

From the forest . A s a t ree lacks sj m m et ry bu t possesses perfect

balance, so do they. T he y are not designed un de r an ar ti f icial

rule derived from nothin g in na ture . Ne ither does their enrich-

ment of detail consist of motives copied from those on Greek

temples invented for use f ive hundred years before Christ .

W h a t detail an d o rnam ent they have cI1osen to beaut i fy an d deck

themselves i11 is their own, w ro u gh t ou t loving ly, inv ente d p ain-

ful ly an d s lowly with ma ny slips an d m an y fai lures by the people

tllemselves

-

lways improving and be t t e r ing as they come up

o u t of their darkness of ignora nce a n d poverty. E lo qu en t of

a

people's history, such houses as these re

owne

by those who live

in

them, in a very real sense.



The

harm

ork a n d

ow

Ve may Obtain

t

E

T I X G aside the estl letic point of view, let 11s consider

if

these buildillgs mu st remain lllcrely i l~ tc re st in g pecinler~s

of the l~al ldicraf t f

a

byegone ag e, or if i t is l~os sible or

us to use this s tyle of work to serve our t t r er ~ t ie t l ~erltrlry needs.

\lTllat a re we to say t o th e P laill Urisilless M a n with his

s t r ong i ~~ s t i l lc t i veuspicioll of

rt ?

EIe who says he wants

11

r~orlsellse bout his l~ ou se, o ~n i l l ine ry or h im; what he wants

is sornet l~ing o keep ou t the rail] a l ~ d eep in the l leat. ulen tv

of hot water and a l ight cellar.

H e r e is the real archi tect t iral cr it ic a t last ere the gre at ,

pat ient , pr inlal voice of the W or ld a s k i l ~ gor s l~ el ter . Th is is the

prophet of the nlarketplace s t r iving to express the d i ~ n , tavic

stirr ing s of his i~lil ern los t eing. Th lis So a ll spo ke to his s11il)-

w r igh t ; so denlanded Para ol i on the f ie lds of K ar n a k ; an d Nero

t l ~ l s dnlonis l~ed he bui lders of the Golden Hou se . A n d ~v l~ er l

I b n - i - N m l a r s t o o d o i l t l ~ eA l h a n l l ~ r a

hill

and pointed with his

scirni tar at the growing General ife i t was in words like these

lie spoke.

W it h o u r 11alf-timber wo rk we need no t fl inch benea th llis

gaze, fo r i t can fulfil all his requirem ents. N o th in g call be m or e

practical. JITe call tell him, first, th a t his wo rk is perfe ctly su ited

to our climate. Tl le plaster nlakes a warm er l~ ou set1 win ter a n d

a cooler in sum me r t11an can be 11ad with a n y of the f o r n ~ s f

wood a lo l~ e ; t costs less tha n brick or stone an d, when prop erly

done, even over wooden stud s, is very du rable. Th ere is no cost

of 11-keep, an d the an lo u ~ lt f p ain tin g or oiling is restricted to

the t r im and is negligible. Tl le color an d textu re of the plas ter

nlay be varied considerably and, even when new, is thoroughly



\

tgpic:~lc s : ~ t ~ t ) ~ l ef the stt~allerb;lrglish tltiltlors.

Sotice hrrr thc grolrpirry

of tile ~vitiOo\vs

I t is li;~rtl o srl~;~riltc.he :lrclritrct~trr rotn its setting I I ~rortl t l ~ t oftening

it~flurrtres f titne. and estitn:~tr to\r 1n11c.h f a composition like this

is rr:llly :I rrsult of ft~rrtho~lght



.THE CH RM O F

OLD \YORI<

charming and wonder fu l ly harmonious among the sur rounding

vegetation.

A s fo r appearance , one mu st not expect to f ind in the modern

work the charm and fascinatiorl which so delight us i l l tbe old

En gl i sh c rof ts and m anors , for the ir charm is l a rge ly due to ag e

n ~ ~ d1at11re. I t is an esceedingly di f f ic ~~ l tl i i l lg to judge arclli-

t ec ture of a byegone t i~ne

r SC-

that is, to separate tlie a1.clii-

t ec tn r e, t he co~~ sc i o usesign , en t i re ly f rom i t s se t ting , a r ~ d ass

judgment on i t solely as an ar t i s t ic composi t iol i , ~vi t l~out.cgart1

to th e accidental o r casual in i ts surroun ding s. W e n111st ignore

those ca ress ing n ~ a r k s y ~vh i ch r e ma y know t h a t Fa t l l e r T i n le

has passed that way. Th is added beanty an d interest bcgins

where the archi tect lef t off ; bu t tlie lat ter is too often given t he

credit for the beauty th a t is of natu re and no t of man - -the per-

fect resnl t tha t nei ther ma y obtain alone. T h e En gl is h catlic-

dra ls ere they so beau tiful, so benign, so satisf yin g, had the y

su ch p e rv a din g a u r a of s p i r i t ~ ~ a leace when th e archi tect stood

off an d viewed his finished wo rk, their f n tu re l listory u n b o n ~ nt1

t imi t l Nature looking askance f rom afar , no t ye t r eady to run

u p a ~ t ll ing abou t t he basc and s to r m t he ~ m l l s nd f ind a f oo t-

holtl in evcry cra nn y? T h e archi tect s work was do ne elreli as

n e

see it to-day, bu t t o quicken tlie observer s pulse sonletll ing wa s

~v an t ing . T he re w as lacking the subt le 11unlan interest ~v hich

comes from al>l>rcnticeshipn the service of m an . 1Vl1cn Go etlie

sp ok e ol G o th ic c h ~ ~ r c l ~ e ss bein g petrified religion it was to

these t ime-worl i reterans that he referred.

Your arclli tect is cnrefrll to ignore these

aspects

of tlie case,

an d t li sco~lnts l~ es e leasant a tltlitions to t lie p i c t ~ ~ r e .

Xc

prefers

th e c a t l ~ e t l ~ ~ a l sf F~.al lce,lloug-11 licy fo r the m os t p a rt stantl in

t l ~ c ~ i d s t f sq ~ia litl illngc s wliose 1111ts ~.orvtl 1ro1111t1llcir I~nse,

cl i l~ gi ng o tllc rc ry ski r ts of

0111

1,:ltly. I l~cse 1)11iltli11gsr e

less appcn lil lg, lcss soft ant1 cajoling. bu t they st:~n dw i t l ~ o ~ l tx -

t r a l ~ c o r ~ si tl t o l )~.oclni~l i

I I I ~

a tt es t t l ~ c r c :~ ts o ~ ~ l s11t1 i~ ~ tc l lc c ts

ol tllcir creators.

r\gc 113s

:I very

l~ o tc li t )01ver of :~l)l)c:\l o t l ~ c clisitivc 111ilit1.



TI- IE

CHAR11 O F

OLD

WORK

7

f u r t he r advanced t han

we

in this part icular a n d i t is of ten im-

possible t o tell tlle new from the old in their work. T h e y some-

times a t t a i n their effects by using old material in order to g e t

t he soft weathered a n d war m surfaces which t hey have t o offer.

t

is a common practice to make s o n ~ e a r m e r h a p p y by g i v i l ~ g

him a spick-and-span new tile o r slate roof in e s c l ~ a n g e o r his

old lichen-covered one o r t o buy his old brick barn or walls f o r

what t o 11in1is a fabl l lol~s r ice f o r badly

WOSII

mater ial a l though

cheaper f o r the

purchaser

t h a n tlie same materials new. Aga i n

old t imber hand-11en.n a n d lovely with age is obtained f rom some

old crof t so racked arld broken as t o be n o longer of use as a

building. T h e house shown facing p a g e 5 is modern holise

whose ai r of sof t repose is largely o w i ~ ~ go its use of old timber.

T h e vertical ha l f - t in~bers n this case a r e sccond-hand rai lroad

sleepers t h a t are of course r o u g l ~ l y and-he1171a n d of indifferent

straightness. Spike holes h o t s etc. were n o t considered any-

t h i ng t o be ashamed of a n d no elaborate precautions were talicn

t o hide them. Tl le l l o r i z o ~ ~ t a limbers wllich a r e longer a r e bits

of old scaffolding; a n d while i t ~ v o u l d e easy for the architect

t o find clients to admi r e t he results i t w o l ~ l d e harder t o find

those who ~ r o l l l d ave t he conrage t o sanct ion this process. B u t

while these ~net l lods r e perfeet ly proper a n d esthetically legiti-

mate a n d should sequire ~ l o t l ~ i n gu t courage t o employ tliem

it is a more debatable qrlestion when we come t o sue11 tilings a s

s l ~ i ng l eoofs imitat ing t h a t c h . F o r

in

t he first case o m building is

as honest a s the d a y is long the t imbers a r e as solid a n d as Ileavy

as t hey look; they re esac t l y what tllcy

seem

Brlt what sllnll

we say of tllcse s l l i l ~g l e - t l ~ : ~ t e l ~edoofs? T h e gui l ty cor~sciences

of these blliltlers bet ray tl~crnselves~ v l ~ e nhey l iastcl~ o nssure

us t h a t thcy a r e not i n ~ i t a t i n g l l a tc l~ t all. B u t wllcn Ire note

the gr ea t pains ant1 ingcrlllity t h a t is lavis l~edon these er idcnt ly

intractable s l ~ i r ~ g l e so make t he f lat roof cl l rre the angles blllilt

a n d t l ~ e oofs 111elt into one ano t he r ; ~vl lcnwe see the labored

inco~lseqr~enccf the s tagger ing line of s l ~ i ng l e ut ts a n d the qui te

s t a r t l i ng resemblance t o tllatcll ~ r l ~ i c l ~s the resul t i t is hard t o



keep the tongue o u t of o~ ie ' s l~ccl;. ITower-er, i t is slicli a ve ry

I :~r~dable~ i d e a v o r o correct the 1)revailiiig hardness of o l ~ t l i r ~ e ,

and s1ion.s s l ie l~ well developetl dissatisfnction ill Iiollse h l~ i l t l ing

la n~ot le , n d is so a l toge t l~c r llarming a11t1 deliglitfril ill t he

re s~ l l t , ha t one ~voriltl e ~v i l l i ng o e o ~ ~ t l o n emilell Inore se r io l~s

b rcac l~of areliiteetural ethies t h a n this. A f t e r all, if al*chi-

tcetiire is h~ i i ld ingha t has flowered in to beality," i t is well t o keep

the objce t i re eauty ore constantly before o u r eyes ant1

no t to be too muell oecupietl in being ve ry sure we a r e not break-

i n g

tile

rriles o f design; with the too conlnlon resul t t h a t \17Iie1l w e

a r e (lone, tliat is all t ha t call be said.

T h e r e is a n es is t ing conflision due, n o doubt, t o o u r IJliritali

blood, tha t a r e l ~ i t e e t l ~ r eddresses itself t o the moral sense ins tead

of t o tlie eye alone. T h e idea of

cert in

school of a r m c l ~ a i r

erities tha t art is t ic sincerity a n d the moral law a r e identieal is

one t h a t cannot be buttressetl

by

m a n y of the accepted architee-

t i lral ~nasterpieces .

'

Sincerity, ' in m a n y minds, is chiefly asso-

ciated ~ r i t l ispeak ing the trl l t l l ; b u t a r~ l i i t c e t l l r a l incerity is

s i ~ n p l y bediellce t o certain visiial requirements." T o be speeifie,

i t is no t enough t h a t eol l~mll hall be s t r o n g cnough for its load ;

i t mus t 1 1: s t r o n g enough.

I f Ruskin 's obse~.vation t h a t

in

ever -thing beautif111 there

is s o m e t h i l ~ g t r ange about its proportions," means anyth ing ,

i t means t h a t the lillmdrum rules h a r e been br01ie11 ant1 beality

is the result.

O f course i t will not d o t o assllnle tha t this is there-

fo re simple road t o areli i tecti~ral uccess, a n d t h a t one has only

t o I)e lawless t o sl~cceetl. I f one is t emp ted t o think t h a t the rriles

mlist tlie11 be wrong , tlie answer is t h a t they a r e made more t o

ac t a s ~ r a t c l ~ d o g sver tlle ineomgetent a n d t o keep bad things

f rom being perpe t ra ted , than t o bind those who a r e capable of

pro(l11eingbeauty. T h e rea l a r t i s t will a lways re ly on instinct a n d

not on rule.

Hourever, we will g o more t l~orougl i ly n to the details of how

we m a y m a k e o u r hollses less ha rd a n d elleerless in another glace.

Sliffiee it here t o know tha t sue11 results a s Ire see in the old ex



I

llc tillil c.r~ng n otllcr ol~tside vood\vorkhi~ollltl r lrIt rol~pl~~lld ll~p:~inteti



TI-IE CHARM O F O L D T V O R K

2 3

not beyond our reach a n d

t ha t what we have come t o believe to be the divorce between

beauty a n d ~ i t i l i t y s in real i ty bu t tenlporary misunderstand-

i n g a n d not a real ease of inconipatibility.

These things d o not perhaps seen1 very impor tant to m a n y

people, but tlie fact renlailis

in

this curious world t ha t there a r e

those ~ r ~ l ~ oare tremendously for tlie fun they earl Iiave \i~itll heir

eyes, a n d ~ i r l ~ oa k e these mat te r s of I~ea l i ty n d form wit11 iiior-

dinate seriorlsness. TPe ha\.e Oscar TPildeysbrilliant biography,

in

pel^,

Penci l a n d I'oison, of Gri f i t l l s T\'ainen.rigl~t, the

fanious dilet tante a n d esthete of the Lolldoll of tlie early p a r t

of the last e e n t ~ i r y ,vIio combined wit11 liis otlier talents t h a t of

a persistent mlirderer by t he use of poison. TVlien this tempera-

~ i ~ e n t a lo[lng 1i1an l ay ill gaol, a w a i t i ~ l g r a ~ ~ s p o r t a t i o nor

crimes, lie was visited by f r i e d \ rho reproaelietl hini for tlie

1vilf111

~ n ~ i r d e rf liis sister-in-la\\.; he sl l rugged liis s l~oulder s n d

said: Yes, it was a dreadful t h i ng t o d o u t slie hacl very

thick anlclcs. I t i s s l t r l~r is ingh a t some of our sensitive yorlllg

architects, in a monient of f u r y agains t t he ana t omy of m a n y

of our drvellings, a r e not languisll ing bellind the bars f o r

arsoli.

TVe m ~ l s t , io~vever,h a r e an honest love for simplicity a n d a

llenltlly scorn for ostentation if we a r e t o become Iiappy o\rners

of tlie t y p e of work of \vliicll we 11ave been speaking.

It

is essen-

t ial ly

domestic

cozy, a n d ~ i n m o n ~ i ~ n e n t a l ,n d if we wish t o fer -

tilize erivy in our op~ l l e l l t eiglibors this is not tlie way, f o r o u r

moliey call 1)esprcatl orlt much t l~i l iner nd tlie bui l t l i~ ig l o ~ r n p

t o twice its size for the salne price. T17e can h a r e Corintll ian col-

Ilnilis r ~ ~ n ~ ~ i ~ l g

p

t11ro11gli h e e stories t ha t r i l l ol l t s l~outo u r

plnstel-etl cot tage ant1 gelierally create all inil)ressiol~ f f a t divi-

clerltls; for arel~i tectr l re all I)c nlatlc t o cspress coupolls as well

21s slipl)ers nlld

:I

pipe. \ P e 1111lst not fear t1i:lt tliey \\rill

think we br~il t ll111sl ~ecausewe c:in :lfl'orcl r i o t l ~ i l ~ glse.

111

f ac t

this is not for tlieln a t d l . l \ r l ~ e ~ i'opc J111i11s c o ~ i i ~ ~ l a i ~ ~ c ~ l

because there was no gold

011

the p n i ~ ~ t c di g ~ ~ r c sf the S i s t i ~ i e



3 TI IE

I IALF TI3IBEIt

I IOUSE

Cliapel, Th ese ar e simple persons, replied the painter, simple

persons wlio wore no gold on their garments.

H alf- t im ber eanno t eompete with al l gold, and tliose who

have

a

hall l iering for the gorgeous wil l f ind ~lotl l i~lgf interest

between these covers. W e ar e discussing anotlier m atte r, mo re

homely bu t closer t o th e lives of simple persons.



The hoice o Styles

T

IE

11alf-timber h o i ~ s e~ v a s eveloped in a flat country.

I t s main divisions, its roofing, a n d al l i ts mallifold details,

were t l ~ e irect ontgrowth of the conditions under wliich

i t was born a n d had i ts growth.

W h i l e i t is pos-

S i te

and

s i l ~ l e o briild a n y sor t of building anywhere, i t is

octrtiolz

har d t o i m p a r t t o i t the appea r ance 1r11ich a build-

i n g s l ~ o t ~ l dave, of being tlie only natura l a n d

proper building for t ha t par t i cu lar place. house s h o ~ l l d lways

impress onc as being so exact ly r ight t h a t i t is almost impossible t o

imagine a n y other so r t of house in t h a t partictllar spot . T11e1.e

must be no j a r between man's work a n d Nature 's . E a c h archi-

t ec tura l style was developed under different conditions of cli-

mate, civilization, materials, requirements a n d si te ; a n d each

has its own set t ing into wl~icll t falls perfect ly a n d carries the

sat isfying conviction, when once i t is seen in its r ight surround-

ings, t h a t i t is inevitably t l ~ e ight t h i ng a n d fits a s perfect ly a s

the last piece in a picture puzzle.

O u r Engl i sh cot tages a n d crofts would look as s t range on t h e

r uggcd hillsides jvlierc the Swiss clli let has its home, as tlie chiilet

~voul t l n the soft, gent l e nleads of E n g l a n d . Aga i n , the house

of the Spani sh p e a s a ~ i t vot l ld evcr do in E n g l a n d , rvitli its g r e a t

cornicc, thicl; walls a n d small windows.

A s a r c l ~ i t c c t ~ l r es the direct orl tgro\r th of conditions a n d re-

quirements, by frllfilling thcse conditions, by n ~ a k i n g t m i g h t

for tllc dcsi1.ct1 goal , fol lowing tlie lines of least resist:ulcc, with

absol r~ tc ly

IO

t l ~ o t ~ g l i tf prot lr lci l~g a r ch i t ec t ~ l r e a t all

-

o r

a r t is a rcstllt, not a ~)rot l t lc t

-

e

shall

ill

sp i t e of orlrsclres d o

jrlst this. t l t i l i ty alld logic a r c tlie ~ ~ n r e l ~ t sf t l ~ c Stylcs.

r

lc strrlgglc for ~)ict l l l -esquc~iess,l l wl ~ i ch lie val-iorls pa r t s

of' tlic outsitlc o f tlic I)llildillg a r c t o r t r ~ r c d I I I ~ wisted t o n ~ a l i c



3 TI IE

I - I A L F - T l b I B E R H O U S E

a picture, esact ly as a painter arrar igcs the objects for his can-

\.as, and ill \~liic11h e u n n il lin g pIa11 is (1r:lgged hither ant1 yo]],

d i s jo i~ l t cd , nd ger ie r i~ l ly ll used, can only e ~ l d n

dct 1~

failure. I t has been well said th a t the oilly artistic

rig il~ alit y -orth any tli ing is t h a t ~v hich omes fro111

Naif tinlbcr

since rity. bLanufact11red picture squene ss results ill

ouscs a

sort of unconscionable stage scenery, and is to

hones t wor k n~ha t lie landscape of the scenic rail-

way a t Concy I s l and is t o na t u r e . I t is scen ic bu t so n~ c l i o ~ r

does not fill the soul of tJle nature-lover with

a

satisfying, solid,

an d last ing joy.

\Ve remember that 11711en Gulliver went to Lilliput he found

a m ost ingenious architect who ha d contrived a nen 7 method of

building houses, by be ginning a t the roof an d wo rking do\\m-

w ard to tlie foundation , ~ ~ ~ l i c he justified to me by the practice

of those t ~ v o ru de nt insects, th e bee a nd th e spitler.

t

n70uld

seem as

if

this ardhitcct m ~ i s t ar e m igrated, to jud ge by the corn-

pl icated roofs n~hichwe see covering certain houses about us, for

it is hard to beliere that their mazy intricacies could liare been

acllieved by a n y oth er method.

W e can but repea t what has been said before, th at the inside

an d outside of a house form an ent irety ant l m ust n ot be t reated

as two separa te th ings . P icturesqueness is not a s~ ~ c c e ssf it

smells of the lamp, and should never be placed first , but as

n~elcom e ddit ion to the result of logical a nd s t r aig ht fo r~ m rd olv-

in g of the util i tarian problem. I t should be a sort of by-prod uct

of honest builtl ing. Picturesqu eness is th e g a y an d lo~yable ister

of Com mon Sen se, who often accompanies her, antl over the

resul t of her cold calculations t h r o ~ r s he soft , myster ious veil

of I<omanee.

She appears unheralded before the t i red eyes of

the master builder, a t imid inaitl

n.110

only comes u~isought , nd

flees fro m those rho furiously I>urslle. A n d

SO

if we find tha t she

is with us in o u r escursions, i t will be because we are solving o ur

problems simply an d honestly an d 11are forg otte n her esistence.

t is because each case must be considered by itself that

it



TI IE

C H O I C E O F S T Y L E S

is so h ard t o la y d o ~ m rc n g en er al r111es of arc hite ctu ral eon-

duct , for the escept ional and the normal cases would be about

ecIual. A s we ar e disei~ ssin g n E ng lish style, let 11s look a t the

s o r t of l~or lse h e n1odc1.11Englislmman likcs a n d see how i t differs

fro m the correspontling drvelling in this co un try.

B ef or e considering th e plan in i ts detai ls let us f irst t r y t o

come to some untlerstanding of the 1)r ineiples th at should op era te

in the w orking ou t of th e problem a t hand, no

matter what pu r -

poses it is called upon to serve.

There a1.e three forms of difficulty in making

a

good plan,

\vhich a re fount1 in va ry in g degree s in individual cases. F i r s t :

the 1)lan rega rde d as

,z

sort of Chincse puzzle in w llicl~ he ob jec t

in view is to arrange thc blocks, that is , the rooms, spaces and

conveniences dem ande d by the owner l l of various shape s,

sizes a11t1~ s c s o tha t the bes t possib le resu l t m ay be obta ined ,

g i ~ i n gull weight to convenience, conlfort and eeononly of both

space an d money. A f te r determining the prope r s izes an d rela-

tion of parts, we shall find the problem resolves itself into a

s t n ~ g g l e or coml)actness , an d t he elimination of waste space.

Secontl : nre have to consider th e plan

in

relation to architec-

tr l l .al composi t ion both within and ~vithout . Third: the plan

in i ts relat ion t o th e cost . O f course i t is understood th a t

these d i f i e i~ l t i es r e not to be th o l~ g h t f as be ing met a nd orer -

come al l a t one t ime, b ut on the cont ra] -7 they are a l l present in

th e n ~ i n d f t l ~ clcsigner f r om t l ~ e) eg i n~~ i r l g ,nc1 it is a c on sta nt

consideration of th e va ry in g claims of each series of com-

promises, a sacr if ic ing of the less imp or tant for the greate r l ~ a t

moltls the gro w ing work an d f inal ly p rod r~c es h e w ell balanced

resii lt . I t is a m at te r for \ -cry nice jut lgnlent , fol. the q ~ ~ e s t i o n

o f e s ~ ~ e n d i t i i r e ,

f

it is limitctl, as is 11si1ally he case, is a r op e th a t

is contini~alI - bringing 11s

1111

s l~ o rt . E v e ry Ilouse woultl be so

much Ilettcr i f

(

l~ey woult l only spei ld a l i t t le more money

I - I o ~ ro s ~ c ~ ~ t ll ~ c oney avai lable to t llc very best possible ad -

vantage is the e ru s of t l ~ c a t t e r , and ac t s as c l~cc li o the o ther

two considerations.



3 TZIE I IALF TIJIUEIt I IOUSE

T o the dispara gem ent of thc arclli tect ant1 to t he glo ry of t lie

owner be it stlid that the rope is

generally

Icngtlicncd before the

cnd is reaclled. T o tlie disp ara gem ent of the arcliitect, because

he sllotild be capable of doing wliat he is toltl or of nlaking it

know11 a t th e s ta rt th at i t is inlpossible t o fulfi l the reqli irem e~lts

fo r the g iven slim. T o th e gl ory of tlie on7rler, because lie colnes

to recognize before tlic builtling is finished that lie is spending

lllorc money than lie ever spent before in his lifc, that he has

deman ded so ~n uc l i n the f i rs t p lace and has caused his m oney

to be spreacl so thin, that tlle quality is bound to stlffer not oilly

in the mate r ia l s and ~vorkmans l~ i l )l i t i l l a baldness that tran-

scends simplicity. T he re is da ng er of al l the work being inade-

qua te

inl less

lie adds

a

little more.

I n

other ~v ord s , he d if ference

between having everything half r ight and exactly r igli t is not

very great , and he very sensibly f inishes properly what l le has

begun.

B u t we m ay now re re r se the ep i t l~e t s . I t is t o the d i spa rage -

ment of tlie owner that he is so seldom frank 114th his architect

a n d so seldonl me ans w ha t lie says. Pe rl la ps it is because 11e 11as

heart1 that arcliitects always esceed the stipulated cost and so

he th inks that by nam ing some sw n below w hat he is rea l ly pre-

pared to pay 11e will bc clever cilougli to p i n his elids an d diplo-

matic enough not to hur t th e architec t' s fee lings . Pe rh ap s he has

read in th e llarvellous ITTistlom an d Q ua in t Conceits, of

Tho ma s Ful le r , wri t ing in the seventeenth century , tha t

I n

bl~ilcl-

in g rath er believe an y nlan th an an artif icier should the y

tell thee all t lie cost a t the f irst , i t would b last a y oun g builder a t

th e bl~dd ing. I f this is th e rettson i t is

a

great mis take , beca~ise

it leads t o tlie design of a scheme for the I~ ous ewith the low cost

in view, and w h en t o ~ v a r d h e e n d t h e o w n er b eg in s t o s h o ~ r

disposit ion to s pend mo re an d lia\.e thin gs better i t is too late f or

addit ions. T he re is no outlet , esc ep t fo r such t li ings as bearnecl

ceilings, paneling in rooms not designecl for it , better toilet fis

tures in the too small bathrooms, e s t ra rooms forced in to a n a t t ic

p lanned fo r no th ing b u t s to rage , o r Illore p lumbing ~ o o r l ycconl-



THE C H O I C Z O F STYLES

modated in out-of- the-way places.

Of ten , ho~vever , h e owner

callnot 1)e nccr~sedof t l i s i n g c ~ ~ u o ~ ~ s n e s sll s t a t i ng his i ~ ~ t e i ~ t i o n s ;

p e r l i a ~ ) ~1ol.e of ten lie makes it a cast iron contlition a t the s t a r t

t h a t he nust have certain t l~ i i igs n d t h a t 11e will

not

pay

brit a

given sum.

It

is not Ilard t o see t ha t these two fiats on his p a r t

a r e seldom a good fit, a n d t h i ~ t t is the dcmands tha t are 11stla11y

too large t o cram into tlic srlm. T h e n , lie being adamant f o r

both, i t u s~ i a l l yends in his h a v i ~ l g r11at 11e wan t s and pay i ng

for it.

Ant1 t o continue a n d j r ~ s t i f y u r classification, i t is t o the glory

of t he architect t h a t hc is of ten

aide

t o f i l ~ d he hiclden t r u t h of

the whole mat t c r of mhic l~ ven tlie owner is unconscious, and so

save the owner fro111 l~imsclf . T h e course of education ~ v l ~ i c l ilie

onmer of a new 11ouse has forced upon him is appalli l lg, as lic is

tlie first t o recogl izc w l ~ e n c looks back over the finishcd ~ r o r l i .

f

a t the s t a r t lie is sometimes inclir~ed o the itlea tha t it is all

ma t t e r t h a t he, a s t r o l ~ g lali, call t ake by tlie throat , 11e usual ly

ends in a more cliasteliecl f r ame of niiiid, mid 1vit11grea ter respect

f o r builtling problcnis. T h e architect is t empt ed t o p a r a p l ~ r a s e

the wi t ty F r e n c h woman who saitl, M e n a r e different but all

liusbantls a r e alike, a n d say t h a t M e n a r e different brit al l

clients a r c alike.

N o w t ha t we h a w consiclcretl sonie of t he l i o l ~ s n the p a t h

leading to our c:lstlc in the air, a n d lio\v they ar e t o be tametl

01

ci rc~l invented, et 11s consitle~.~ v l l a t s tlie desideratum in a home

af t c r all , a n d how Ire may o l~ ta i i i t . It m a y be taken allnost a s

a n a s i o ~ n hat the samc pro1)lem never occ~irswice.

I t Ii:~sbeen

calcr~lated hat the clianccs of a man's empt y i ng a baskct frill of

lct tcrs off the roof of

a

h o ~ i s e111tl having them form tlienlselves

into I-Ionler's Iliatl on the

1:1wn

is qui te remote. T h c cllanccs

a r e abou t the samc of t1ie1.cever l ) c i l ~ gw o exact ly s i n~ i l a r alllilies

of esac t ly similur ~ r ca l t l l ,wlio desirc t o spcnd tllc sanic f lact ion

o f it f o r csac t ly t he s:line 11orisein size, a r r n i i g e n i e ~ ~ t ,ild a p p e a r -

ance, on clrlplicatc picccs of lalit1 lli~tls r i r r o r i i ~ ( l i ~ ~ g s .T l ~ e r c

ain't no such a ~ ~ i m a l ,ls tlic farmer said ~vl ien 1esaw tlie

hippo-



3 TH

IIALF TIAIBER HOUS

potamus.

very

architect knows

O V

iinpossible it is ever to

usc the same pla n twice a n d for this reason books of ready-

n~ at l c lans can

never

offer a rcal fit in an y case a ~ l d re per -

nicious

i l l

thcir paper plausibi l i ty divorced from the si te and i ts

or ic l~tat ion.



English and merican House Plans

T

t \vo accompanying plans have been selected as es-

anlples of moderate-priced English country houses of the

sort that are bui l t and l ived in to-day by the well- to-do

classes. T he y are not given becailse they are part icular ly good

or part icular ly bad, but as plans that possess features typical of

present-day work and conlnlonly found in the average I louse

inhabited by the cul t ivated Bri tisli family. T h ey a re instruct ive

because , be i ng n l ode r ~~loilses an d planned to sui t the occu pant ,

the y t l irow an interest ing l ight on the de n~ arld s nd predilectioils

of the X11glisl1.

Tliey a re instructive because they give a gl inlpse

of Eng lisli cliaracte r, a n d tlieir difference from houses of a similar

class i r ~his country is a measure of a true ethnological difl 'erence

in the peoples, which is more subtly cspressed in bricks and

mor t a r than i t ~ r o l l l dbe possible to do it ill words. Is e re we

have a sermon in stones.

Jl'e sllall see th a t the desire for privacy

with o u r British cousills is ahn ost mo rbid, an d is equalled only by

th e desire for cozincss an d th e ha tred of form ali ty an d st if fr~ess.

This makes itself felt in the strict eschelring of symmetry or

ase s in tlie plan, or any thing tha t tends to forrnali ty . T h e

Am erican desirc for a house th a t opens u p well wo111d

be

in-

co nceiv al~le o them . T h e ir ~ ~ ~ a l l c da r dens , r oon~swith slnall

doors, each cut off from the othcrs, low ceilings and love of fire-

place an d inglenook, all spea k of the desire fo r infornlal dolllestic

lifc ant1 slil)l)c rcd easc.

L e t 11s non7 look a t thc first of t l~ c s c lans. O ne of th e most

proni inent of col~temporaryE ~ l g l i s l ~rchitects in writing of this

p lan says, l'he s i te was qui te ~ r i t h o ~ l tlly scnse of priv:lcy, ill

t l lc rcsidel~tic~lar t of the tonn.

A n

attclnpt Itas 1)ecri lllatle to

re~ iletly his in th e irre gu lar form of bililding an d th c arclied e n tr y

to the forecourt .

To

a n t l n l e r i c a ~ ~ ,ift y fe et fro111 h e roa d

in



8 TI IN I ItILF TI31

B E I t IIOUSE

tlic residential p a r t of th e tow n wo111d ill itsclf have answ erctl

al l the dcm ands of pr ivacy; instead of fu r th er pu t t in g

a

liedge

The plan of

a

modern English home, selected at random, illustrating the

Englishman s insistence upon seclusion

between

him

an d the street he rvolild infal libly have tr ied to g e t

back into things by building

a

great piazza across the ent ire

fro nt of the house. B u t this

v e r y

typical Br i ton af ter he has

re trea ted thus fa r t lw o~ rs is scu lle ry a nd gara ge

u p

in front of



ENGLISH XD

L U I E R I C A N H O U S E

PL NS 3

the master s por t ion of the house as a guar d , a n d drives under

a portcullis-like ent rance t o a n entirely enclosed cour t where Ile

nlay g e t o u t of his car r iage in reasonable safety f rom being seen

-this nTasbuilt before flying machines, a n d tlie chance of being

discovered ~ i o w eing e n o r n ~ o u s l y ncreased, lie will doubtless

roof his court. S o far , then, having fought the good fight against

the distressing publicity of his plot of land, le t us suppose that,

by hook o r crook, bribery a n d cor r u l ~ t i onwe have penet rated

I t worries the Englishman and his architect not a t all that in the serrice from kitchen to

dining room the maids must traverse the full depth of the house

into the forecourt .

I t is of good size an d alnlost ent irely sur-

round etl by the w ings of t lle ho ~ls e, he effect being very c llar ~l l-

ing an d interest ing. \Ye see tha t the b~ l i l t l i~ igovers a grea t dea l

of groullt l an d we sta nd be fore tl lc g re a t door

i l l

thc ccritrc of tllc

1ilai11hollse wit11 lively especta tioll of 1vl1:lt will 1111rstup011 11s

whcn t l l c b~~t lc l -lings open the tloor.

\ P ~ I C I I

he door is o l ~ c n e d

we sce st re tchi ng atiead of 11s --t he

"

p a n t r y

"

I.I:~ stily l ~ r n i ~ l g

to t lie r ight a lltl pretent li llg ~ v c ave rl t noticc d, we

enter

a fair-

sized hall from wllicll susp icious litt lc tloors allow 11s g ru dg in g ly



1 TI IE I I A L F - T I J I I 3 E R E I O U S E

to enter ~vl lata re sure to be deliglltful rooms. Tlie stairs nre

tliscover later have scrltldetl aro1111d llc co rner ancl a re I~ id in g

in the tlarliest end of the hall.

I f the gree ting offered t o the stra ng er by this typical a rrang e-

m ent s c e ~ ~ ~ saeliing

i l l

effusive and cspansive cordiality, ]lave

I r e not heard the same ellarge bro ~lg ht gainst i ts

typical

owner?

O ne of the strallge features of Ellglish Ilou se- pli~ nl~ il~g~llicll

is better seen in the secolld plan is the distance and gelleral lack

A typical plan for an American home that opens

u

well

of connection between the kitchen and dining-room. t is more

common t l ~ a n ot for the but ler t o have to w alk some distanee

past the front door or tllrougll a eorridor used by the liousel~old

to reach the dining-table. I t may be of value to the ta rd y dresser

to be ren lii~d ed h at dinn er is waiting by th e odor of th e calili-

flower as it is borne through the house; an d to llare to sta nd

aside to let one s soup pass ~ v o u ld t least give us useful advance

k r ~ o ~ v l e d g ellieh mig ht make u p fo r some loss of heat. Th is

tells us very pla i~i ly ha t it is unnecessary to make it easy for



E N G L I S H ASD - 1 E R I C d N

HOUSE PLt 1SS 4

servants wliere they a r e so p l en t i f r ~ l n d so g o o d ; the designs

of o u r hol~ses

l l

this count ry a r e too of ten sacrificed t o n ~ a k e

snares to keep tlienl.

Now let 11s r e t l i r ~ l o the Uni t ed

S t a t e s a n d consider \vllat

\ re Iiave taker] as typical s l i b l ~ r b a l ~lan as we see it ill its essen-

tials. I t is plttced not too f a r f r om t he street , t he nlai11 living-

roonls f a c i ~ l gt a11d

I

piazza big or lit t le abou t the f r on t door

\ \?l~ichs ofteli 1oc:~tetl ll the middle. Th i s brings the llall in t he

cent re of the I~ouse n d we 11nve

:tt

011ee on enter ing a per fec t

vie\\. of the roollls or] either side t l i r o l ~gh rge doors, ~ ~ s u n l l y

slidillg o r fol t l i~lg. E v e r y llook and corller is esposed. O n e may

rake the ~vllole 11aster's pol-ti011a t n g l a~ l ce . N o reticence Ilere,

n o secrets o11 a r e taliell into the Ileart of the 1io111ea t once,

a n d r ~ r ~ l e s sou a r e a n~ot les t nan a n d swerve f r om yorlr pa th ,

yo11

\\ ill

f i~ i t l ourself walking rlystairs in to the boutloir. Tllis

is i~ldeet l

a

11ouse t h a t opens 1) well

;

i t is good for enter-

ta ini l~g, fine circulation, l ight , sl111 a11(1air. thi111i it 111list

be t ha t we have a feeling t h a t i t is s~lobbislia n d ~ l n f r i e ~ l d l y ,

perllaps n trifle ~ ~ n d e m o c r a t i c h a t bogey ant1 knock-down

argunierlt in the arsenal of every f r eebor n Aner i ean - t o wall

OIIC'S

gardell o r sit away f rom tlle traffic, o r pull down one's cur-

tain.

TITe do not feel the need of privacy o~lrselves, a n d t he

esistenee of the feeling in o t l ~ e r swould rob 11s of n gr ea t (leal

t ha t is i l l te~isely nteresting.

TPalls, o r being a ~ v a y ro111 t he

st reet make i t diflicult t o see the pass i~ lg .

I t

is ha r d not t o know

wllat the neigl1bo1-sa r e d o i ~ l g .

I t is 11ot a mat t e r t ha t is a t a11 related to e s p e n s e ; wllen our

plodtler

i l l

the r n ~ i k s ias received his captairl's stripes, we shall

filld his I la l f -~~i i l l io~l -dol lar~ouses f1111danle11t:~llj.he same. I-Te

tlocs riot I)~liltl

n

l ~ i g ,cornfortnble n l a ~ l s i o ~ liorlse wit11 11luc11

t l ~ o r l g l ~ to tlie stable, kcnriels, g r o l i l ~ d s n d other nppllr tel~ariees

of a c o l ~ n t r y e l i t l enn : ~~~ .llsteatl of s~ i c l i I~ouse le builtls all

erlonnorls

palace,

col(l, fornlal a11d sr~nil) t r ious. 1'1fir111ed

011

ascs , Ire still see oil e l l t e r i ~ ~ ghe door, vil-tually the \vllole. T l l a t

the s l i g l ~ t l y )eivil(leretl owller f'cels soniewlint

wed ill

the pres-



TI IE

H A L & ' - T I > I U E I Z .

HOUS

ence of so n11lcl1 nlonumental digni ty is bet rayed by the insertion,

in some out-of- the-way corner, of a s111al1office where he a n d liis

bat tered roll-top desk m a y mctaphorieal ly fall into c a e l ~ tller's

a r m s ; here 11e \\-ill malie llinlsclf a l i t t le l lo~ile~vit l l in

a

1lo111e.

TITe ove to dwell 11 our ope11 plumbing and patent thermostats

a ~ l d leetrie eur l ing irons, a n d say t ha t the poor E n g l i s h ~ ~ ~ a ~ i

does n't k11o\17 vllat comfort is.

N o mistake can be greater . I-Ie

cares so 1nuc11for his eomfort , he so wants what he wan t s as 11e

~ v a ~ ~ t st, tha t 11ewill let

?zotliiuy

s tand in his

way

-nothing else

is i m p o r t a l ~ t . H e will sacrifice t r y i ng t o inlpress his

neighbors

y e s t e r ~ l a l

retentiousness,

11e will let no a r c l ~ i t ec t uml onsider-

ation rob

him

of his privaey a n d coziness. H i s enter ta inments

\ \ i l l Ilave to do t he best they c a n ; he has figured oilt that he

enter tains a few times in a year a n d lives in his ]louse e r e r y day.

I I e surrounds llinlself ~ v i t h is horses a n d dogs a n d motor cars,

the keynote of eomfor t is ~ v e l l ustained in the nlilieu tllnt 11e loves

t o malie for Ilimself, a n d the life t h a t goes on in his little g r o u p of'

bui ld i l~gs s alnlost as c o n ~ p l e t e n d diverse as t ha t under t h e

roof of a meclieval monastery.

S o 111uel1 or the differenees tha t a r e cardinal a n d indigenous

in the Engl i sh work. IVhell C l ~ a r l e sD u d l e y W a r n e r said t h a t

he would as lief have a n E n g l i s l ~ m a n~ v i t l ~ o u tide wlliskers, he

might have been j us t a s forceful

if

he had said t h a t 11e 1170r1 tl

j u s t a s lief h a r e a n Engl is l lman w11o (lid n't live in a cottage.

L e t 11s consider these Ilouses in

relation t o our olvn, a n d

see if there a r e not some valuable lesso~ls o be learned fro111

them.



i 111otler11~nlf timber ho~rsc ~ t.:ssrr I. c.lls. S J . . wit11t l~cypical

tIi:~~on:~l~ ~ ( l - l ~ r a ( wan11gr(*:~tcr1:iI)or:ition n 1 1 1 ~):~ys

(:low oI)serv:~tio~~f t l ~ c ~;II~I~AIIork will

1 1 ~ 1 1

11sto ~ivoitl11cttw-

tl(.llc.).o\v:irtl too

~ r c . : ~ t

l :~l)or;~tio~~

l l 1 1 1 ~i 1 1 1 1 t . r

p:~ttc.rl~\



THE

IIr\LI~ TlJ113ER

I - I O U S E

I n th e first place it is ofteii tr l le tha t on a given piece of

grountl there may be several spots wl~ere t is perfectly possihle

to bllild a n economical, a tt ra ctive :111tl livab le house,

slid

personal

tas te an d inclivid~ial pretli lectio~iss l ~ o u l dbe carefully colis~lltetl

before reachilig a decision. T h e ge ne ral sclieme an d size of tlie

build ing mrlst not be lost s igh t of for a nmoment, ant1 th e ques tion

of the fit of th e l io~ise n the la nd shoultl be very e ar ef ~i lly on e

illto a nd .r~ itli s little left to giiessworli a n d approsiiimatioll ns

possihle. 'l'l~eg ra de of th e land , if the piece is sloping, is a m ost

cleecptive thing, ai id al~raysends to look more near ly level t l ~ a n

is actu ally the case. I t is an es celle nt plan in consitlel.ing an y

given spot to (lo a l i t t le rollgh leveling.

A

snlall level will do

very well , ant1 even a bo ttle allnost en tirely fu ll ~ r i t l i ts l i t t le

air bubble has been known to give sat isfactory ~ * es ~ ll t s . \Tlien

we lmare to deal 114th a piece of lai1d other than a city lot, it is

oft en a p roblem how Ire shall face the house, or wh ether tlie orien-

tat ion s lia ll be g o ~ e r n e d y the sun or by the view. I n an y case,

before we draw our plans we sho~i ldhave a topograpl~icaln lap

m ad e of so iiluch of th e gr ou nds 3s 7ve 1)ropose t o (leal with, g iv in g

two-foot elevation lilies if the piece is large a n d t l ~ e ro ~ ln d ery

ro ~ ig ll , r one-foot lines if the re is less difficlilty. I t is folly t o

attempt to do serious, careful vrork ~vithout nowing aeeuratel .

the 1 e ~ e ls o be encountered. Cur iously en o~ig l i he southern

aspect in the old English house was often purposely avoided.

Andrew Baard, the heal th faddist of the s ixteenth century, in-

st ru ct s those nrho bilild t o :

O rdre a nd edy fy t lie l io~ise o that the p ryneipale an d chief

pros l~ec t sma y be eest an d west , special ly north eest ; sou th eest

aimd so uth west f or t he m erya l of a1 ~ v y n d e s s the m ost v rorste ,

for tlie south v y l d e dot11 co rrup t and doth make ej yl l vapours .

T h e eest wyntle is temperate , f ryske, an d f ra gra nt . T h e west

wind is m ut ab le ; th e nortlm .rq-nde p u rg e th y11 vap oiirs; wh ere-

fore bet ter it is of the two ~ r o r s teh a t tlie .rvindo\vs do open pla yn e

n or th than pla ?me so llt l~ ."

So\v wllile i t is not l ikely that the characters of these



H O W T O

PLAN

T I - I E I - I O U S E 4 3

wj~ides have ehanget l much s ince these observat ions, i t a t

l eas t ~vo l ~ l t leen1 that tliose

n.110

or dr e arid ed yf y tile house

liave so ~n e \ \ ? l ~ s thanged t lieir niint ls abou t wh at they l ike. I n this

c o ~ ~ n t r y ,t least, t l~ o se v l io nrell near th e At lan t ic seaboard w ill

ackno\v ledge t l ~ a t h ile the ees t ~ v y n d es fryske they may be

less read y to assent to the idea t l iat t lie sou th~ ve st s the

no st

worste.

F o r houses tl ia t a r e t o be e s e l u s i ~ ~e l yo r s ~ ~ m n l e rse in

a

section of t lie coun try w llere the lleat is no t a th in g to be avoided,

i t i s ~ la tura l ly lie ricw 1vhic11 will h a re prefe renc e in th e la y-o ut

of the pr incipal l iving-rooms. H o ~ r e r e r ,n houses t l iat are t o be

lived in a11 tlie year round it is ~Sarely ood policy to ignore the

clieerful track of O ld Sol, an d it is a rem arka ble view indeed tl iat

would j~ ls t i f y s in placing o ur l iving-room where tl ie sun ~ vo ul d

not en ter dr ~ r i n g cons iderable p ar t of the day .

I - Iar ing placed our l iving-room, we have nest to determine

th e relative positions of t lie dining-room ant1 hall. F o r tl ie

dining-room we shall be wise to t r y for e i ther a n east , nor theast

or soutl ieast c orner so th at I re ma y liave t lie su n a t breakfast

wit11 i ts po ~v er fu l id to cheerfulness a t this d epress ing period of

th e day. J\'I ietlier i t m ay no t be wise to sti l l fu rth er dispel t l ie

n a t i ~ ra l loom by ad di ng a fi replace is a fair question. Unless,

l i o ~ r e r e r ,l i e d i ~ ~ i n g - r o o ms a la rg e one, sonie one is sure to Iiave

too warm a back, as wit11 n dini~~g-tablen the centre t l ie seats

of t liose abo ut i t a re b o i~ n d o be close to the fou r ~~ yalls.

fire-

place may, however , of ten be eco~~omieal lylaced

i l l

this 1-oon1

as it will probably

II

near enoug li t o t he k i t c l ~ e~ lo liave o ~ i e f

i t s c l i in~neyB~les,placetl tliere fo r tli at piirpose, 11set1 for tlie

kitelien range, tlie smoke pipe froni rvl~iclim ay be easily ~l ia t le o

p ass t l ~ r o i ~ g l i11 i ~ i t e r v e ~ ~ i r i gut ler's pa nt ry o r some service spac e

of tlie so rt . Aga i n a s a f ~ ~ r t l i e rn t idote for tlie I~ l l ~ e s ,

I

\vi~itlo\v

bay fo r flo\vers is a ~veleo nie ~tlt l it ion, nt1 the nlorning s ii ~ iwill

m a ke tlie a r i - a l ~ g e n ~ e ~ l t11i c n i i ~ l e ~ i t l y~ r a c t ic a l ~ i e .

Tl ie ( lining-room f isetl , ~ v e ~ a v e o t s o ~ i i r l c l ~atitude in

plat

ing the ki tc l~en , s i l l this eo1111try t is all alm ost i l ~ ~ iv c rs a llls-



TH

I I A L F - T l J I l 3 E R

HOUS

tom, h a r i n g as its reason economy of steps a n d time, t o 11ave it

n e s t tlie dining-room, o r a t least separated f rom i t only by the

butler s p a n t r y thro1igh whi c l ~ t m a y be entcrecl, o r else by means

of a shor t hall ou t of ~vh i ch h e p a n t r y leads.

t

is very desirable

t h a t there shall be t ~ v o oors bc t ~veen hese roonls, t o s1111t o u t

tlic noise and the odors t h a t tend t o pel letrate f rom the l i i tche~l o

the dining-room, a n d t he butler s pai l t ry makes a very welcome

buffer between t he two.

f

the dining-room is on the southeast

this m a y well br ing t he kitchen on the northwest . T h i s is tlie

least desirable corner of the 1101isefor other rooms, a n d not a t al l

objec t io~ lable o r the purposes to which a kitchen is pu t .

t

is

tlie coldest corner of the house, a n d as the kitchen is a p t t o be thc

hottcst room, r a t he r hot t e r t han those who work there desire, i t is

well t ha t i t should s t and as a protector a n d advance guar d against

t he chill nor th ~vincls. Also t he p a n t l y or larder , which mill be

near-by, is the one room in the h o ~ i s eh a t should never see t he sun,

a n d the same is t r u e of t he neighboring shed where the refr igera-

t o r has its place. T h e placing of the f r on t door a n d hall a r e gov-

errled by both t he position of the living-room a n d t he location

o f t h e street. W h i l e i t is most often found on the f r on t of t he

house, there is no reason why i t should not be on either side if i t

will help in t he placing of o u r other rooms where we w a n t them.

I n small work w shall do well t o make u p o u r minds t o saving

space in t he hall a n d using i t t o bet ter advan t age e l se~rhere .

A f t e r the stairs a r e ar ranged all we shall need is room enough

f or a chest, a chair o r two a n d space enough t o speed t h e par t i ng

guest .

T h i s disposes of t he essential pa r t s of the ord inary house of

modera te cost. T h e r e a r e various rooms t ha t a r e very comn~orl ly

acldcd to this skeleton a n d ~vh i ch

n

indiridlial cases a r e consiclercd

essential, a l though t hey a r e not really fundamental a n d sliould

proper ly be considered as lusuriol is a n d delightful addit ions of

~ v h i c l ~e shall 11al.e as m a n y as we can afford.

t

is

a

question

whether the vestibule should come under the head of

a

necessity

o r a l usu r y . I f t he door is oil the northrvest a n d is unprotected



H O I V

T O

PLAN I HE H O U S E

by

z

pore11 and the house si tuated in a colt1 climate, i t is per -

haps a necessity.

It

is a p t t o be a nuisance if i t is too small, tlie

maid having to flatten herself behind tlie door on one side while

tile

visitor squirms

by

on the otlier.

Tl le library s11011ltfbe one of the most at t ract ive rooms in the

ho~lse, n d it is not difficult t o make it so.

t

is not necessary for

one t o be of such a l i terary t u r n as t o say wit11 Seigneur AIontaigne

of llis library, l'liere is iny seat, there is m y throne. T h e r e with-

o u t ortlcr arid without i ne t l ~od y pieee meales

-

turrl over

and ransacke nonveone book a n d now another a n d walking

111) a n d down eildight a n d register tliese m y humors, these illy

coi~ceits. Ther e pass the grea tes t p a r t of m y live days, and

weare out most l io~l rs f the day. T l ~ eibrary will be si tuated

near tlie l ivi~ig-roombut should always be s l i g l ~ t l y vitlidrarrn

fro111tlle bustle a n d general life of both it a n d the ent ranee hal l ;

ant1 tliis ~ r he t l i e r t par takes more of the eliaracter of a real s tudy,

where the rnaster of tlle house has work to do, o r of t ha t t y p e of

room ~vhi ehlie n~ i l d - manner ed onmluter loves t o refer t o by the

savage tit le of D e n . Sanetun1 is another name for this room

that is no\ radays perllaps a lit t le out of fashion. I f lie is even

more b~lsinesslike ie m a y call i t a n office. T h e y a r e al l tliffereilt

I I ~ I ~ I C S

or the n~as t e r ' s oom, a n d the l ibrary is only the aris-

tocrat of tlie lot. h y oom tliat can be filled wit11 books is

ips j i to

n

success. 'l'lley a r e perfect ly capable of tnliing the

job o ~ l t f tlie Iiantls of the i i~tel- iorlecoi-ator a n d making a s ~ l c -

eess of it w i t l i o ~ ~ the s l igl~test t l x i l ~ r effort.

f

tlie ownel- is

a l ~ l e o s l ~ea t he is walls wit11 well filletl, o r perhaps one

ii~igl~t

better say

~ttir l t j

illed bookcases nt1 for deeo~.:~tivellrposes

t11c I~ael;of L a u r ; ~ e a n Li bby is on a p a r with t l ~ n t f 3Iei.edith

-

ie is a fort l lnate man a n d will h a w a illore splcntlitl wall cov-

er ing tliali a n y (leeorator can Sell Iiinl. B I I ~e will destroy ~ r l i : ~ t

he has so n ~ l l~ e g ~ l n

f

Ile nl lo~vs n y i n e t i e u l o ~ ~ sio~lsel\.ife o ill-

t l~ lee im to

l a ~ i g

lass dool.s in f ront of his sl~clves. 'l'lie

liigli

liglits ant1 rcflectiol~s rom tlie palles will Ilc

a

, j ar r ing ~ i o t e , i ~ d

tlie wliole effect clllnlsy a11t1n ~ e r e a ~ i t i l e .l'lie slielres sllo~iltlbe



T I I K I I ~ I L I ~ - T I ~ l J 3 E ROUSE

on movable pegs so as to be ad j~ ls te d o al ly Ile ight and s l~eathed

a t the back, :md rnay well l iave a row of d r a ~ r e s s e s t tl ie floor

solnew l~at eeper thrill th e sliclves, f or m agazines, ga nles, ctc., th e

estra deptll giving a shelf on top for wliieh one will f ind plenty

of llses. T l ~ e oolicascs will be b uilt-in, and on ly as a last resort ,

o r in a st ri c tly busilless libra ry , s110111(1 tlie sce tion al bookcase be

resorted to. I t ma y have a grea t fu t r~ re , u t it s pas t and present

a re deplorable. I f to tl ie wall of parti-colored billdings he ad ds

a f ireplace, not forg et t ing to build il lto t l ~ e ide of tlie breast

clipboard

of ample size to hold the necessary lubricants t o f ree

and comfortable male intercourse, the cheery blaze will coinplete

the picture.

T h e recept ion 1 00111was former ly fel t to be an l inerr ing m ar k

of respectabili ty, an d ~ v a s em and ed in tl ie smallest houses even

if it tool< Ilalf th e spa ce t h a t n light liave g on e into tlie living-

room. Tllis feeling 11as ra th er Ilad its d ay a m on g the ave rage

b~l i lt lers f ten- to fo~lr teen-roomho~ises. Its onlission is a real

s t ep i n a t l va~~ce ,esu ltirig n ot o111y ill a sim pler forn l of hosp i-

ta l i ty , much more f i t t ing for those eo~~cernet l ,ut is a distinct

arcl i i tect~l ral id to the rest of the plan of the house. F o r~ n e r l y ,

~ r l i e nwo rking ~ r i t h l imited am ou nt of f loor space a t one's tlis-

posal ( for . floor space an d money a re eq uiv alen ts) , and the prob-

lem calletl for a reception room, it was bound to mean that the

dining-room, hall , an d the l iving-room suffered. I t was jus t as

111ai1l th a t th e o the r th re e rooms m us t be sm aller with its ia tro -

d~ let ion , s i t is tha t qua r ters are less than thi rds . Ins tead of

three good roonls me had four bad ones, whereas 110~1~y giving

this space to the li l- ing-room w e niay have a fine big room, the

inert ia of whose aln11le space e sl ~ a n tl s he s o l~ l nd soothes the

nen -es. F o r a big, gc1ier.ous 1 00111has psye hothera pel~t ic a lue as

well a s i ts m ore obvious physical a dva ntag es. An old book on

b~ li ld ing pealis of the ~.eception oom as a Cha mb er of D e -

l ight. W e ar e inclined to think that i t n i~ is t e a very, very old

book indeed, as th at is not a good d escription of th e mo dern a ffair .

T h e reception room nowadays is too often a tawdry foster-child



honest home, its meretr ic io l~selegance llaving noth ing in

nlon wit11 the res t of the horlse o r its i11habitallt.s; a s a sophisti-

away . Reqliiescnt n pnce

ATot t h a t we a r e t o unders tand t h a t

rccel)tion room is alsmys mistake, f o r when the size of the

I ~ o r ~ s ent1 the genera l style of lir i i lg w a r r a n t i t , i t is as indispen-

sftble a s t l ~ eibrary . 117e only wish t o plead wit11 the small house

T h e sun par lo r o r morn ing- room is considered a necessity b y

the Englis l i bu t is n o t of ten found with 11s.

I

t he coulltry Iiorlse

i t bears 11lrlcl1 ile same relation to the living-room t h a t tlie break-

fa s t roo111 does t o thc dining-rooin. t is a room f o r pipes a i d

s e j r i ~ ~ g ,n d nil1 le t on to n te r race 11~it1i lle g a r d e n no t f a r off a n d

the flonlcrs peer ing in. t is the sor t of room in \rhich the d o g

m a y fittingly doze in the srin, srllcre a l l t h e chairs should have

arn ls so tha t vTcm a y h a n g o u r legs over them, a n d where sewing

tlireads really look

\veil

o n the floor. de l ig l~ t f r i l oom fo r

novels a n d ten a n d flirting, o r f o r any th ing , f o r t h a t mat te r , t h a t

is no t weighty o r por ten tor~s . I n California, where house hea t ing

takes the forin of go ing outdoors t o g e t nTarnI, h e sun par lo r fills

n

rea l need, a n d to l i r e in the slln ~ i n d e r lass like H a m b u r g

T l i e billiard room, wliich in E n g l a n d is of ten found on t h e

first floor ticar the other living-roolns, is in this col ln try more of ten

rc lcgated t o the basement o r a t t i c ; n~l lcn o done, 1101s-ever,

i t

is

11sually becar~seof lack of s l m e elsewlierc. Tl ic I~il l iard

O O I I I

11ci11g trictly fo r husiliess lie br~sincssof p l a y eed Ilave

li t t le attelltion t o orltlook o r tlie l ~ o i ~ i t sf the compass. l lic

c s s c ~ t i a l h ing is plellty of l ight a n d a d e q ~ l n t c ize; i t shorlltl

riot bc less t11a11 fiftceli feet 1)y cigl i tcc l~feet, tllitl sIio~11~1e

la rger t o accon~moda te scatc t l s~lccta tors . t fireplace is

~ rc l con le dtlition i l l ally case, ;is the roo111 is a p t to par take of

the f r~nc t ions f a lor11iging-1*oo111,n d l ~ c a tn solile way sl~orl ld



TIIE I3ALI~ - l IALUEl O SX

be provided.

I t

is ruinous t o ivory balls to let t h c ~ n ecome too

cold.

If

we were in an Engl i sh half-timber holise we shoulu

C V I I -

sider t h e g u n room under this I ~ e a d ,but as this is not an

ortiinary requirement in this country we need not let i t (letail1

11s f ~ l r t h e r l ~ a n o say t ha t if we require such

a

pr ivate arscn:ll

it

~ r o u l d a tura l ly take i ts place a l ong wit11 the l ibrary a n d billiard

r00111

T l ~ eoat closet, ~ v l i c hhere is

a

g r o ~ v i n gendency t o ampl i fy

and e s p a n d into

a

lavatory o r b r ~ i s l ~oom,

is

best s i tuated near

the f r on t door a i d general ly off the f ront hall, where t l ~ o s e nter-

ing the house nlay a t once repair a n d ~vas11 n d brush 111 a n d

leave their wraps, before enter ing t he house proper , where tliey

m a y t l ~ e nmeet the owner on his own footing. I t is an esce l l e~ l t

ar rangement also where there nre cllildren, aild m a y well serve

as a barrier against fur ther inroads of rubber boots a n d dir ty

11ands.

\Ire

a r e somewhat 11aml)ered the moment wc iritroduce

plumbing into

a

room o r closet of this sor t by the necessity of

direct ventilation, 1~~11icheans a n outside ~vindow. This is com-

pulsory under the laws of nlany cities a n d towns, and is a ru le

tliat should be observed ~ v h e t h e ro r not officially promulgatetl .

A l t h o l ~ g hhe science of sani tary plumbing has made alnlost re ro-

lutioilary strides in the pas t two decades a n d is now both in

theory and esecution alnlost perfection, i t has not , a n d probably

ner e r ~vi l l , r r ive a t point 11-here i t is hygienically advisable t o

dispense with direct olitside ventilation for t he water-closet.

T h e n e s t addition we shall probably make will be

a

break-

f as t room. T h i s is a most useful a n d pleasant room in

a

l a rge

house where t he dining-room mill probably be a room of some

size a n d dignity, the sort of room ~ v i t hw11ich we a r e qui te

en

r pport a t a brilliant dinner pa r t y , a n excellent background, with

its s ta tely splendor, t o t h e subdued gaiety of the occasion.

A

room of this character , however, is a p t t o look in the clear virgin

l ight of eight o'clock in t he morning like the tradi t ional banquet

ball deserted, a n d is a fit compailion only f o r one who has dined



Motlern English houses at Fort Sunlight one of the rnodel English villages



H O W T O

PLAN

THE H O U S E

5

t he r e t he n i gh t be fo r e and appea r s ne s t n l o r ~ l i ngn th e ga y llabili-

nlents of t lie feast . T o be fra nk , we m ust ackno\vIedge th at ou r

sp le ~l d id ining-room nlnkes a de pre ssin g bre akfa st room. 'L'he

al lster i ty of heavy si lver and nlal logany act as a rebuke to our

obviolls let-do\vn from our gracious dignity of the night before.

I V e a r e un easy a ~ l d rritated in i ts presenc e; we ar e discovered

an d feel

I I O

better t l1a11 ~yl~ocri tes,nd a re in no nlood to be lec-

ture d over t lie eggs a n d bacon. It is this feeling alnlost of neces-

sity that l las been the mother of the invention of the breakfast

room. It n la y e ith er ta k e t l ~ e orm of an alcove leading off t l ~ e

nia in d in ing-room, or it may be , tha t , f o l l o w i~ ~ ghe lines of least

resistance, i t will develop into a separate room; in either case it

will no t be far from the dining-room as the y mu st both be within

easy reach of the but ler 's p an tr y al lt i l i i tcl~en . T h e points to be

insisted up on in regar d to i t are tha t i t shall have plen ty of m orn -

ing sun , tha t i t mu st not be too l a rge , and tha t i t s furn i ture and

decorat ions str ike the light an d cheerful note. I f dignif ied an d

splendid ar e sui table words for the dining-room, pr et ty an d cozy

shollld describe i ts offs l~ rin g. T in ts should tak e th e place of de-

c i d e d c o l o r s ; h a ~ ~ g i n g s ,ugs and uphols te ry should t ake on a

play fill and f r ivolous cl~aracter .

It

is very eonimon in the English half- t imber houses and is

even more appropriate in this country, to l lave a terrace some-

where a d j o i ~ i n g l ~ e ouse, an d i t is a very 11nl1py ar rang em ent

if i t includes the dining-room. It is very pleasant in summer to

have this foreground to the garden view beyond, and to have

one's meals

tl fresco

is most del ight ful . H e r e we ha re dining-

rooln incleed with th e lrelkin fo r ou r ceiling an d w alls of jo cu nd

posies. W e may

be

as prac tical a s we like, sereen it

i l l

an d cover

i t \rvitll roof f we a re no t

11

easy tcrm s of fan ~i l i :~ r i ty i th

a l l o l~ tdoors

-

r we nlny eoml~romise\.it11 less solitl fo rm of

she lter, sllch as a n a w ni n g of m ore o r less tenlp or nry ki11t1, or

b et te r still wit11 vines on som e inform al arr alig en len t of poles a n d

crossbars

s ~ ~ p p o r t e dn posts. I\'e are trying 11ard to avoid the

w o rd p erg ola. T h e ellairs a d a b le s s h o ~ i l dbe of the sort



5

THE

I - I A L F - T I J I n E R H O U S E

that can be lcf t out i l l al l ~reat l ler .

Practical convenience will

be scrvetl

if

i t can be

planned

to l iave a w illdo~ v n tlle butler's

11a11try t o be llsed a s a slide by the ma id in s erv ing a n d c learin g

a\r ay , ~ r h e n ain ap pe ars uni111.ited to t lie feast, as

is son~ etime s he case, an d tlre ad jou rn m en t must bc done in a

1111rry

T h e modern contr i\ -ance of a co n se r~ at o ry s a t le ligl it ful

addition, tliat, ~ ~ i t hl ir mo dern h eat ing alq ~lia nc cs, s not so

g re a t a11 ex trav ag an ce a s tlie na m e coliveys t o the niirids of m ost

p co ple . T h e c o ~ ~ s t r u c t i o nnay va ry in elegance all t lre from

\ r l ~ a t handy ma11 arou nd the house wi ll rm k c in l iis spare time

wit11 .trvil~dom ash , to th c \.cry ele gq nt a n d qua si-orien tal str uc -

tu re t l iat the professional greenh ouse men will erect. T h e size

111ust be carefully considered and nTeml i s t no t , in the en th~~siasm

of tlie moment, build too large, for .tr.liile one cannot hare too

m a n y flowers on e can easily find then1 too mtich carc. O ld

Tho ma s Fu l le r in T he H ol y S ta te g i res us seven n lasin ls , the

last bi t of ~r isd om eing, ho ~is c lad better be too li t t le for

a

d a y tlia11 too gr ea t for a year. JVh ether he was living in

a

green-

liouse when he threw t liis s tone we do not h o w , bu t a t an y ra te

i t w as sufficiently \re11 aim ed.

T h e c o n s e r ~ ~ a to r ylay be connected with th e house bu t shotild

not be a p a rt of i t. I t should liave its own heat ing plan t , which

should be ei ther a steam or hot-water systenl . T h e hot air from a

furnace is too d ry, no m at te r ~ r l i a t recautions are taken , for t lre

b e s t g ~ . o ~ r t hf plants . T h e moisture an d tem pera ture \ rhich the

irlliabitallts of tlie greenlrouse require will be too mucli for the

ill l iabitants of the house, and for this reason the two should be

separ : l t ed . conser~~atorye t t i ng o f f t he d i ~~ i ng- r ooms

a

fav orite location, bu t i ts placing will be governe d by so m an y

tllirlgs p ec ~i lia r o each individlral p lan tliat it is of little use to t r y

to la y d o ~ r n ules.

I t

is sonietiriies arranged to glass-in part of

a covered piazza us ing adjus tab le hea t ing p ipes to p u t i t ~ r p n d

ta k e it down \tiit11 th e seasolls. Tliis is a sensible tllulg to d o

when tlie arno un t of sp ac e is limited. T h e floor sliould be eitlicr



H O \ V TO

PLAN THE

HOUS

of t ile, br ick, cement , or th e gr oi l~ ld tself , an d p rope r ly dra ine d

to ca rr y off surface water. I t should never be of wood.

Co m ing to the service portion of t he I iouse, we shall f ind th at

an enormous nmoull t of t ime and ingenui ty has been expended

in in~ p rov ing he in fini te n timbe r of t l ~ i ~ l g sha t go to ln in is tc r

more o r less d irec t ly to the ease an d comfort of the o ther e lid of

the Iiouse. W e sometimes have n suspicion th a t the desire for

convenience overleaps i tself a n d th e results become so complex as

to offset wit11 the ir intricacies wha t th ey ga in . t is often a very

p re tt y q uestion wit11 these inge niou s labor-s avin g devices wh ethe r

in the hur lyburly of dai ly use they ar e worth the botl ier. H o m -

ever, such tl l ings a s pl ate slides, ash cliutes fro m th e f ire-bos t o th e

ash b arrel , gas hot-w ater heaters, ga s a n d electric ranges, vacuuun

cleaners, clothes chutes, etc., seem to have prov ed the ir worth a n d

to Iiave come to s tay . T o the bare ske le to~iof kitchen, pantry

a n d china-closet or which butler s pa llt ry is a m ore descrip-

t ive name, even thoug h i t i s tac i t ly unders tood t ha t

it

will never

see i ts t i tu lar owner

e m ay a r t icu la te a servants Iiall, laun-

dry, shed, cold room, coal bins, toilet room, closets, etc., all of

which \rill be very welcome to those who work here.

J u s t

a

word aboll t the kitchen before

w

l e a re it . I n the f ir st

place, all wornell m a y be divided in to tnr o classes: those \r ho be-

lieve in larg c kitchens a n d those who favor small ones. sma ll

o l ~ er il l measil re about ten by twelve fe e t ; any thi ng smaller than

this is really a kitchenette. Tlie advocates of a snlall kitchen tal k

of having every th ing I~an t ly nd of sav ing s teps. T l ie n rg ~im en ts

for a large kitchen m.e plenty of elbow roo111 and light tlnd air.

either case it is tlesirable to have the windows large, 1)Iaced

ne:ir th c ceiling, a n d so ar ra ng et l ns to give a cl.oss tlr au gl ~ t. l he

plac ing of tables alltl sinks

in

tlic c c l ~ t r e f th e room, which is pop-

ul ar in E ng ln nt l, is only possi1)le in

a 1:lrge kitcl~eo,

nd

cven there

thc compla in t is mat lc tha t onc i s co l~ tin l la l ly I l n v i ~ ~ go walk

a]-otlntl tllcni.

r

hoot1 sl io~i ltl )e plncetl ov er th e rallgc . venti1:ltctl

in to

it

spcei:il fllle alongsitle of, or

i l l

the centre of, the hot r ;l llgc

f111c; 111:iking it

I Y : I ~ I I I

fllie i11s1ii.e.sn p l i l l i~ig l rn tig li t ~v l l ic l~ill



d o wonders towards t a k i n g off thc hot ai r a n d odors as they rise

f r o m thc eooking. T h e r e sllould be a dresser for table china,

etc., if there is to be no servants' dining-room, a n d spaee for a

table. 'I'he floor m a y be cork tile, whiell is tlie best, o r wood, eom-

position, linoleum o r tile. Th i s lat ter works well and is easily

cleancd but is I ~ a r d n the feet. W o o d floors a r e difficult t o kcep

looking well, a n d n o s l ~ r f a e e inish will last , no mat t e r w11at the

advertisenlent says. T h e various compositions in t he mar ke t a r e

good, bu t a r e likely t o crack over wood floor.

T h e larmdry will be t h e first addition, a n d i t is n o longer con-

sidered a l r l sury t o have this a separa te room, either near the

kitchen o r more of ten in the basenlent beneath the kitchen. IVllen

so loeated grea t eare must be t aken to be sure t ha t i t is provided

with plellty of ligllt. T h e ordinary cellar window will not do.

I t is usually placed under the kitchen so t h a t the kitchen plumb-

i n g a n d c l ~ i mney lay be utilized. I t should also have easy access

t o the cellar door a n d clotlles-yard without, a n d should of eourse

be provided ~ r i t h rtificial light. I f there is n o wood floor b u t

only cenlent, i t will 1)e well to have a wood gri l le in f r on t of t he

t111)s or the workers t o s tand on, thus keeping their feet d r y a n d

off the cold cenlent.

T h e servants' dining-room, or , as t hey say in E n g l a n d , the

C

servants' Ilall, is practical necessity when there a r e more than

two scrvants ~ v h o ake their meals ill t he house. Thei r presence

in

t he kitchen, even if i t is a l a r ge one, is a constant souree of

annoyance and irr i tat ion t o t he cool;, a n d the number of square

fee t t h a t i t would be necessary t o a d d to the size of the l i i tche~l

f o r their accomnlodation would milch better be set aside as a

separa te roonl. I t will serve as dining-room with dresser

f o r the aeeomnlodation of the necessary table ware, a n d as

sitt ing-room when they a r e off duty . I t nlay be quite small hut

should be elose to the kitchen so as to nlinimize the labor of serv-

i n g thc meals a n d \raslling u p af terwards. Sometimes an alcove

is made off the kitchen, but this takes as 1nuc11space as a separa te

room and is not near ly so sat isfactory f rom a n y point of view,



H O W

T O

PLAN

THE

H O U S E

par t i cu lar ly when there ar c men to be fed.

t

is very desirable

to keep them o ut of th e h tche n .

slied, whieh is eolisidered an absolute necessity in the coun-

tr y , \vill be hailed with d eligh t anj..cvhere. I t s uses ar e inailifold

arid cann ot be catalogued. I t is a sort of refug e for outcasts th a t

callnot claim a more definite residence. T h e y will be a diverse

a n d motley com pan y to be sure, these waifs: th e velocipede w ith

its pedals looks \\ri t l i pity on the one-armed ice-cream freezer;

the i roning-board nrill gaze ~ r i t h ~at l t led ontcmp t on t lie naked

m ah og an y t a l k leaves; ~ r l ~ i l cn asso rtmen t of g ar de n tools wil l

modest ly seek to liitle I~ e l~ in dbr i s t l i~ i g l ~bb i sh a r r e l; an d k i ng

ovei. al l is the por t ly refr igerator . Th is last, ho~ vev er , s of ten

placed in a snlall recess

i l l

tlie back vestibule, just large eno11g.h

t o receive i t , between the o utside back doo r to th e poreh a n d th e

one to t l ie kitchen.

Again, an eseel le l l t ar rangement i s to have

it in t lie ])antry , provided it is not too n ea r th e liitelien ran ge , arid

the ice m ay be p u t tkrol igh a door in t lie ~ r a l l , i ther f rom a back

hall

01

from olltsitle tlie hor~se. This latter method is very 1101)-

lllar as i t keeps tlie iceniari entirely o u t of t lie I~o us e,wliicli is

j ~ r s t s we11 as lie has beer1 h io w n to 11it

011

t l ie br ight idea that

sl ipping a n e g g or two il lto his pocliet will help ino derate th e high

cost of l i \ ii lg H e nlllst a t al ly ra te be ke pt o u t of the ki tcliei l,

with his dr ipping iee nr~dm udd y boots . Re fr igerators ar e now

inatlc \v it l~ ce tloors b11i1t in to th e bacli.

111

large establ ish-

ments tlie 1,efrigcrator limy assllme a niore commodious form

a l ~ t l econle a colt1 room al l by i tself . Tl l is is small in s ~ ~ la te t l

rooin eiitcred by a tight-fitting door wit11 a great trorlgh for ice

011 the ol~tsi t lewall, th e iee 11ei11g ed in tl ~ ro u g li

I

Iligh door i l l

the I~aclc, he

\rails

s ~ ~ p l ) o r t i l i gl~el ve s, iooks, etc., fo r tllc foot].

IVe r1111st

I

s ~ ~ r co f il ~ tl c orile r s o ~ ~ i e w l ~ e r eit lleetl no t

be la rg e h:tt call I)e t~ lr n e tl llto a c lose t for I~ ro o n ~ s ,~ o l ~ s ,tc.,

arid wliieli nl:ly also serve as a co at elosct. 'I'lle on ~iss io il f th is

snlall afl'air ca ~ ls cs 11 : ~ n ~ o l l n tf fce l i~ lg ha t is SI I I -pr is ing,11d it

is hn1.d to realize,

if

\ ve i nay I ) c l i e \ ~rrr cars, that i t is not quite

the nrost in il~ o rta n t fl'nir i r i the I IO I I SC



Our pant ry must have an o~ l t s i ( l ewindow so that

IVC

ni:iy

lieell it cool, a n d fo r th e sam e reason it n111st 11c loca ted wlicre

the sun will en ter as l i t t le as possiblc ever,

i

i t can be ar-

r 1 1 g c 1 .

t

must 11ave cupboar ds f o r f lour ant1 s ~ ~ g n rarrels,

crocks, etc., a fcrv clrawers w ith wide co1111ter 111der he wintlonr,

a ~n i s i ng- hoar dof platc glass or a marble slab, ant1 plenty of

11~11

shelf room. P a r t of these sllelres m ay well be protected

from flies by being parti t ioned

off

with a scrcenetl door.

Thcre is a tendency to make l i i tehen pantr ies too large, just

as there is n tendency to mak e butlers pant r ies too small . T h e

la tte r shoul(1 contain

a

tw o -p ar t sink of G er m an silvcl* f possiblc,

with th e nletal broug ht 1111 o cover the c o i~ n te r nd run u p s is

inches on t he w alls. I f i ts cost p u t s this o ~ tf t he q~ i es t i o~ ir e

~ n ~ i s talie

a

t inned-copper- l ined

11 s

inli do, the objection to this

being that t l ie t in plat ing soon wears off and al lows the copper

to show through. Ir o n or porcelain sinks ar e not good here as

they are apt to crack the china. T h e cllance of ge t t ing a cupboard

u n d e r t h e s i n k s h o u l d n o t i ~ ~ d u c es to enclose this space. T h e

p l l ~ m b i n gpipes and t rap should, for sani tary reasons, be lef t

open to th e air .

T\ e should see t o it th a t we have trvo 11anl;s of d raw ers, th e

bot tom one deep enough for table l inen and long enough for

centre-pieces. T h e top draw ers sho ~i ld e shallow, say fou r inches

dee p, divided by slen der pa rtitions, a n d lined 1vitl1 felt fo r silver.

TVe must gc t a l l the colln terspace and g lazed cupboards ~ 4 t h

shelres to the ceiling tl iat ar e possible.

Our

ct lpboard doors ma y

either be hinged to swing, or slide on traclis. T h e objection to

the hinged door is t l iat if i t is left open by any cllance it hangs

out into the passage a11d will cause trouble as an obstacle in the

tlarli , or when the ma id is inten t on her work. T h e sliding doors

fo r this reasoil a re proha bly be tter, thoug h they have been lit lolvn

to sticl;, an d as their being le ft open carries no p en alty with i t,

we sliall find in practice that this is too often the case.

Bene ath o ur cou nter , in addi t ion t o ou r d ra\ rers , we may have

cupboards,

safe, and perhaps a small refr igerator for salads,



desser ts and s i ~ eh hings, an d a plate-warmer . Th is la t te r of ten

takes the form of a s~ l la l l designed for the purpose.

T his of col~r se an be doue only wllell t l ~ e~ o u s es heated by hot

wa ter o r steam, arld even then will be useless ~v h e n ur minter

l ~ c a t s diseor~tini ied. G a s is also used. T h e electr ic plate-

warmer i s per l l a l~ s he bes t ; the objec tion tha t i t may be l e f t

t ~ ~ r n e dn can be overcome by placirig a red light on the same

circ ilit, w l~ ic h \.ill sllow

in

the pant ry or k i t chen , and ae t as a

renlin der. T h is niay also be done wit11 the cellar ligh t which

we sol l iet in~es org et to tu rn off when th e s~ vi tch s a t th e hencl

of the stair . JVe sl~oil ld ave

a

slide a t t l ~ eevel of the eounter,

opening i llto the kite lien, an d t l ~ e oun ter shoii ld be co ntin uo i~sf

1)ossil)leso tha t dishes m ay be slid r ight through f rom p an try t o

ki tchen. O u r tab le leaves m ay also f ind

a

specially designed

home here, arid sue11 co nr e~ lie n ce s s towel ra ek s, s liding cou rlter

estei lsions, p lat ter racks, d ro p sl ~e lre s, l isal>pearings teps for the

to p s he l\~es , tc., will all o r m an y of them find a plaee.

T h e d is tance of t l ~ e ront l~ a l l rom the k itchen should be as

direct a r ~ d l ior t as possible, a nd , i t is hardly

necessary

t o a d d ,

sl~oii ld void tak in g 11s th r o i~ g h n y room.

On

the other hantl ,

the kitchen s l~o uld e cut off f rom th e f ro nt hal l an d the master s

portion by at least two doors, whieh will necessarily mean some

so rt of hall o r eloset b etween , giv ing 11s th e de ad ai r s paee \vhich

is so desirable fo r sol ind-proofing an d as a protection again st th e

k itchen odors . Door s oee i ~py i ng uch s tr a teg ic ~ ~ o i n t ss these

s l ~ o i ~ l t lo t be relict1 1111oll o lrecp the ir op en ings closed un aide d,

and a s1111st:llltialatl t ol~ lati c oor elleek will be foiind t o h a re a

n ~ i ~ c l l~ e t t e rmenlory than the I~ es t ra ined rnaicl, a ~ l d t t lle

sarlle tim e will ~ ~ r c v e l ~ the possi l~i l i tyof s la ~ n m in g ither fro111

d r a i l g l ~ t s

1

oth er cailses. I t will of ten be foilr~cl conv enient,

in

srnall I~ollses, o g lor ify this pass:lgc by

a

s l i g l ~ t s p a l ~ s i o l i

illto a coat eloset a11(1 el el )l~ o lie~ o o t h , litl it 1n:Ly even be f o i ~ n tl

possi1)le to I ~ a r e he cellar s ta i rs g o

~ O I V I I

out of it, of collrse

wit11 a door a t tlie top. I t nlay also be found ndvisablc to l i a ~ e

tlle back stairs go 111) from it.



in t h a t ease be i ~ccessar y o borro\v light froill the butler s p a n t r y

o r kitcheii through a sash in t he wall, o r t o insert l ight of glass

in one of the doors. I f this proves t o be t he ease we sho~ i l d eso-

lu te ly give

up

a n y ideas of i i l t roduci l~g water-closet in to this

t

is better not t o have either the cellar stairs o r t he back stairs

t o the second floor lead directly o u t of the kitchen, even with

door t o cu t them off a t the star t . Odor s a n d dainpi~essnever

seen1 eontent t o s tay 1v11erethey happen t o be,

nd

nlay be relied

u p o n t o break t l l rough a n d s t a r t on their ~vander i i igs hrough

these convenient passageways. T h i s mat t e r of the small interior

hal l is not of course a n ideal a r r angement a n d will be resorted t o

only in very small work where space must be very eeonomieally

appor t ioned. T h i s is the principle of t he relatioil of the kitchen

of ten ha\-e to be decided in t he a r r angement of the main living-

rooms. I f we a r e building on

si te ~ ~ h i c hs of a nat l i ral ly irreg-

u lar surface with considerable change of g r a d e over t ha t portion

where our house is t o s tand , i t is a perfect ly ilatliral a n d seilsible

t h i ng t o fit t he house t o t he grol ind as ~ n l i c h s m a y be, by lower-

i n g o r raising the f loor level with t he changes of the grade ,

thus not only effecting a n economy of mater ia l but f i t t ing the

building t o its site. O u r reward will be t ha t only t r u e a n d

sat isfying picturesqueness which is t he resul t of meet ing logi-



H O W T O

P L N TH HOUS

5

changes of lerel occur in locations which will inter fere wit11 t he

ease of car ry ing on the work of the household. T h e shif t ing of

u

s t ep a few feet will of ten nlake a ~ a s t ifference; for instance

f r om one side of a door t o t he other, t o f o r m p a r t of a neighbor-

i n g rrin of steps, a n d so on. I f changes of level occrir i n the

middle o f a room it has the pract ical effect of dividing it into

two distinct rooms a n d where we had one big room before we shall

l lare the equivalent of two small ones. I f one is on the u p p e r

lerel in a room so divided he will always be Ilaunted by the f ea r

t h a t he m a y forget a n d s tep backwards.

t

will be forcing on

him an added responsibility ~ r l i c l l e will inc consciously resent.

JVe must also be careful ~ o to place steps

here

t hey a r e no t

t o be expected or wllere t hey will be badly lighted, or we shall

bar-e

accidents. JV11en only two o r three s teps occur they m u s t

be made wider a n d niucll more ampl e t h a n is a t al l necessary i n

a l ong flight.

T h e mat t e r of fireplace is alrrays

a

vital one a n d if we a r c

t o have a chimney i t is of ten a temptat ion to locate i t so t h a t i t

will serve t n70or more roonls. Th i s of course is a n econonly if

i t does not reslilt in o u r having tmro fireplaces rvhere we do n o t

wan t them, instead of one where we do.

F o r instance, if me h a r e

living-room a n d l ibrary adjo in ing , we a r e of ten t empt ed t o p u t

a c l~ in lney n the part i t ion 11et\vecnwith fireplaces in each room,

hack t o back.

3 I o r e of ten than not, ho~ver e r , his will br ing them

close to the ent rance doors, rrllich is not a good ar rangement , no t

only becar~se f tile d r a r ~ g h t rit beearise it will prevent d r awi ng

of chairs a b o ~ ~ th e fire. At ld f ~ i l l y qrial to these real ineonven-

iences is the instinctive feeling t ha t there is a lack of coziness. O n e

~ l e ~ - e raw

a

ca t pick ou t a spot t o sleep in between a door 2nd a

fireplace.

I llere a r c some people who so objcc t to stairs t h a t they en-

deavor t o llave as nlucll of the horlsc a s possible o n the first floor.

T h e pros ant1 cons of a gro~lnd- f loorbetlroolll a r e s~~ f l i c i en t l y

obriolls, and i t resolves itsclf illto 111atter of ~ ~ e r s o n a laste.

T l ~ e r es no sound reason for not having one s sleeping-room on



THE

1I t I I Jk ' - T I J I BE11

HOUSE

t he groun(1 floor. Those ~ v h o on't like it give a s reason 11at

they don't like i t

t

seems t o he another case of

I

do not like you, Dr. Fell,

The reason why I cannot tell,

But this at least

I

kno\v full well,

I do not like you, Dr. Fell.

TVhich is often the bcst

of

r easo l ~s ecause i t is so impervious t o

argument .

L e s t you, gent l e reader , belong t o this class a n d a r e being

gradual ly prodded into a dull mge, let us say no lllore on t he

subjec t but hasten

111

stairs a t once. A s has been remarked in

anotlier place, if \r7ea r e in a real Engl i sh house we m a y have t o

h u n t about a bit to find these same stairs.

T h e problem on the second floor is briefly t o g e t as nlany a n d ,

as l a r ge rooms as possible, a n d all other considerations a r e secon-

dary . T h e r e is no need of the clear height from floor to ceiling

on the secolld floor being over eight feet s ix inches, a n d it

m a y

~ v e l l e eight feet o r even seven feet six inches, which will be a

g r e a t aid to coziness a n d rvill lend t o the roonls a n appearance

of sizc vh i ch they do no t posscss.

T h e owner's quar te r s ~v i l l a tura l ly be the best, a n d we shall

expect t o find him with t he southern sun, a pleasnnt view, a fire-

place a n d his own bathroom a n d dressing-room, a sitt ing-room

perhaps, and one or two closets m a n a n d his wife should each

have one. T h e other members of t he family will probably not

have individual bathrooms.

T h c r e should be one bathroom in a n y case opening into the

main 11311for the public, even if it is ordinari ly private proper ty .

I t is a good idea to a r r a n g e two rooms a n d a bath a t one end of

the house t ha t can be shut off f rom the rest a n d used as a suite,

where, in case of a contagious disease, t he nurse m a y live ~ v i t h

her pat ient in isolation. Al l the hcdrooms s h o ~ l l d e plentifully

suppl ied with closets having poles for coat-llangcrs, a wide shelf

f o r ladies' hats and p lenty of hooks.

A

linen-closet should lead

o u t of the u p p e r hal l ; either a big closet t h a t one m a y walk into,



H O W T O

PL N THE

H O U S E 61

wit11 drawers a n d shelves, or , if we a r e pressed for room, merely

a series of recessed, deep slielves f rom floor t o ceiling, having

paneled d r o p f r on t s flus11 wit11 the ~ v a l l urface. Th i s 117ill ~ i e e d

I I O other door. Such an a r m n g c l ~ i e n twill l ~ o l d ll tlie linen t h a t

most fanlilies require.

Tile

sl~elves, llstead of being solid, a r e

oftel l formetl o f slats so t ha t fresh linen placetl on them nlay

have a fur ther chance t o ai r and d r y .

ni:ztter wliich is riot ordinarily given sufficient care in the

p l ann i ng of a b e d r o o ~ n s the consideration of \vall space for t he

acconm~odat ion f the

necessary

furni ture . Radia tor s a r e almost

as g r eedy of nv:~11 space as n . i ~ ~ d o \ v sn d doors, a n d ar e

nlz wgs

bigger t11a11we p l a l ~ n e d

Registers , too, h a r e a w a y of t u r n i n g

i ~ pn ~ l nexpec t ed laces a n d t a k i n g t o t l ~ e n ~ s e l r e slie most desir-

able spot in the room. I t is some satisfaction t o h o w a t least

tliat the ancient a1.cliitects did not g e t off f ree on this score, for

S i r IXenry W a l t o n , wr i t ing in

1624

says, Pa l l ad io observeth

t ha t t he Ancients did war m their rooms wit11 certain secrete P i p e s

t ha t came t h r o t ~g l ih e ~vnl les t r anspor t i ng heate as

I

conceive i t )

t o srlndry par t s of the House , fro111one common F u r n a c e 11ieh

\vl~etlier

t

were a e l ~ s t o m r a delicaeie,

J ~ ~ S

urely both for t h r i f t

ant1 for use, fa r b e y o l d the G e r m a n stores: a n d

I

sho~ l l d refere

i t likewise before o u r own fashion, if the very sight of a fire did

not adtfe t o the Roonle a kilide of Reputat ion." T17e all feel the

t epu t a t i on of stlcli

a

room a n d the call of t he open fire. O w

olirn Cliarles D u d l e y W a r n e r llad tlie same t h i ng

in

mind n~l ien

he deploretl the cheerful blaze giving may t o o u r n ~ o d e r ~ lethods,

and 1)ictures the frlture I'nletitle season when

l~nfer nmilins

on

a b l l ~ s t e r i ngCh~. is tmaseve gather s his fai thful ~ v i f e nd nler ry

brood about the

-

egister Tl ie register a n d radiator a r e every-

where and it will I)e ]lard enough t o hold these ~ l b i q r ~ i t o u sir~i-

stllices in check even when their presence is anticil ,atcd.

T h e prol ) l e~n f tlie servants ' roo~l l s

s

one t h a t of ten ca l ~ses

11111cll ifficulty. lie mediunl-sized l ~ o t ~ s et is ~lsr inl ly1ecess:u.y

t ha t t l ~ e y 1ave their roonls on t he t l~ i r t l loor. 'l'he object ion to

this is the noise resulti l ig f rom having them over one's Ilead.



6

THE I IALF TI31BER I IOUSE

There seems to be some myster ious, eshi larat ing inf luence that

affects those who inliabit tlie third story, that finds its oiitlet in

their dashing their boots to the floor. I t seeins stran ge in this

ag e of l~ is ur io us iving a nd practical eugenics th at one-lcggcd

serv ants ar e no t bred, f or on tl iis score a t least they \vould be cer-

ta inly twice as desi rable . r b o t l ~ c r rawback to the thi rd-f loor

sermnts room is t l ie heat in sl immer; under the roof as they

are , even with part ial a ir space between the ceil ing an d the roof ,

t liese rooms ar e bound to be hot , especially a t night af ter t l ie su n

has been blazing on the roof all day.

bet ter arra ng em en t , if we can afford tlie space, is to p u t the

servants rooms with the b ath on th e second floor over the service

port ion of the f i rst f loor, an d reached by th e back stairs, this gro u p

of rooms being coni~ectedwith tlie rest of the second floor by a

single door. T his br ings tl icir wo rking an d sleeping qu arte rs

close togeth er an d gives them more freedom, while the master s

po rtio n of the house is unconscious of their existence. T his

arra ng em en t is not a d iffic~i lt ne to br in g aboli t, bu t the problem

is somewhat complicated if there is a single n~ an se rv an t o be

housed.

A

room on th e first floor in the kitchen wi ng is of ten the

best solution here, but i t is a point that sllould be carefully con-

sidered for a n y given case.



ethods

Chap t e r

I

w e f o l l o ~ r ~ e dhe methods of construction of the

lialf-t imber house in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,

du r ing i ts period of evolution an d growth, a t s t ime when

th e sta te of civil ization was ve ry different from wh at i t is to-day

-wh en the metllods of building \{-ere m ore primitive a n d the

choice of materials m uch m ore restricted to t he imm ediate vicinity

of the work in hand. It i s t rue that br icks were impor ted f rom

H o l l a r~ d t an ear ly period, bu t these were for the palaces of

the ~io bi l i ty r the im po r tan t buildings belonging to church o r

state.

T h e idea th at these limitations in the m att er of tools or ma te-

r ials was a handicap t o good wo rk, f rom t he a r t ist ic point of

view, or that our greater faci l i ty in these mat ters gives us an

ad va nta ge over the earlier bui lders, is no t a t a11 true . Goo d a r t

is not de pen den t on good tools; as a ma tte r of fac t , is qui te inde-

pen den t of them. T h e l imitat ions of these early b~li l ( lerswas in

real i ty source of s tr cn g tl~ , nd a pow erful aid, even if an uncon-

scious one, to honesty an d directness in their work. T he y did

not hnow the temptat ions ~vl l ichbeset the nloderin buil(lcr, any

more tha n they knew t llc diffic\il tics tha t ha m pe r th e m odern

designer. T h e y were no t confus ed ant1 dive rted fro111 tllc entl in

view by the m ultiplicity a n d c om plexity of the nle:~ns a t their

disposal. T llcr e was o111y on e w ay, an(l no t 11~111dredthers

th at we re jus t as good, by wliich 11 one collld tell the tlifl'er-

ence. O ne l iol~est l i i l~ g,~) er fc ct ly dap ted to i ts own spceinl

~ r sc ,was 110t t r i cked out i l l to i~~ i i t a t i~ ig

O I I ~ ~

tller l1011cst t1li11g

\vliicl~ iap pc ~le d o 1)c nlore espcllsive.

If

tllc work of thc eai-Iy

builders w as good , their pat11 :lt least w as no t beset wit11 so r i ~ a ~ l y

t e ~ n p t a t i o ~ n so (lis l~o nes ty t cvery t l l r l ~ . 'Yo-day tllc fillse eeon-

o111y t o be se ct ~r et l

y

t llc use of the clever sub stitute for th c real



6 4 TI IN EIALF TIIIIUER IIOUSE

t h i ng is pitfall it requircs m r ~ c l ~t rength of character to avoid.

I l T e r e a little skeptical non~adays bout the gods seeing every-

nrllere, or , rather , we do not care if they do, so l ong as o u r neigh-

bor, RIr. \Vorltllymise, does not.

N t h o ~ l g h h e ti111e lias not ye t arrived in this country as ill

E u r o p e , 1v11en i t is as c l ~ e a p o b11ild of brick or other blirnt clay

1)roducts as to build of wood, i t is not fais distalit. \Vl1c11 this

condition does exist i t mill be a gr ea t hclp t o the general archi-

t ec ture of this c o l ~ n t r y , n d the appea r ance of flilnsi~less, nsepar-

able from timber work, n~ i l l ive way t o the substantial impres-

sion l)roduced by t he more solid a n d e n d u r i l ~ gmaterials.

T h e finical, emasculated appea r ance which is a chnracter-

istic of wood f r ame construction, is one t o ~ r h i c h ur eyes have

become so accustomed t h a t i t is only on re turn ing fro111 a t r i p

t o foreign countries t h a t we a r e s t ruck wit11 the flimsy appear -

ance of our f r ame houses. T h e r e is a beauty of ~ r o o t la n d

another beauty of brick a n d stone, bu t t he lat ter a r e the most

appr opr i a t e a n d sensible f o r the onerous use t o ~ ~ r h i c h build-

i n g is pu t .

Horrevel., the t ime has not yet arrived in a n y locality when

stone, o r baked clay, covered ~ r i t h tucco o r other~vise, an com-

pete n first cost with wood -convincing adrer t i s ing p a m l ~ h l e t s

f r o m t h e nlakers of clay products ~ ~ o t ~ r i t h s t a n d i n g .

S o

if

me must, wit11 a sigh, give u p the idea of building our

house of t he more per manen t materials, a n d t u r n to t he ~ v o o d

frame, let us a t least cover

it

with s o n ~ e t h i l ~ gha t n d l give us a

\rail

~vhi ch t once produces a plane surface of pleasant t ex ture

a n d a t the same t ime is not dependent on the pain t brush f o r its

very life; t ha t fire does not t o l ~ch ,ha t vines m a y cling to ~ r i t h o u t

harm

;

and t ha t is wa1.m ill winter a n d cool

i l l

summer. S tucco

is such a matel*ial.

t

has the h a p p y quali ty of satisfying t he

practical nlan rho c n l i re by bread alone, a n d yet to \rhom

me

thus give cake as \rell.

N o l r ~ et 11s look a t this method of building o u r walls. I n our

half-timber house, t he ~ v a l l s etween the t imbers mill sho~rr tucco,



P I I E T H O D S

O F

C O S S T R U C T I O N

6 5

and nlucll or all of the rest of the house will be of the same

material with, perhaps, some I)rick, stone or siding, as the case

may be, to give variety of color and testure.

t o

T h e tern1 stl lcco is a loose one, bu t th e com-

pos i t io~ iwhen rlsetl for outside plastering, is of

cemcnt , linlc a lid s a ~ ld n vary ing p~,opor t iol ls .

T h e p r o p e r

p r o l ~ o r t i o n i ~ l gf' these ingredients, esllecially of the lime and

cenlent, is a subjec t of ~n uc l i on troversy a nd hard ly a ny two

~ ~ l a s t e r e r so l n b i ~ ~ el~ e n i ll the same prop or t io~ls . This seems

to be m at te r tha t 11as a lnrays 1)eeli in debate an d even as l o ~ g

ago as the J I id t l l e Ages we f ind Inasol i s conmlo~~ly

nixing

sllcll t l l i ~ ~ g ss ox blood, beer , d ~ l n g , ug ar an d m ilk \vitli t lieir

lime.

'l 'l~e accolill ts for the re pa irs of th e ste eple of S e w a r k Cli11rch

in

1.5 71

conta il] a11 ell try ,

6

str ike of ninlt t o ma ke m orta r to blend

~ r i t h e l y ~ n e nt1 t empe r the same, a ~ l t l 5 egg s t o m ix with it.

D i lr in g th e b ~ ~ i l d i n gf the Duke of Devonsllire's l iorlse at Chis-

~v ick , he i~ l te r ior f n~l iichwas s t l lceo, the surroundi~lg i s t r ic t

was i~nporerishecl or eggs an d b~ l t term i lk o m is wi th the s tucco.

I t used to be a colnnion pract ice in orlr so u t l ~ e r~ lt at es t o m i s

lnolasses wi th the m or tar . T h e object of most of these ad m is t l~ rc s

was to rctar t l the set i l l

ord er t o secure more ease in m anipulat ion.

It

is a curious t li ing th at scientific fo rn l~ l la o give the best

re su lts h as n ev er b c c ~ ) r o m r ~ l g a t e t l ,r at least never at1ol)ted.

I t is a ~ n a t t e r f the l l t~n os t ml )or tanee, an t1 s t r angely enor ig l~

the re secllls to be a b so lr~ te ly 1o alltlioritative d ecis iol~ s t o nrllat

constitutes

the best n l i st r~ re or t llc p ec t~l iar ly ry in g 1)url)ose for

\vl~icli t~ lc cos to be rlsc(1. \\Tliile it is no t s tr ang e th a t

i11

mat -

te r w herc ev ery p1:lstercr claims to be all c s p e rt , the re slioul(1 be

a nritle t livergencc of op i~iioil , t does seen) cu rio r~s h at a ln o ~ lg

the real ly cs1)ert lnen of cstablisliet l r e p ~ ~ t a t i o nv ll o ~ a v c o ~ l e

c l na~ t i t i e sof work, ati t1 l la~?ccars

of

esl)ericnce l)ellir~tl l le ~li ,

tllere sliot~ltlnot I)c a colnlnoll

~ O I ' I I I ~ I ~ : ~

l l icli the cor~se~lsllsf

o p i l ~ i o ~ ~o ~ ~ l t lccep t 11s tllc 1)cst. I t is, of' collrse, a n la ttc r in

\vliicli sucli forni~11:tc: l~i Ilc arr ivet l : ~ t ~ l l y t i11)irieally; a n



THE

I - IL\LL~ ' - ' I ' I J I J~EI I - IOUSE

opinion from the study or the laboratory cal l carry l i t t le weight

until i t lias been given tlie test of actu al e sl ~ er ie nc e nder the con-

d itio ns ~ ~ ~ l l i c l it will be called upo n t o meet.

There also, unfortunately, seerns to be a dispositiox~on t he

p a r t of th e p lasterers t o t re a t tlie m a t te r a s t ra d e secret, a ~ ~ d

an y s ta ten ler~ t s ha t i t i s poss ib le t o w r ing f rom them car ry s~ ich

i r i ~ o l ~ r e dnd l e rl g tl ~y ~ ~a l i f i ca t ionsnd ar e so contradictory one

wit11 th e oth er, th a t a collection a n d conlparison of llnrd-won d a ta

reveals such surpr is ing discrepancies tha t one wonders l ~ o w n y

of the ~val l s t and . T o comparc the resu lt s and d iscover ~ r l i a t

t 1 1 c ~ave in comnlon in a broad, general way, seerns to be about

al l tha t one can d o tol rards giving a formula for outs ide plaster .

Suc li an av erag e of th e best obtairiable opinion, then, w ould

seen1 to indicate th at the f i rst o r scratcl l coat should not I iaw

over half cexnent nor less tllan fifteen per cent. that the second

coat is usually a l i t t le stiffer -th at is, th at i t nlay 11ave mo re

c e n ~ e n t n proport ion to the l ime, an d tha t t lie tl li rt l coat or t l ~ c

slap-das11 n~ il l ary as to the am ou nt of the cement according

t o t he colo r ~ r h i ch s desired for the finisll.

T o introduce one of th e nlan y qualificatioxls, we mig ht s ay

th at there is a scl~ool f plasterers w ho say tha t in o rdcr to liavc

the coats adhere perfect ly the one to the other and form a coni-

pac t , l~omogex~eousass, i t is im po rtan t th at al l coats should be

of exact ly the same m istur e.

I

ord er to ~110117, io~vev er , h a t we

have a n open m ind in these matte rs, let us give the formula reconl-

mended

by

one of ou r largest niarlufactul.ers of e sp ar ~ d e d ~ c ta l

13th.

''

M ix the sc rat cl~ oat , say thcy, in the proport ion of one

par t Por t land cement , three and one-hal f par ts sand, one-hal f

p a r t p ~ l t t y ,m ad e wit11 hy dr ate d lirne. T h e second coat should

be mixed in the pl.oport ion of on e p a rt P or t la nd cenlent t o three

parts sand, ancl the f inish coats one part Port land cement and

two par ts sand. L im e pu tty , not exceeding five pe r cent , is of ten

used t o a dv an tag e in th e finish coat.

Another popular mixture cal l s for l la l f and hal f Por t land

cem ent a n d lime, wit11 fo ur tim es th eir coxnbix~ed olume of sa nd .



iETHODS 01; ONSTRU TION

M a n y men use two par t s of lime t o one of cement , r f n i ~ e thers

va r y the proport ions in the different coats. T h e tendency of t he

Iloncst plasterer , new t o this ki11d of work, is to p ~ i tn too mucll

cement. I l e a r gues t ha t i11 rnost ot l~el .masoll work the Inore

P o r t l a n d cement in the mor tar ~ i s e d , h e bet t c r job, \rhich is

general ly true. T h e t rouble with this reasoning is t ha t nrhcn

Por t land ceniei l t m o r t a r is appl ied i11 gr ea t sheets s u c l ~ s we

haye on the side of a I~ouse, t llas not enough elasticity. T l ~ e

cement n ~ a k e s t too rigid a n d brittle, a n d tlle changcs of temper-

The most vulnerable points in o stucco wall are found ot the intersection o f s tucco and the

wood trim around windows nnd other oper~ ings The protection o f these points by flashing

cannot be too enrefully done

at t i re o r slight sllrinkages of the builtling cause it t o crack or

p e r l ~ n ~ ) ~ome

rr y

a l t oge t l ~c r . OIIC is ~Sathcr orced i n t o t he

position, a f t e r seeing what

:I

c l ~ a o s f opinion

prevails,

~ . e \ - e a l i l ~ g

srlcl~ total lack of ally real I i~~o\\ . leclge11 the p a r t of tllesc work-

Inen, of b e l i e ~ ~ i n gha t i t cannot a f t e r al l ~ n a l i e ery much differ-

cncc

r hnt

his sttlcco is 111atleof'. T l ~ e r e f o r e t is

n

w r y c l l c c r i ~ ~ g

t11illg to be toltl t1i:it S I I I I is really t l ~ c ase 'I'l~c~ n i s t t l r e f the

stucco, Ire a r c toltl, is

really

not

SO

i ~ ~ l l ) o r t a l ~ tf ter :ill, ~lci t l ler

is thc Iiil~tl r 111al;e of tllc lath backing so cssci~ti:il; but the really

necessary a11d inlportal l t t l ~ i n gs t ha t the p1:lstcr covcr i ~ l g tself



68 THE HALF- l I31UXR I-IOUSE

should a t every po int of c on tact wit11 tlie \roodw ork, ab ou t th e

~ ~ i n t l o ~ v s ,ater-table, conlice, llosts alltl angles, be so absol~itely

i n ~ ~ ~ e r v i o u so the entrance of water that this arch foe of metal is

rep ~ils ed t evcry point , k eep ing the ineta1 up on \~11ichhe p lastcr

clings an d owes its su p p o rt so un d from 1.11st.

F o r this reas011 i t is im portal l t th at al l I~ orizon tal in ~ b e rs nl-

bcdtled in th e pla ster, ~ rh e tl ie r r no t they a re flush wit11 the plas-

te r face, be carefully flashed wit11 me tal. Th is applies to

water - t ab les , tops of nvi~~do~r -

rid

door-casing as well as to the

half-timbering.

T h e wider edg e of s1ie11 imbers m ~ i s t ave dr ip

to d ro p the nrater clear of the \ \-al l,so as to prevent the water run-

n in g don71 th e fa ce of t he wall.

T h e vert ical pieces nl ~ is t ave rabbets ru n o n their back edges

so that the wet stucco may be forced into them and so stop any

tl l ro ug l~ rack that m ight a pp ea r should the wood, in t ime, shrinl i

aw ay f rom the innlovable cement .

l his stucco face can be p u t

011

over poured concrete wllicl~

has had i ts face

roughened

e i t he r i n t he mol d o r a f t c r ~mr ds ,

or put on a wall of cast concrete blocks \vllich have had their

faces corrugated so as to give a c l inch for the s t~lcco. With-

orit seine actua l physical g r i p on th e face to ~vllich stucco is

applied, i t will not stick.

t

has no adhesive properties of i ts

OII-II. t

may be applied over a brick nvall the joints of which

have been raked out so that the s t~iccomay be squeezed in, and

the bricks in this case should be hard baked and eye11 rough and

twisted. I t m ay be ap plied over te rr a cotta blocks lvllich have

been molded with a key on the face, or in fac t over any thin g th a t

will give the necessary g ri p fo r the m ortar .

JIuch of our modern work is applied over a \[-a11 of wooden

studs, an d is ordinar ily done in the following m ann er : T h e

wall is frame d w ith stud s whic11 a re placed on th e sill or g irt s a n d

boarded on the outside exact ly as for a shingled or clapboarded

house. Ov er the boards on the outside is nailed one, or better,

two thicknesses of sonle damp-proof building paper with all the

joints between the sheets well lappe d. F u rr in g strips of wood,



one inch square , ar e then nailed vertically nine illches on cen tres.

O ver th is one-linlf inch \vil*emesh is stretclied etter galvsliized

af te r i t is woven n d sccui.ely f : ~ st el ~ edith galvallized sttlples

t o each str ip.

W e a re now ready f or the sttlcco. Som e plas terers prefer th e

y eour fe ty

o

The rchilcclurol Rc~irw

A detail o

the

wnll nnd cornice where met11 In111 on T irons

w ns

used up011

the outside of th sheathing

f ~ ~ r r i n g s11t on l~ or i zo~ i ta l ly ,s they sa y it ellnbles thenl to stret ch

their wire

111

ant1 dow n tiglitel,, b11t it scclils to th e nutlior tlint a n y

sc t t l eme l~ t f

tile

fra m e will be more l ikely t o 11ring the I io ri zo ~ ~ t: ~ l

st)-ips o whicli th e wire is fuste ~ie l loser togctlier, alltl t li ~ is a ~ l s c

:I

sliglit 1)11ckli11g,l i ~ i ~s the cnse \vliell tlie sti.il)s n1.e ve~ .t ie al , lltl

s11cl1sl1ril11;:igc

o f

tlle nvnll bo:i~.tls :inti scttlcliielit of tlic fr:llne

call not sllol.tcli tlic strips ~vl~icli1111 fro111 to p to lmttoln an d a r e

tliansclves tlie frau le tli:tt really si 1l)p ol-t~lic stuceo f:~ce.



TH

H A L F - T I A l l B E R H O U S E

Sometimes t he m a n u f a c t ~ l r e r smake a metal

IT

r T-shaped

chaiinel wliich is t o be used instead of t he wood fur r ing a n d this

n o doubt is good \\.he11 proper ly applied.

t

is s tapled in place

throngli a slot in the metal ~vhicli l lows of slight movement u p

a n d down should therc bc a se t t l anen t . T h e la th is wired t o this

metal. I ns t ead of the wire mesh expanded metal is of ten used

but i t is not holdiug its own in popular favor. T h e danger of

t rouble wit11 stucco appl ied

over

a nietal l a th instead of on brick

o r coricrete is t h a t the meta l m a y r us t a ~ v a yn t ime a n d t he stucco

J

y

ourtesy o The rdiifcclural l ievieto

a) There are those who claim that the use @ Extremely

sharp

corners are neither

of diagonal wood lath is

as

good

as

or per- necessary nor desirable on stuceo

walls.

haps better than metal as a support for the There is a metal corner-bead that helps to

stucco preserve a true edge

f a l l off in g r ea t slabs. T h e users of the wire nlesh claim t h a t the

first coat of mor tar if proper ly appl ied squeezes through the mesh

fal ls over behind a n d thu s completely embeds t h e wire a n d pro-

tects i t from a n y danlplless t h a t through ally inadvertence m a y

have f ound i ts w a y back of the stucco.

t

is claimed t ha t \vhile

t he expanded metal is s t ronger a n d stiffer i t is harder t o effect

this embedding process a n d t ha t rus t makes lit t le of its ex t r a bulk

a n d st rength once it h d s a n opening for at tack.

T8e might call the a t t en t ion of the reader a t this point to

a

f ac t wllicli coustitutes one of the very st rongest clainls of stucco



M E T H O D S O F C O S S T I t U C T I O S 7

an d nrood to the fa vo ra l~ le onsiderat ion of t h e prospective ho t~s e-

builder. IV lle tlle r t he l a t h i ~ ~ ge one sor t or ano ther , and \vhat-

ev er be th e f o r n ~ t ~ l aor the conlposi tion of ou r stueeo, we ob t: i i ~ ~

f o r

0111

wall the very great advantage of two dead-air spaees in

i t s th ic l i~~ess .These ( lead-air spaces c o ~ ~ st i t l r t e lllost valuable

i ns i i l n t i on , no t on l y aga i ns t < l a~np~~essit , what is of more inl-

portance, a very efficieil t proteetion against changes of tempera-

ture, wllich fact tends to prodilce a coolel. hotise in hot weather

ant1 n w a n n e r 11ot1si n colt1 we athe r.

Tile

first air space is that between the inside plaster on its

wooden o r metal lath fnstenet l to the inside of the stu ds , an d the

boarding

011

the outside. Th is spaee of eourse we find in every

fl.allle I~olise,no ma t t e r ~ v l l a t he o i ~ t s i de ove r il ~g . The seeo~ l < l

spaee, pecul iar to this method of \ ~ o r l i ,s t h a t betw een t h e o ~ ~ t s i d e

boarding with i ts paper covering, and the baek of the outside

stuee o which is held a.crTay ne i1lc11 by th e th ichl es s of th e fu rr ll lg

str ips. IV e thus g et a do r~ bl e ollonl wall.

Because of this possibility of rust in nletal lath of

any

f o r m

tlle re a r e those ~ v h o t o t ~ t l ym a i n t a i ~ ~hat exter ior \ rooden la th

o n f ~ l r r i ~ l g ss ju st as good if no t bet ter than metal, as it avoids

this possibility of disaster.

Tl lere i s another method that i s of ten used and ~vhiehhas

its s t a ~ ~ ~ l c hilpl>orters,an d i s the cl leapest for bui ldings that ar e

not too large.

T h i s n ~ e t h o < lo~ls is t s n app ly ing the metal l a th

t li rectly to the stu ds nt1 whe11 this is t lo ~l e n e x p a ~ ~ tl e t l11etal

of some little stifl 'ness should be ~lsetland the s tuds be placed

nearer togetller tllan in tlie first nietl~otla l ~ < lross brneetl twice

i l l

story 's Ileiglit. S i n e inclles 11 c e ~ ~ t r es ab011t the r ig l~ t pae-

ir~g

or t he o r t l i ~ l a r y wo-s to ry l ~ o i ~ se .

f

t h e l ~ o l ~ s es Iligh a ~ ~ t l ,

i l l collscqllenee, t le n~antls r e a te r stiffness, we s11a11 satll - miss t h e

o ~ ~ t s i d eon~.tling~ r ih its a<ltlctl stre ng th a ~ l t l 1.oteetio11 ag ain st

r:tclii~lg wllicl~ t is 1)ou11tl o :~ffol.tl. rl g a in , tlle ~le ce ss ityof

placing

t he s tiltls nea re r t oge the r, ~ l e a r l y , not q ~ ~ i t e ,f'fsets th e

s n v i ~ i g r l i i c l ~as I )ce~l fl'eetetl 1)y e l i ~ ~ l i ~ ~ n t i ~ ~ ghe boartliug.

O11e of t l ~ c t ro~ ige st1)oilits ill fayor. of this nl et l~ od s t h a t



7 TH

I - I A L l T - T I J I B E R I I O U S E

af ter we have plastered the o~~tsiclef the lath we go illside ant1

pla ste r lircctly on the back side of the salne la th between each

pa ir of studs. I t will bc seen th at in this way we get th e met:tl

e~lti l .el\- ~nbetltlecl n th e cem ent, a t lea st theoretic:~lIy. I n plxc-

ticc, l~ol rev er, he inevitable shrin kag e of the s tu d will in t ime

open a small crack where the two come toget l ier , and al though

this is of course on the inside, an d has the ~r h o le hickness of the

outside coat st i l l between i t and the \ reather , i t is not qui te fair

to say tha t the metal is hermet ically sealed. A n y wet tha t m ay

]lave got behind from solne cause or other, such as the careless

junctioil b et~ vee n bit of outside finish an d th e stucco coat ina y

stil l search it ou t. T he re call be no question, how erer, bu t th at

the protect ion is much more nearly perfect than in the other

me thod. Th is inside back plasterin g m ust of course be done be-



Another vie\r. o f ' . T l ~ e ah lcs.

\\'ere it not that the tiniberinr h as been kent lirh t in

coi~trast f s o mu c h pattern u.ould be far less s:ttisfactory

UI I or cne strongest features 1 rne cieslgn 1s the stmignr~or\vara,

sturdy treatment of the chinineys



P I I E T I3 O D S O F C O S S T R U C T I O S 7

fore the inside l a t h i ~ gs nailed ill place.

B y this n~etl iot lwe

also lose one of o u r precior~s ead-air spaces, ~ r l i i eh r e really one

of

the very st rongest rltilitarian a r gument s in favor of covering

our hoilse ni t l i stucco. I t sl io~ildbe said, before leaving this

subjec t , that t he danger of tl.or~Llewith nietal l a th is not g r ea t ,

a s the process is r i ~ ~ d e r s t o o d~ o ~ v a d a y s ,l ~ t l h e stories of t he

failllrc of such \volsl; a r e of eases usrlally of some years back,

before this work was as \re11 ~lnders toodas i t is to-day. E ~ e n

Terra cottn blocks nre beginning to compete seriously w ith wood construc

tion and will no d oubt soon b e the less expen sive form

rio~v, owever, i t is not every 1)lastercr th at m ay be entru sted with

this o~ itsitl c l:lstei.i~ig, ant1 \r e o i~ g li t o be slow to ta ke a nian's

on71i~voi.tl or his colnpetenec witliotlt sonle Inorc co~ lv i~ ic irl glroof

of his al~ili ty.

1 j 1 1 t t is a q ~ ~ c s t i o niow 1nric11 longel. this m c tl ~ o dof apply-

i ~ ~ gt~icco ver :I

\ v o o d e ~ ~'~.:illie will e o l~ ti li ~ ie

l l

\-ogle, as t l ic

tliffcrcllce

i l l

cost

01

biiiltlir~g 1101ise i n v i l ~ g he oiitsitlc \v:111s

of

wootl covcrctl with st~lcc o, nt1 of terra eottn covcretl ~ ~ i t l i

t l lc s:rnie matericll , is l leeol~ii~~gess every (la -. ll 'l ~ il e 1111iiI)er

is sllo \vil~ g stc:rtly a ~ i tl

i : t t l l ~ : i l

t c ~ i t l c ~ i e yro111 .car

t

-c:ir to

a t lva~ icc l l pricc, tllc l~rir~it-cl:iyl.otlticts are

gi.:rtlu;~II .

Leeoni-



7 TIX 1 I A L I ' - ' I ' I J I B E I i I - I O U S E

i ng no t on ly ch ea l ~c r u t rnore w idely t lis tr ibu ted, be tt er h l o w ~ ~ ,

a i d n l uc l ~ n lp rove tl in cvery way.

t 1 on ~nli t tee f t lie Dostol l Cllam l~crof Conlnlerce recelltly

investigated the subje ct of th e com parat ive cost of I~~ li l t l in g,11d

their conclusions a re of in terest.

A se t of pl an s of house ~vliicll

had already beell erected was submitted to five different contrac-

tors a nd t lieir est imates were then average d f or p urposes of com-

parison. Th is ave rage est inlate fo r a fr a m e build ing covered wit11

clapboard s was

6750.95.

T h e average increase in cost for other

metllods mas as fol lo ~vs :

P R CLT

Stucco on f ram c

2 92

Brick vcncer on stud ding

5 83

Stucco on hollon- blocks 6 34

Brick veneer oil boarding 6 05

Ten -inc h brick wall, hollow 0 16

Brick venee r o n hollow block 10 77

TTThile these increases we re n o do ub t co rrec t f o r tlie house u nd er

discussion me seldonl in practice find these increases so sligl~t

a s here given.

Of course there ar e other things for the bui lder

1~11

s chiefly

inte res ted ill econom y to collsider besides the first cost. 'I 'l~e re s

the m atte r of upk eep and of fi re protect ion. Stucco on a wooden

stu d is the most fi reproof niater ia l wi th ~ v h i c l ~ne can cover a

f ram e house. T l ~ e at t er of repai rs a lld upkee p is redriced to a

nl inin ~u nl . T he re is no outside paint i l lg to be done except for the

snlall amo un t of wood trim , an d the wall i tself requ ires absoltltely

n o ca re , w l ~ e t l ~ e rhe stucco is app lied over a wood fram e or over

some fo n n of bu rl l t clay.

S o much for the backing of our s t~ lcco ra l l . Now as to the

applicat ion of the stucco i tself. T h e work sl~o uldbe put on in

three coa ts , the f i r st in i sed ~ r i t h a i r and t ro~re le t lwell illto the

la th or wall a n d scratched. T h e second coa t is troweled on

aftel- the f i rst is d ry, a nd the third o r last coat t roweled on, leav-

i n g it ro ug h w ith th e tro wel m a r k s s l ~ o ~ r i l ~ gere ant1 tllere, not

too ostentat iously. I f the plasterer is told to leave the marks of



JIETHODS O F C O S S T R U C T I O S

his trowel he will, if liis ideas of a good j o b will pe rmi t him t o d o

it

:rt

all, I abo r io~ i s l j~

L I I ~

.egula1-1ye t each s\veep of the trowel bc

a s distillet a s i t is possible, a n d even tlien tllcse

sweeps

~vhieh rdi-

nar i ly have a cer ta in pleasant

freed on^,

n~ i l l c c ramped a n d tun id

because of his s e l f - c o ~ ~ s c i o ~ ~ s n e s s .

f

we wisli i t snlooth f rom the

t r o ~ ~ e lle \rill g lo ry in nlaking i t

a perfect mathe~na t ica lplane,

wit11 all the co r~ le r s h a r p a ~ ~ drue.

A

more p o p u l a r a n d bet ter

way tllan either is t o r ~ i a k ehe las t coat wha t is h i o w n as slap-

dnsli," o r j)cbble-dash." T h i s is done b y using a very thin m i s -

tu re , of the consistency of heavy erean], wi th n ~ h i c l ~as been rnised

coarse sand conta ining sniall stones about the size t h a t will pass

t l ~ r o ~ ~ g honc-eighth-inell nlesh. T h i s is t a k e n ou t on a piece of

board about the size of a s l ~ i ~ ~ g l en d tlir011~11 ga ins t tllc llollse

~ v i t l i ome force a n d lef t untouched.

A

broom of twigs is some-

tinles 11set1 nstead of a patldlc, this being d ipped i l l tllc liquid

\ r l~ ieh s tlieri th rown on. T h e result is a ve ry I O I I ~ I I urface of

~ n a r k e t l n d pleasant texture . T h i s last coat ma . be colored be-

fore i t is t l l r o ~ r n n so t h a t tllc p i p ~ e n ts p a r t of the coat ing a n d

gives

a

1)raetieally

permanent

color.

A

l i t t le yellolv ochre gives

a l ~ l e a s a ~ ~ t\.all, if j u s t e l ~ o u g hs added t o make u ~ ld-ivory color

~ ~ o ~ ~ g ' ho t a k e O R the coltl~less f p u r e ~ r l i i t e vhic l l h e l a rge

a n ~ o l ~ r l tf lime i l l t hc last coat will give if i t is lef t u n t o ~ ~ c l ~ e d .

Tl lcre s l i o ~ ~ l do t be e ~ l o l ~ g l ~o nxtke i t look yel lo~v,unless fo r

solne reason this is dcsi~.ed. P i n k s and g r a y s a ~ l t l ,111~sI I : ~ ~lso

I

I d . Tliesc p i g m e ~ ~ t s111ist )c ear th

01

~ninel.nleolo~.ingma t -

ter , a n d their f ree use is restrictetl only by tlie fact t h a t nrllen used

in 1 a 1 . g ~l~an t i t i e shey t e r ~ do ~ v e a k c ~ ~he c e ~ n e ~ l tn i s t ~ l ~ . e ,le t i~ ig

as iner t ~ ~ ~ a t t c r ,l l~cll s ( 1 0 ~ s lay o r 1oa11i

i f

it is allo\vcd t o g e t

illto the niol.tar bed. Vegetable colors a r e t o be avoitlctl,

:IS

t he

nction of the linie sce111s t o vitiate t l l c~n 11t1the S I I I I still f ~ l r t l i e r

i':~desa l ~ t l l ters the o r i g i ~ ~ a lolor. \ \T l~ i l eh e \ \ . c n l i c ~ ~ i ~ ~ gffect

on o u r stucco 1)y the

use

of ~ l ~ i ~ l c r n lolol.ing niattel. s so sliglit

ill the 0rdi11a1-y I SC of eolor as to be ~legl ig ible , llcre a rc ~ n c t l ~ o d s

of ge t t i l ig color wl~iclid o 11ot tletl-act e v c l ~ o 11111cl1ro111 tlie

s t r e ~ l g t l l f t l ~ c ct.

1 1 1

the first plilcc we Inay, i~ is tca t l f ~ n i s i ~ i g



THE I-I~~LF-TI~11 ER

OUSE

o u r pigment in to the body of the mor tar , a p p l y i t t o the srirfacc

of tlie last coat ~ r l i e n t is still wet , a s a surface colori~lg. l liis

m a y be done by a blower of sornc sor t o r by being \\.aslied on with

brl1s11. Th i s is not a method tliat is n ~ u c l i sed, a n d tllc ilcces

sarily imperfect hold ~ r l ~ i c l ihe powder will h a r e on tlic sttlcco,

togctller ~vi t l llie difficulty of ge t t i ng a n y t l l i ~ l gike an even distrib-

ution of p i gn~c i l t , l ld the

consequent

uner cn a n d blotcliy effect

of tlie resul t ing ~ r a l l , r e i ~ i hc r cn t veaknesses n its use. bet ter

way than this, if we sliould ~ v a i ~ tpink o r bro~v1.n r y e l l o ~ rwall,

would be t o nlix in the

proper

amount of brick dust in the last

coat to p r o d ~ ~ c elle desired sliade of color. 111 the s a ~ i ~ eray con-

siderable effect can be obtained by using colored pebbles alltl s a ~ l t l

in the finish coat. Th i s will not affect tlle s t r ength of our mis-

ture , a n d there are, of course, nlany other nlaterials of tlle same

general character t h a t a r e a~yailable n the same way a ~ l d llich

will increase the r ange of colors a t our disposal. I t nlust be re-

membered t h a t cement a l o i ~ es of a cold g r a y color t ha t does ilot

f o r m a good body color for o u r tints. T h c y lose tlieir clearness

a n d h l d i r i d ~ ~ a l i t yn tlie pa r t ne r s l ~ i p , f ~vllich h e p i g n ~ e n t s too

of ten the s i l e l ~ tmember.

t

is of course ilnpossible for ally but

t he practised plasterer t o tcll what color will result froni a n y

g i r en propor t ion of admixture, a n d i t is absolutely necessary t ha t

saniples of considerable size be prepared a d applied t o sonie

wall in t he same manner alld s11011ring the same surface t ex t u r e

a s i t is proposed t o f i ~ i s hlie all u i ~ d e r reatment . Aga i n , this

111ust be looked a t only af te r i t has had plenty of time t o set and

d r y ; t hen only can the

filial

color be seen. Tllis s l~ould e con-

sidered in sun a n d sliado\\~,wet a n d dr y , a n d ~vlli le he pigment

will not itself probably fade o r cliange, t he na t u r a l d a r k e n i ~ l g

~ r l l i chwill result f rom tlie rough walls collectillg dus t a n d di r t

as t ime goes on, must also be talien into account . P u r e white,

liglit yello~vs,o r soft pinks m a y be best obtaizled if there is

a

goodly propor t ion of lime ill the last coa t ; t h a t is, if i t largely

predoniinates o r e r tlle cement. L i m e is na tura l ly all a l n ~ o s t ure

white, and an excellent foundat ion for t he production of cicar,



'I'IIc-

IISI. o f

soli(l li1111ic*r - x t r ~ ~ ~ l i ~ i ~l1ri111g11i i t \VIIIIS is , 11vrc 111 ;\li~t-rivn, ~ ~ ~ ~1111of

tlie q ~ ~ c ~ t i o l ~

L.CI~IISI-

OF file

1.04 l ) o t I ~ f tllc t i ~ i ~ b v r s

r ~ r i l

llc. I l i l x~ r t.il11irc.tl



3 l . E T I I O D S O F C O S S T R U C T I O S

ina aggressive tints, free f rom the sodden, mllddy look of ~ r ~ h i c h

t

is so hard to g e t rid ~vlieil ement alone o r in l a r ge l ~ r o y o r t i o ~ l ss

present .

I f i t is argued tha t a d d i n g too much lime will not g i r e t he

h a r d ~ i e s s r the to~ ig l incss h a t is desired, a n d t h a t only P o r t l a n d

cenlellt will gi re , we m a y t h e ~ se ~vl i i te ement wl~ ich s a com-

l)arat i re ly nevr brand, having the same s t r e ~ l g t h s the ordi i iary

P o r t l a n d cement, a n d of a pur e dazzling n~lriteness. T l ~ e nly

drawback to its more es t ens i r e use a t p r c s e ~ r t s the cost, ~ ~ l l i c h

is several tinres tha t of the old Por t lar ld cenrent.

I t has not been t ho~ i g l i t ecessary to warn the b~ i i l de r gainst

Roselidale cement, a s its use is now pract ical ly abandoned every-

where, a n d the cheapness, availability a n d i i~f ini te ~ iper ior i ty f

Por t lant l cement for every purpose rvlrere

a cement is used has

driven it f rom the market .

F o r olir half-timber rvork there a r e several methods ~vhiclr re

conlnlon.

111

Engl a i l d to-day it is qui te lisual t o plirsue inuch the

same nlethods t h a t the joiners of the old days follo~t-ed. T h e big

lloncst timbers, often I~and-hen71 n the very land of the owners

of the f u t ~ i r e ouse, a r e do~veled nd l ~ i ~ l l l e dn place with oak

pins

a n d

tlie daub, a lit t le lllore scientificnlly nl ised, no doubt ,

is filled in bet~vceir. 31any of the building Imvs of the local go\--

erniilg boards, Ilowerer, d e i l ~ a n d ilre iilclles of brick wall a s a

b : ~ck i l ~go tliese timbers. I n this count ry , where our climate is

inore severc than in E ~ r g l a ~ l d ,e m u s t t ake at ldi t io~ralprecau-

tiolls agailrst the weatllcr ant1 not fail to ca r r y a t least solne por -

tion of our wall back of thc half-tinlbers, t1111sobviat ing a n y

c l ~ n l ~ c ef joints o p e ~ r i n g nd act ing as a chairire1 t o the enemy

water . 'I 'l~e i l l ~ i s t r a t i o~ lacing page

S

sl~otvsa liouse of tliis

sort in thc 1)roccs.s of c o ~ ~ s t r u c t i o n . a c i n g page

5

is a photo-

g r a p l ~ f :I l lo~isc uilt by J l r .

IXarrisol~- l oiv~rselltf,

vlio says t h a t

the half-tirnbers usetl l ~ c r ewere oltl railroatl sleepers t:lke~ra ~ l t l

~ isctl us t as they Iny. Oile m a y i1111lgille llc b e : ~ ~ i t i f ~ i lolor :113(1

t c s t ~ i r c , nd t l ~ c mpressio~lof p~. i~l l i t ivet r e ~ r g t l ~liat is always

so sat isfy

il~g

T h e longcr horizontal t i ~ n l ~ c r s7erc picccs of o ld



stag ing , cqrlally ro t~ gli , nd stained with those pnrtict ilnrly fa st

colors of wl~ ich a t~ l r e lone

~ ~ I I OW S

llc sccrct.

I n

the same way

E n g l is l~ n l en r e f on d of t ~ s i l ~ gl d r oof t i l e and s l a t e ~v l ~ i c l ~hey

1.111y leom t he ~ \ ~ n c r sf old cottage ~soofs, srially by offering to

replace tl ~ c s e oofs wit11 brand-new ones, n ~ llc h s \rc have heart1

of f t ~ r ~ ~ i t l ~ r eollectors in th is co ~ l n t ry xchanging a new ~a l .n i s l~ cd

chair fo r old C11il)pendales in thc ru ral districts. Th is t ~ s e f oltl

mnte~.i:llfor the sake of i ts atnlosphe re, for w ork of orir ch arac ter,

is one of the great lessons that the prcsent-day English archi-

tects have to teach us. B u t af te r th e arcll itect has learned the

lesson he nil1 still have the task of educating tllc

client

I t is

strange that nothing is easier than to f ind people who nvould

adm ire houses of this so rt imm ensely, bnt y et ~ v h o votl ld esi tate

an d ga sp if told th at p a rt of the price of stlch cl in r~n nt1 s i ~ n -

plicity is the using of battercd, secontl-hand lunll~cr. B11twhat

~v ou ld he ne ighbors?

?

etc. T h e E n g li sh u n de rs ta nd th c i ~ ~ d e -

scribable charm t h at h ang s l ike n pe rfum e abo ut old things, even

if they are but fr ag m en ts of old things, likc o r ~ r at tered t imbers.

Tl le r ichness that goes wi th mi ld decay speaks to thc sensi t i~e

man

as the new, cl~ arncter less trlff n ~ ith o n t xperiences or memo-

ries of i ts own can never do. T h e onmci. docs not l ike to p ay j u s t

as ~n ricli or oltl, battered, sccond-hand stt iff a s f or th e new , clean,

stra igh t stock, a n d yet such ch a rn ~ in g onses as th:lt facing pa ge

30 owe their eltlsive charm to th e t e s t t ~ r e n d color which belong

to the old tile , r~np lan ed iding, an d rough s ticks. W e pay enor-

nlotls p rices f o r antiqties t o p u t into otlr hotlses. CTJhy s l ~ou l d r e

not build them in and nlalre of them the Tvarp and roof of our

hom e? C CTllatever be th e reaso n of the ir a ppea l, nre m ay sa fely

leave the explanat ion to the professors of esthet ics; the fact is

enough for 11s that the subtle charm and beatlty of snch hot~ses,

b ~ ~ i l tn this way, is r~n de nia ble nd is fel t by the m ost careless

observel.. I f me a r e wise nre will see if th ere is no t som ethin g

here tha t I re m y learn t o o t ~ r rof it even if the esoteric psycho-

logical reasons a re h idden f rom o t ~ r~nde r s t and i ng nd we wor k

en~ pir ical ly n the t ru e ar t is t ic fashion.



METI ODS OF CONSTRUCTION

T h e usual cri ticism of the use of m odern half- t imber work,

namely that i t is impossible to build new l~oliseswith the ch ann

which we admire so much in old ones, because such charm is pri-

m arily du e to the ir a g e wit11 its incid ent effects, is no t

a

jus t one .

JHE

T H I N G

d r a n P P I N G

J r u c c o

N R € L A T H

P L A J T L R

HAL:

T/AB R

S T U D

O U T S I E

N T L I O R

A very common substitute for whole limber construction is the use of A rabbeted

plank pl:intetl upon the outside o f the she nthing

t is

t r u e t l l t~ twe c a~ i l io t eprot l r~cc ,nor worlld nrc wish t o t ry ,

the p l ca sn~ i t i r

of

gc~icl .nl l ilnpidntioli so ~nrlcli l lore I c l i g l ~ t f ~ ~ l

to look a t t l l~ il i o l ivc nri t l~. \ITcI I I : ~ ~ ,~ o ~ r c r c r ,l ) tn i l~lie g c ~ ~ c r n l

sense

o f b c n u t y , ~ ) i c t r ~ l - e s q r ~ c ~ ~ c s s ,ntl, nl ~ ove ll, of tlic r111glo-

Snson l~ on lc cel ing wl l ic l~1)y ~ ~ n c o n s c i o t ~ st n v i s ~ n o

fills

t l ~ c



he art of th e esi led descend ants of E ng lish blood in the presence

of these ~ vo nd erfu l ot tages.

t

is th e Ho111e sn ree t llonle t h a t

we have never seen, but our hear ts arc the touchstone that pro m pt

o ur slow er brains . Su ch 1io11sesas those shown facing Ilagcs 7

a n d

77

are al l new, al l per fect ly tight , \ r a n n an d practical. T he y

m ay have vaeullm ele a~ lcr s n d wireless telephones for au g h t we

l u ~ o w , u t th ey ha ve no t lo st t h e e l ~ a r n ~ha t so often sl ips throu gh

th e fingers of th e 111ost up -to -da te builder o r pain sta kin g w riter of

specifications.

T he re is ano ther metliod of bui lding ou r Ilalf-t imber ~ v al lsh a t

is less satisfactory from the estllctic point of view, but which is

neverthele ss a good s~ ~ b s t i t u t es f a r as appeamn ee and prac ti ca l

service is c on ce n~ ed .

This is the use, when \re are deal ing with

a f ra m e house, of a rabbeted plank plan ted on the fu r r ing thus

fo rn l i~ lg ur half-t imber. T h e plaster f i ll ing is between, a p -

111ied on th e me tal lat h, th e rabb et on th e back of th e stick help ing

t o secure t ightness . These ~ ) l a n k s re sonlet ii i~es ecured in place

after the first coat of plaster is on, the other two coats fi l l i i lg up

the space flush o r nearly f lush with the face of the planks. Th is

is th e c o m m o ~ ~ethod in vogue a nd whi le not comparable to th e

use of real st icks of t imber with the at tendant knots and checks,

may be made an acceptable subst i tute i f we take care to avoid

ha rd edges a nd corners, ai ld ei ther have the faces hand-hewn with

th e adze, o r use th e plailks mill-faced, th a t is, with the rou gh ,

fu rr y ma rks of the circular saw st il l ill evidence a n d not touched

by

p la ne o r s ~ n o o t l ~ e dn an y way. A n d , above everyt l lhlg else,

t h e y m u s t n o t b e t o ~ ~ c h e dith lead a n d oil pa int. Tlle wood

s11011ld either be treatc d with s o n ~ e f th e p at en t l iquid wood

1)reserratives

011

t11e market, or given two coats of

r w

linseed

oil , nrli ieh will serve ns an eseellell t ~~reservntivegainst rot if

bruslled 01~era l ~ o ll t s often as o ne ~ r o ~ l l da i l i t o ~ ~ t s i d ev o o d -

work. T o \rork ill s ~ ~ c hro11g11,m a s c ~ ~ l i n eay as we have don e

1111 t o this poilit, a n d tl ie ~ i o cover o11r hone st ~ v o o dwith s11el1

a sm ug, ar ti ficial thin g as n coat of pain t \ ro ~ l ld e a gre at e r ror

l l

connno li selise t l ~ ~ daste. Ti ic

key

whicli we s tr ik c nt t h e o ~ t -



8 THE

I - I A L F - T I A I B E R I - I O U S E

set must set t he pitch for t11c cntirc ~vorl;, a n d consistency is as

v a l ~ ~ a b l ejewel here as elsewhere.

laying out the design of these half-timbered malls it is

always mcll to r c n ~ e n ~ b e rha t Ire a r e han(1ling a very vigorous a n d

aggressive form of decoration, l r ha t e r e r else i t m a y be. I t s11011ld

be labeled, Danger ous a n d l e wit11 care.

t

is sure to arro-

g a t e to itself the lion's share of at tent ion, a n d so must be used

carefully a n d wit11 due restraint . t

is valuable a n d shoultl be

handled as if i t were a jewel s a prec io t~shing.

t

sllould be

used to ~ ) r o ( l uce n accent, a high light in the picture. T h i s

aspect of I~al f - t imberedwalls has never seemed t o be du l y a p p r e -

ciated in modern work. T h e t imber ing is of ten seen spr ead

evenly or e r the f our walls of a house f r om t o p to bottom, so

t ha t its cllief value a n d c h a r n ~ ,ts contrast ~rrit11ess e s c i t i r ~ g all

surfaces, is ent irely lost. T o accent one word in

a

sentence gives

force, t o accent all gives none.

pictorial a r t this point is well exemplified in the sketches

of the grea tes t of all modern pen-and-ink art ists, the S p a ~ ~ i a r d

V e r g e . Thei r life a n d sparlile a r e largely d u e to t he one or

two small patches of solid black \vhich he is careful t o int roducc

somewhere a m o n g his middle tones. T h e y give an accent,

a

s n a p t o t he whole where their more generous use would produce

a

resul t a t once flat a n d conlmonplace.

T h e modern houses sho\vn facing pages

2

a n d

5

a r e e s -

amples of t he spa r i ng use of half-timber. I n t he first i t

is

used

t o glorify the f r on t ent rance of the house, in the second as a point

of interest agaiust t he foil afforded by the plain walls about it .

t

nras common in roofing the d o r ~ n e r s n d gables t o pr o j ec t

t he roof orel . he walls a foot o r so in order t o protect the walls be-

low f r om the weather . T h e project ion was gr ea t e r in t11e earlier

lvork, a n d receded for some reason or other as t ime went on, unti l

we find the barge-board which formed t he outer finish of t he over-

h a n g f lat agaiust the wall. I n the best work much care a n d in-

genui ty were espended in t he decoration of these barge-boards,

o r verge-boards, a s t hey a r e sometimes called. M a n y beaut i ful



It

.

L.a

d

tllosc. o f

u w o

are ; ~ r . c ~ ~ s t o l n c t lo n :lChine work on every hnr .

L.J

s e e

the enrichl~~errtf tletail o n even the siruplest Engl ish cottage o f an e;~rlier g e



M E T H O D S O F

8

examples still remain of the p i e r c i ~ l g n trefoil c ~ i s p s ,which a r e

-

carved a n d played ~ v i t h

y

the ingenious carpenters , \ rho treated

them

in

nluch the s a ~ n eway t h a t old I z a a k TValton tells 11s to

t rea t the f r og wit11 which we a r e bai t ing o u r hook, rrllell lle says,

I-Iandle llinl a s if you loved hi~n. T h e finial against \vhich

t he barge-I~oards b u t a t t he t o p is also a favori te object of the

carver's at tent ion.

Siding, much like our o m clapboards, is much used

in

E n g -

l and on wall gables to obtain a variety of effect. T h e best

roo

f o r this is elm, for though i t twists an d warps, this does no harnl,

a s Ire a r e relying on i t ollly t o tllro\r off the rail1 a n d not t o

kecp ou t the cold.

t

is s a w 1 rough a n d the na t u r a l edge some-

t imes lef t untouched, and, wit11 noth ing more done to i t t l lan

t o a d d a coat of oil, will t a k e on a soft silvery hue, most 11a1.-

monious wit11 t he other mater ia l a n d t he sur rounding foliage.



Exterior

etnih

T

R

will probably never again be a roof covering

for a srnall I louse quite as beautiful as thatch.

W e say

again because tha tch is doomed. I t s ut i li tar ian objec-

t ions a re too m any.

I t s dampness and consequent ro t t ing make i t

Thatch

unsani tary. t is always invested with vermin;

i t i s apt to leak af ter a prolonged spel l of dry

nreather; a n d the dan ge r of f i re is very gre at a nd ever present .

I n E n g la n d i ts 11se has becn legislated again st , so th at where

building laws ar e ope~.at ive t is forbidden. Th atc hin g is be-

conl ing a lost ar t , and in this country i t i s rarely that a man

can be fo u l~ d rho unders tands how to

(lo

it.

IVlint little has

bccn done here has been of small an d pla yf ul charac ter, as

ga rd en houses, children's play-hous es a n d the like. Wit11 a sigh,

then, I re will pass on to m ore pract ical m etl ~o ds f k eepin g ou t

the rain.

I n E ng l and t hey a r e f o r t una te i n be ing ab le t o ge t hand-

m ade t ile. Th ese are inf ini tely preferable t o the t i le v7e ge t in

this country wit11 their even color and hard, Ant,

T i l e

and

machine-made look. O ld ti le ar e also often used.

hingles

I f the use of old t i le needs any apology we

have i t in their superiori ty from the p oint of view

of the pract ical man . Th eir ag e has somehow or other ma de

them weather- t ight and they are sof t and porous enough for

l ichen to corer them, that s i lvery fungus to which, Ruskin

beautiful ly said, slow f ingered, cons tant hea rted, is entrusted

t h e ~ v e a v i n gof the da rk ete rna l tapestr ies of the hills. T o

coax lichen to ou r new t i le will m ean th at me must mak e them so

sof t an d porous th at they wi ll not for a long t ime be dam p-pro of ;

to make them hard enough to resist the weather wil l be to con-



E X T E R I O R DET ILS 8

demn them to carry their g l i t teri l ig s ll rfaees f resh an d ra\ lT to

the end. Th en, hand-n iade t i le have a sl ight eonenve curve in

thei r ~ i t l t h vhicl i s of g rea t aid in t l i r o~ r in g ff t hc wa ter .

Ma-

eli inc t i le , for ease in ~ )a ck il i g n d tsallsportation, ar e ma de as

flat as a l ~ oa rd . T h e dry , thin, desieeated-looking t i le roofs whieh

we see a11 ab ou t 11s hav e : l b o ~ ~ ts mueh r eal cha nn a nd chame te r

as the machines tha t make them. I<o l re re r, I re a r e ge t t in g pas t

this st ag e antl better t i le a re now comin g on th e market. TTrllether

i t i s tha t the machines are being perfected a11cl haye added the

sripreme a r t th at conceals art , or whether th e clumsy inaceu-

ra te hand of m an i s a llowed to p lay some p ar t

in

their creation,

we do no t know; bu t the fac t tha t we \ r i l l no longer have to

imp ort roof t i le f rom En g la nd is e l leouraging. A s in o ther mnt-

te rs of this sor t

it

is neeessary oilly t o erea te

a

s ~ ~ f i c i e n t l yrgen t

denland an d m ake i t s l~ff ic ient ly e l t , to have i t s~lppl ie t l . T l l is

mea ns th a t th e desire of few, no niat tcr Iiolrr intense, will iiot

avail , lnit that there must bc a widespread and insistent call al l

a lo ng the l ine.

I f fo r reasons of imm ediate, if shortsighted , econonly \lTc feel

\vc mu st fall back u po n th e stoeli ~r o o d c n hingle, i ts l ifelessness

a n d e s ce ss i~ rc e at ne ss n ~ a y e sonnewhat mitigated by laying the

shing les so tha t the bu t t s do no t fol low a n es ae t l ine bu t fa l l h it

or miss, a half- inch mo re or less above an d below. Th is does no t

mean tliat first one shingle is to be laid half an ilieli above the

li11e and the nest half an inch below., and so on ad nauscrcm, but

t h a t t he re s l ~ o ~ l l de no niethod. L e t th e car pen ter r li le his l ine

for the brl t ts and then slap the shingle on the roof antl drive

in

his nails as lie wo111d f lie ~veren a tremen dolls 1111rry. T o con-

vey this point of view t o the .rrorltmall a n d g e t this done as Ir e

wis11 ~ vi l l e a n es t re nie ly d if ic ul t a lld t i re so n~ e ask . I t will re-

quire 11 eild of esplainilig lid ra l son ing wi th the ca rpen te r

befo re he call be go t t o I ~ r ~ m o rs to the estent of doil ig this

p r o l ~ e r l y , s

llis it1e:is of go od jol) will I)e tl io ro ug l~ ly r1tr:iged.

I t re:llly ~ror l ld nvc t ime :llid a t ta in the sa ~i le es~ l l t o n iake

hinl s ligli tly d ru nk an d set hi111 to work. A n o t l ~ e rway is to Ilave



8

TNE

E I A L F - T I J I B E R H O U S E

the stone nlasorl do the shingling.

Ano t he r method of ge t t i ng

sollie

variety

in to o u r roofs wit11 common shingles is t o l ay them,

but t s to a line, b u t r a r y i n g \vithout a n y system, tlie widths of

the courses.

Still better, a n d hardly mor e expensive t han the ordinary

shingles, is the hand-split cypress shingle of the South. I t is very

thick a n d large, being abou t tnTo eet six inches l ong a n d of gen-

erous a n d varying ~vidt l is . T h e ex t r a size, with the resul t ing

increase of a r e a exposed t o the weather , means fewer sllingles t o

cover a n y given surface, a n d i t is this grea ter covering capaci ty

t h a t helps t o b r i i ~ g own the cost. T h e ga i n is t h a t of the pleas-

a n t t ex t u r e which is obtained f rom the spli t o r hand-shaved sur-

face, the l ~ e a r y utts, a n d the sense of scale t h a t is impar ted by

the grea ter size of the shingles a n d their spacing.

TTTliile they

a r e effective on the roof, t hey a r e even more so on the ~ v a l l s f a

11011se. A s yet they ar e l i t t le used in the S o r t h a n d \Irest, bu t

a r e destined t o become more p o p ~ i l a ras the present shingles

of conu~lercebecome of poorer a n d poorer qual i ty a s tlie years

g o by.

T h e use of slate is destined t o beconle daily more poplilar.

T h e wooden shingle is not only beconling more expensive with

the i~ lcreas ing carcity of lumber, but its qual i ty is

lnte

steadily deter iorat ing. T h e danger of fire fronl a

wooden roof c o ~ ~ e r i n glso st rengthens tlie demand

f or something more substa~l t ia l . S l a t e shares with tile this

im-

muni t y f rom fire, a n d has t he a d v a ~ i t a g e r e r it of being less

expensive. T h e cost per square ( one hundred square feet ) of

shingle, slate a n d flat tile, on the roof, is about

10,

15

a n d

30,

allowing some variation for qual i ty and locality. R e d slate

is also more expensive t h a n tlie other colors.

Slate, like tile, should be laid on the roof boarding over some

waterproof p a p e r o r felting, asphal t or the like. M a n y of the

patented preparat ions a r e good. T h e slate a r e then nailed \vith

copper nails t l i r o~ l gh h e waterproof ing into tlie roof boards a n d

se t

in

slaters cement a r ound angles o r curves.



; \ I L . S . I . ~ I C l l t X ~ L I I I I , ~ Cf tilt.

of

gr:1cIu;rtc.tlsl;ttes I:irgv

t1ric.k

olrcs

bcco~r~ingl;rrro\r.cr;rlld thir111crosrartls tlrc r



E X T E R I O R D E T A I L S

87

T h e nails should never be of iron o r steel even when galvan-

ized, a n d must not r us t out, as the fastening should be as inde-

struet ible as t he slate.

T h e old thin blue slates of t he middle of tlie last eentury have

given plaee to a tliielier, rougher slate which is t o be had

i r i

varie-

g a t e d a n d pleasant eolors a n d is super ior in every way. Shades

of red, green, purple , blue and g r a y a r e on the market , a n d we

niay m a k e our roofs of one solid color o r n i i s two a d j a e e n t t ints

t o give pleasant life a n d variety t o t he surface.

t

is well t o

make sure t ha t our slate is unf ad i ng in color, a s this is not always

tlie ease.

Tl ie grea tes t ga in of the slate of to-day o r e r the old ones is

ill their iliereased size, t l i e k ~ i e s s n d surfaee texture . Tliis has

done a w a y rvitli the thin, hard-looking roofs of our earlier time.

A f a r o r i t e method of laying is t o g r a d u a t e t he sizes of tlie slate

f r o n ~ aves t o ridge, t h a t is, t o lay the largest , tlliekest s la te in

wide eourses a t tlie eaves a n d allow then1 t o deerease in size as they

ap1)roacli the ridge. I f we seek t he effect of 1-ariety a n d rugged-

ness, i t is impor tant to 11sel a r ge slate but is even Inore i m p o r t a ~ ~ t

t ha t they be

thick.

A11 inch a t tlie bu t t is not too much on eot tage

work, a n d the effeet is wor th \vhat it costs. F a e i n g

tics

p a g e is a

roof of tliis sort .

T l ~ eidge may be finislied with eopper o r lead roll, ndiicli

Iiad best be left ulibroken a n d \vitliout ol.nalnent.

T h e r e is no niore satisfactory roof for a n y house than one done

in this

way

eolnbili i~ig, s

it

does, all the virtues of beauty, fitriess

a n d ~ ~ t i l i t y .

S t amped tin inlitations need liardly be taken sel.ioiisly ns they

a r e ~ ~ e i t l l e rlalitlso~ne, ioliest, eeol~oriiieal

101

effieieiit.

Tl ie asbestos sl i i l~gleias tlollc \\.ell but lias linrtlly been on tlie

11i:irket long ellough to I ~ a v e ee11 tl loro~igl l lyried out . I t s ~ l f l e r s

fl 0111 its even lifelessl~ess f color, mid looks like n p:iiiited sur -

face. I t is fireproof alitl i ts lliakers claiili lolrg life for. it.

\\ e I ~ a v e l ready toiieliecl

o l i

tlie v a l ~ i e

l l

tlie tlesigli of the

oi~tsi t le liiliiliey stack, alitl of d i n t typical fea ture s11cl1

I

cliilu-



THE

EILILF- I IJIUEF~

HOUSE

ney was in the old half-timber hollses.

T h e rar i e ty of shape

and design of these cllinlncys is almost infinite, froill tlie very

elaborate a nd com ples s tacks as s l~onrl i acing p ag e

liinzlzegs

89, in \vl~ich he brick ar e especially ~ n o ld edo r

groun 1 to fi t their placcs in the design, to those

in houses l ike that faciiig page 72 \ \diere the bricks ar e alike an d

a11 of tlie conuilon varie ty. T h c intr icacy of th e desigll is nlrtde

entirely by placing the bricli in different relative positions, solne-

t imes chipping of f a hiddcn par t to keep the bo~ldabou t t he

flues and insure stabili ty.

S11c11elaborate s tacks as those s l lo~vn acing p age 89 ar e ren-

dered Inore diffiailt to-day by the use of terra cotta flrte litiings,

irhich m ake a n y curving o r twist ing of th e f lue ah lo s t impossible

~ \ ~ i t h o u tomewhere co nstr ict ing th e sectional are a a n d thr is hu rt-

i ng t he d r a f t .

t

m ay best be don e y usin g a circular flue lining.

W e have a tendency in this coun try to be a l i t tle tinlid with

ou r o~ lts ide tacks; they too often look as if the bui lders were

ashamed of them instead of being proud of them, glorifying and

honoring them. T h ey ar e capable of being the most effective

motive in the design if they are made ample

ul

size and plenty

of thoug ht is given to their design. Th ere are not many pa r ts of

a house that are so t ractable and so f lesible as an outside chim-

ne y; me m ay do wi th

it

allnost ~vl la twe wi ll, es pa nd or cont ract ,

raise or lower, shape i t to sui t an y caprice an d enrich i t as ~ nr tch

o r as l i t tle a s we please. t can easily be made to give scale to

tlie ~ r ho le . T h e idea tha t an outsidc cliinlney is ap t to I la \~e poor

d r a f t need no t t roub le us, fo r ~ r i t hmodern f lue l inings and

eigh t incIies of brick or ino re ar o un d them Itre call avoid a n y

danger of such trouble.

These chimneys are most successful when a common water-

str uc k bricli is used a n d th e en tire ru n of the kiln is util ized.

That is , the bricks must not be cul led but ll the bricks used as

they come f rom the b aking ; l ight , da rk, and even t~vis ted . Tl ie

I l lore variety of color and surface the bet ter , not forget t ing the

black headers which hare been nearest the fire.

L a p th ese u p a s



ii




they come to hand, ag ,~ in voit li llg the eonseio~is election of every

header a b lacli one , o r all y o the r r ~ ~ l c . t is interest ing to see

what sp lendid l ive ly br i ek~or l is d on e rvllen th e nlasolls tl ~ il lk t

w l l

not sh01\7 behint1 f ~ i r r i ~ l gnd the like. I f the surface is a large

one, nritllout breaks or angles, tlie need of n little variety

i l l

t he

surfac e will be felt . I n this case I r e nlay mak e

a

criss-eross pat-

tern

either using black headers or by projecting tllerli sliglltly

from the faee of the nrsll, so that the slight shadoiv nrill rualie

a sinlple pa t tern . A ga in , we m ay lay eourses of br iek on end or

or1 edge, o r pro jeet r o ~ v f the corners of br ick laid a t for ty -

five degrees with the surfaee, or sink panels, or malie t lesigl~s,

o r pr oj ee t belt courses. l llere

is

considerable ehoiee bet~veerl

narrow limits.

I llell if \ire elloose vre m ay invest th e s ~ i r f a c e vit11 th e des ired

interest by changing the color of the brick joints or by raking

ou t certain of thenl. I n fae t i t will l lot be ha rd ill innum erable

ways to atld j ~ ~ s ts l i t t le or as mueh interest to our br iek wall

a s we elloose.

On e of the things to avoid a n d th at will rende r useless al l the

trouble we have taken, is the use of n pressed or fancy briek of

a n y description. A no the r is th e 11se of a red m or tar t h a t nlatehes

the brieks. A ga in, i t is

a

tem ptat ion to say th at only red brieks

will do , because it is so 11early a c o n ~ p le te act. L at el y , however,

bricks of pu rp le ting e, wit11 es ee llen t surfnees, hav e eo lm oil

the n lmke t and one eall imagine they ~ v o ~ l l dook very well ~lll t ler

eertni l l eondit ions; but as for gray, yel low, white or

mottled

111.iek hey will nev er do. No tIlillg is so sa fe a n d sn tisft~ eto ry

as red, the i~ltlividrial ricks of rvllicli may vary fro111 sahllon pillk

to (lark plum. L a y these wit11 all honest wl ~i tem or tar , I lulf-i l~cli-

wide flus11 joi nt, a n d th e efreet will be of a s oft p in k w all of g re a t

life ant1 interest.

I f ehilnney-pots a r e ~ ~ s e d ,hey should be of the plaillest pos-

s ib le design ant1 m i t h o ~ ~ tny pa te li t n rml igerne l~ t tt the top su p-

posed to help the d ra f t . I f ou r flue is as big as i t orlgllt to be

i t s draf t wi l l not need n~iytrcll :~ss ista l~c e.



T h e chimney-pots themselves must have a sectional area as

large as that of the fines they cover, ant1 the contraction t tllc

t o p s l l o ~ ~ l de very slight. I t m ay 1)e th a t s1lc11 co ntr nc tio i~a t

tlie toy of a flue helps the draft, as is saitl, but only a very little

should be permi tted . T h e s t r~ lg g l ewe ar e sur e t o 11are Ilxd t o

g et o ur flue big enougli will have gone for na ug ht, if it is to be

~ l i 0 1 i ~ dt the top.

C hin u~ ey -p ots rT only of assistance for the d ra ft \rrhen the

chimney is lo~ v er ha n some neighboring roof ridge o r otlier pro -

jectiol i. T h e wind blo ~ri l lgover s~lc l i n obst ruction son le t i l~ ~c s

forces an eddy of air down th e flue. I f we raise tlie ou tlet

iigl~

cnollgh we avoid tlie trouble. I t is in thu s prolong ing the flue

t l ~ a the chimn ey-pot llas its real use.

T h e ~r in do w s n tlic old w ork were filled with casement sash.

F r o m a c on ~p ara tire ly arly t ime this sasli was of m etal , and llas

so continue<l- the section of the ba r being irn-

i n d ow s proved upon of late years as well as a more com-

p l i ca t ed f r an~eo receive it , \r?itIi th e ever-p resen t

idea of excluding wind an d rain. Th ese sash opened out U 11early

every case and mere fastened ~ v it h n ornam ented lever working

on th e can] principle.

T h e tletaellable b ut t w as a n invention inspired by necessity or,

a t least, convenience. F o r in the reign of the f irst Tudo rs glazed

window sash were a luxu ry, an d your nobleman, ~v h e n e traveled

from one of his cou ntry se ats to another, n ot on ly carried his bed

ant1 otlier furniture,

but,

~ r ~ i t l iis tapestr ies to keep out the

drafts , he unhinged his windows and brought those along1 I n

th e early times horn w as used in the nrindo\~?sn lieu of glass. I n

manuscripts of the t ime of H e n r y V I I I we find such items as a

thousand lantern horns for the ~ryindowsof tim be r houses, nrld

gilding the lead on lattice work of the horn ~vindo~vs. Tliese

casements were divided by lead ~ n ll n t i r~ sbar s dividing the panes

in a sash) in the earliest work, when they \\.ere of dialnond pat-

t e k ~ , ut later the divisions became rectangles, usually higher

than they are broad. Th is is a m ore quiet sh ape an d less tiresome



E X T E R I O R

DETAILS 1

to the eyes ~vhiehm ust look througli tl lenl; for as these mu ntins

an d the shapes they assunle a re ve1.y ~ )l ai n ly tamp ed

11

the eyes

o f the outlool;er, tlie black lines aga ins t the liglit, this is a m a tt e r

of importance ant1 will be felt by tllc least sensitive

i l l

srich mat-

ters.

Tile

Icad divis ions la ter became estmordina~~i lyoml)les,

a n d g r e a t i ~ l g e n u i tywas displayetl in tllcir design.

O ~ r i l l g o the t li fl ie~ ll tya n d

in

fact i~npossibi l i ty~ ~ ~ h i c 1 1as

esperieneed in nlakirlg sheets of glass of any size, these panes

we re sm all, an d necessity ill tllis case pro\*ed a frielld, fo r, esthe ti-

cally at least, the clever niakcr of grcat sheets of perfect glass

has been of

I I O

ass is t a~ iee o the a r ti s t o r archi tec t. E s e e p t in

a s liop wind o~v r a P u l l m a l~ ar , l a rge shee ts of p la te g lass a r e

~insa t i sfactory. Th ey dest roy in the I~ ou sc l l sense of

seclusion

coziness o r ~va r mt l l , l in i ng t he sca le and mak i ng a su n m e r - h o ~ ~ s e

o r observatory ou t of one s quiet study . T h e let t ing in of al l ou t-

t loors dw arfs an d makes poor ou r interiors. O ne is never qu i te

su re w l~ eth er 1e is i r~d oo rs r o u t ; Ile is real ly astr ide th e window

sill and llas

311

uneasy f ee l i ng t ha t t he ~v l ~o l ero r l t l s looking

in a t him. F o r i t is a poor nr int lo~v h at does not work both ways.

Tlle mo dern idea,- born of the fresh-air crusad e h a t houses

cannot have too much l ight , not

s tn

bu t

li ht

s one of which

m an y am ateur house-builders learn the fol ly an d unwisdom af te r

their es pe rinlen t in these directions is com pleted arid i t is too late.

L i k c t h e s c u l ~ ) t o r ,he nrelli tect must strike riglit the first t ime,

for a f te r t lie work is fi l~islledlc \\-ill have learn ed his lesson, bu t th e

t ime ~vi l l lave passed for app ly ing it. To o n~ u c h ight in a 11011se

is estl letically ba d; i t makes one s fr l~ w itu re n d belongings look

nleagrc a11d dingy s witness o ~ l r eighbor s good s mid cllattels

on the s ide~valkon mov ing day . Olle n.o[~l(l11ot have believed

Ilotv taw d ry his best p arlo r s et really is,

slid

as for t lle fanlily po r-

t r a i t s l i e l l as I~ee~ lo 1)roiitl of -111erc alix m ic tlar~ bs l K O .

Colors nrld testilcs as Ire Iiave tllel~l l l h o ~ ~ s e h o l dlangil~gs , ugs

nd

str i ffs general ly, f r~rni tr l rcn11t1 wood\v ork wit11 its ca rv in g

nnd c~lr ic l iule~i t ,ce in dreary n l l t l f eeble by too abr l l~dn~~tay-

l ight . L he bal l roo n~ s anot ller place a ~ l d very taw dry one th e



l ~ e s t lorning when the c:lndles are o ut an d th e sun looks in.

have ~ i oorlbt this over lighting of our rooms could bc slio\rn to

l ~

rl~ia llv ad fo r tlie cyes \\.it11 its a ccom pa ny ing r e f cctions a11tl

Iligh-lights. room is no t coln para blc with its cross lights t o

o~ ltdo ors nd tl ie sam e am ou nt of l ight is much m ore dist l.essil~g

to the eye.

I n p lacing ou r win do ~v s re shal l obtain more of an effect of

pr ivacy and ~va rm t l if \re keep the stool or sill two feet or 111oi.e

above the floor. f it is over three fe et we shall have difficulty in

seeing out ~ r h e n e are seatet l nrhich is a source of a nnoyance.

the bedrooms this height m ay be raised w ithout i ts being unplea sant

a n d is ac co m pa i~ie d y a11 illcreased sense of privacy. Of course

t l i e l~ igher wi i~dows in th e ~ r a l l he more l ight i t cont r ib i~ tes o

the room Th ere is a lso a gain in vent ila tion ~ v i t h r indonrs ha t

can be opened ne ar the ceiling.

O n the ex terior th e levels of the head s of th e windows shoiild

n o t c l ~ a n g ef possible for each story unlcss it is to m ark

a

stair-

case within or some reason of tha t so rt ; ot he r~ ris e t will give

th e building a chaotic rest less j i l inpy look tha t is the one un pa r-

donable sill in th e ho ~ls es re have n nd er consideration.

O u r snlaller pan es as seen from tlie outside give a selise of

s c a l e a l ~ d y k eeping th e panes of glass as nearly as possible th e

same size and shape a ll ove r t he b ~ ~ i l d i ~ l ghatever the size of the

n~indol r sm ay be th e eye is insensibly given som ething to use as

a basis of coml~arison

y

which to ju d g e of relative sizes of oth er

p ar ts of th e work.

common crit icism th at seems to obtain in the lay m ind

aga inst casement sash is that they a re not t ight against the

weather . T he re is no doub t some tru th in this cri ticism against

such sas11 when they a re m ade t o swing in ; bu t when they sw ing

ou t s they always should do t is not a t al l a difficult m att er

to mak e them as t ight as a double-hung window ha t is one

th at is divided into two sash which sl ide u p a n d down in grooves

an d ar e balanced

by

weights.

I n

E ng la nd i t is customary even

in inexpensive work to mak e the casement sash of me tal an d the



caeious against the ~rca t l l e r . Tl lc gain to be Ilad

by

11sillgcase-

men t s is tha t the wliole openil ig of tlic window nl:ly be r~tilizetl

fo r

ventilation ~vliercas n the srrsli wi~itlonr,only half ean be

opened a t a tilnc. \Yc niay 111ol.c readily 11sethem in grorlps, a n d

rlien so used tlley a r e niuch morc easily hal~tl let l ~ i t l l ~ clcsircd

vith gre:ltcr case : ~ l ~ t l11rlc11ess appal.ent

strainil lg a f t e r eft eet. l liey a r c sln:lllcr n11d less heavy

~ i ( 1

lumsy t o mmiage, alltl t he anioulit of wall space ~vhicliwc pro



9 TH

H A L F - T I J I B E I t

HOUS

pose t o devote t o \rintlows can be

milch

more accurately a n d mace-

ful ly secrired by usilig this form of opening.

J u s t ~ r l l a t he psycliological reason is for t he charm a n d pic-

turesqnencss whicl~ een1 to be inseparable f r om these casement

windows, ~ v i t hh e l ight spark l ing on their small panes, o r swung

open t o give a blacli hole into tlie rooin behind, with its mysterioris

lure of the r l n k n o ~ n ~ ,e d o not kno\v. T h e scientific reason

~ v l y

t hey please us, does not interest us here. T h e fac t for us is t h a t

they do possess a magic al l tlieir own, a n d t h a t we freely and

eager ly accredit then1 wit11 being harbingers of delights within.

B a y - n ~ i n d o ~ v sr e a l ~ r a y s harming a n d a r e capable of

a n

almost infinite var iety in shape, size a n d method of t rea tment a n d

design. N o two a r e alike. T h e y more of ten t han not t ake the

f o r m of oriel \ v i n d o ~ \ ~ sorbeled ou t f r om the wall in our half-

t imber work, a n d their brackets in t he old days gave

a

chance f o ~

t he droll fancy of the carvers t o express itself, a n d m a n y quain t

conceits a r e the result . These bays

m y

be either cont in~ led o

tlie floor o r m a y s t o p above it t o give a window-seat delight-

f u l a r r angement r they may be cut off j u s t below t he window

so t ha t only a wide stool o r flower-shelf is left .

D o r m e r ~ v i n d o ~ r sr e ~ i s u a l l y practical necessity if we ar e t o

make much use of our attics. T h e y have allvays been used, b u t

i t m a y be taken as a general rule tha t most roofs gain in digni ty

ant1 repose by tlieir a1 sence. T h e y a r e usual ly treated so as t o

a t t r ac t as li t t le at tent ion as m a y be. Their small \rnlls a r e oftel:

sliingled so t h a t they will melt into the sur rounding roof even

\rhen the walls below a r e of some other material . I n th e design

of t he houses of ~~rl i icl i e a r e wri t ing, \ re shall do everything

possible t o produce the l ong low effect

in

contra-distinction

t

t h e high nar row one. \ I r e place the house as low in t he gr ound

a s possible, wit11 only one s t ep t o the front door ; accent o u r hori-

zontal lines by producing l i o~~ i zon t a lhadows, with overhangs a n d

eares , a n d deprecate any t h i ng

s

interest ing eT7en as a dormer

\I-indow to at t r ac t tlie eye so high.

T h e tloors

in

these old houses were usual ly made of solid planks



E X T E R I O R DETAILS

without panels

-

ha t is, solid wood f r om side t o side a n d of ten

s t udded with nails. T h r e e fee t o r so of solid wood means

shr inkage a n d expansion, a n d i t is of ten hard, we

Doors

find, nowadays a t least, with a n indifferently sea-

s o ~ l e d ood, t o m a k e our doors in this w a y a n d have

them continue t ight a n d well f i t t ing. T h e r e is a g r e a t tendency

t o w a r p a n d twist. I n the old days t hey appar en t l y Itrere not so

nice in their requirements, and were th inking m o r e of s t rength

a n d less of draughts . 'l'he more pretentious doors were paneled

a n d carved, often with narrower stiles a n d rails t h a n our manu-

facturers of stock hardware will permi t us to use

-

o hampered

is the practical archi tectural designer. S t r a p hinges were used

in the simple work, a n d of course in the more elaborate work the

doors were h u n g with llinges ~vh i chwere very beautiful examples

of the blacksmith's craf t .

T h e Eng l i shman has always fel t the symbolism of the door t o

his home.

I-Ie placed over i t his coat of a r ms with mantliligs. I t

was thlis he annou~ l cedhimself, a n d bellcat11 i t in his porch he

loved t o give war m ~ r e l c o m e o his f r iends a n d t o press the s t i r r up

c u p on t he par t i ng p e s t . T h e doorway was t he se t t ing of m a n y

h a p p y comings a n d sad part ings.

t

held very impor tant place

in t he family shrine of home, a n d n o t l ~ i n g ould be more natura l

t han t h a t pailis should not be spa r ed for its adornment .

t

~ v a s

usual ly covered by

a

porch to protect f r om t he werttlicr those ~ v h o

sougllt admit tance.

T h e functions of

a

f ront door and its relation t o the rest of t he

house have changed not a t all with the passing

centuries

a n d i t

is as \vorthy to command our best to-day as it ever

I I ~ R S .

T h e

porcli Iclids itself with much grace a n d tlistinction to nrchitcctural

t r ea tment , and we give n nrmmber of csamples of timbered porches,

some old, sonlc new. T h e old lych gatcs to the churchyard en-

trances

a r e among the best examples of these timbered hoods a n d

shelters.

IVhether or not n tcrracc bclongs with extcr ior details, may

be open t o qucstion

-

t lenst ns t o i t s b e i ~ l g dctail . I t

certainly



THE

1 IALF TI3IBElt

HOUSE

is no t if V Te bste r is rig ht in defill ing detail as a minute

But i f \ re have this def ini t ion at hand we may put

i t to some usc by le t t ing i t s tan d for esac t ly what

Terrace

a terrace sl io~ildnot be.

I t is ~ i s ~ i a l l yade too

small and call nevcr be made too large.

\Ve h a re alrea dy , in spealti lig of dilling-roonis, hat1 som ething

t o sa y a b o ~ l the plcasures of dini lig out-of-doors a nd of th e va l~ ie

of solne sor t of covering, screeiling or glaz ing in m an y localit ies.

I f the ter race has a d ut y to the dining-room, i t must not neglect

tl ie l iving-rooms or hall , and shollld form

8

addi t ion to one or

all of these rooms. N o r \\rill i t h a re fulfil led its tr u e function

or

esliau sted its fu ll possibilities f or usefulness unless it can com bine

the greatest possible anlount of pr iracy with the best that the

ho l~s e f fords

in

th e wa y of view. It will in an y case s e n e as tlie

resti1)ule of the g ard en , which in tu rn will ac t as an intcrnled iary

between the house and the cou ntry beyond. T h e gard en s l iol~ld

takc eacli by the hand an d br ing them together. I t is a gre at

telnptat ion, now we are alnlost in t l ie gzrden, to say something

abo ut this gr ea t outdo or l iving-room, with its decorations of nod-

din g hollyhock, foxglove, burst ing sn ap dra go n, dan cing prii il rose

an d the tl lousand a nd one other blossonls, not fo rge t t ing the g re a t

rose fanlily with their stately flowers and aristocratic names

-

these nanies which are so t ransformed by the Saxon tongues of

the Engl ish cot tagers .

Thus the gal lant cr i insoi l Giatlt

e

atclilles becomes G e n t of Battles.

Gloire

e

Dijon changes

t o G l o r y t o thee , John , and

a

rose named f rom the g rea t rosa-

r ial] , D ea n R ej n o ld s H ole , is called Ke yna rd's Izole, while

the b eaut i ful General Jacqzleminot beconles Ge neral Jac k-m e-

not. How ever , a n En gl i s l~m an as to ld us tha t

a

rose by any

other nam e would sinell as sweet, so we will not quarrel abo ut th e

labels.

F u r th er th an to say tha t the garden s liould be thought of

s

a n o utdoor room , tha t i t sliolild have as intim ate a connection with

th e house as is possible, and tha t th e house should tu rn i ts f r iend -

liest face

in

i ts direction, we m us t not go. Volunles an d volumes




a r e wri t ten, a n d very proper ly, about ga r dens alone, a n d when

we remember t h a t of l a t e years tliey h a r e even aequired a self-

anointed high-priest called a Landseape

rchitect

who has consti-

tu ted himself keeper of the

s cro s rlct

mysteries of ga r den eraf t ,

let t h e author then, a mere architect, flee for his life u p t he p a t h

a n d sa f e onto t he ter race before he stops for breath

T h e terrace floor m a y be of briek, lait1 in ecnlent mor tar over

a bed of broken rock a n d sand. T h e brick nlay be laid in herr ing-

bone o r basket pa t t e r n , o r varied t o sui t the part icular case, a n d

when so used a r e best laid flat , a s t he resul t ing floor is smoother.

Aga i n , for cheaper and less formal work, t he briek m a y be laid

on a bed of sand a n d the joints between merely flushed frill of

sand o r loan) from which in t ime will s p r i n g u p moss a n d small

vegetation. Th i s floor will h a r e to be held in place by a border of

cu t stone, briek laid in cement o r sometlling having sufficient rigid-

i ty t o hold in the loose brick. Such a floor, ~vll i le t ~vi l l n t ime

set t le in places a n d be less t r u e t h a n the other, can be more easily

mended, it being a simple mat t e r t o lift a few bricks \\?hen they

h a r e settled a n d insert the necessary amount of filling t o br ing

them t o a lerel with t he rest . H e a v y frost will not be as a p t to

m a k e t r o l ~ b l ewith

flesible floor of this sort a s ~ v i t h h e more

rigid one of cemented joints.

T i l e also make a n admirable te r raee floor, being smoother t h a n

briek, a n d may be 11ad of a splentlicl red color. O n e must be sure

his tile a r e baked sl~fficicntly lard t o wi t l ~ s t and ros t a n d I~ar t l

knocks, a n d shorild

be

fro111 six t o twelve inches sqllare a11d of a n

ineh o r Inore

i l l

t l~icliness. Ti les hnpor ted froln \Vales have l ong

been fa~rori tes, u t lately a very sat isfactory doniestic tile has a p -

pealwl , torigher in f ac t than tlle foreign one, b ~ ~ tf ~ ~ o tui te so

good color o r testr l re. T i l e liecp their original color I ~ c t t e r11a11

brick in actrlal practice, the lat ter h o l t l i ~ ~ gliore of the g r i ~ n c ~ l t l

dirt .

t l n o t h e r escellell t srlrfaee f o r our te r raee is flagstone. A n y

evenly stratified stolic spl i t of i

i l l

rand0111 sixes ant1 slial)cs will

(lo.

Uluestone o r a n y fir111 hale is c o n ~ ~ n o n l ~ -1set1. This may



THE

I - I A L F - T I M B E R I - I O U S E

be laid ei ther in mortar on a

prepared

foundation, like brick;

or bctter, laid all shapcs a n d sizes, dovetailed toge t l~c r s nearly

as possible, the joir~tsbc il~ g llon~e 1 o tak e care of themselrcs,

which means that grass and vegetation will quickly 611 in the in-

terst ices , p r o d ~ ~ c i n g very plcasulg an d pract ica l f looring f or

o~ltdoors. Black and white squares of marble, while handsome

enough in I ta l ian or very formal work, are a l i t t le too grand to

be in tlie sam e ke y with t h e res t of th e house.

Terraces of wood

ar e desirable only when one camlot afford any thing else. T he y

are, when laid t ight an d uncovered, subject to rapid decay. La id

\\*it11 open join ts, their life will be p rolo nged, b u t t he y w ill be

dr af t y an d unsight ly .

W e are sure ly a t the very edge of our province when we come

t o the terrace posts an d rai ls , b ut rve wil l keep one foot a t least

on th e terrace a n d so save our consciences f rom the sin of poach-

ing. Sllch posts m a y be built u p either of brick riith stone or

cast cemen t cay, or ma de of cu t stone o r of cast cemen t ever

of cobbles o r field stone. W it h ou r ty p e of house such a thing

rvould be a trium ph of vu lga rity. O u r rail, if it is not a wall of

some kind, may be of stone with balusters of either brick 01

of

tu rned s tone , t ak ing ca re t ha t i t is of t he p roper height an d ~ l d t h

t o sit upon. I f economy is necessary wood rails an d tu rn ed bal-

usters will answer very well.

Chestnut or locust will st

longest. We m ay have no rail of a n y sor t if there is li t t

change of level between tllc ground and the floor of our terr

Rain-water heads and down pipes or conductors are just

necessary to-day as they ever were, bllt for some reason or other

they have ceased to play the p ar t they formerly did.

Ra in-w ater W hi le the y mere form erly given a place of honor

H e a d s an d were a source of pride, they now seem to be

adm itted grud ging ly an d apologetically. JYhere

formerly they were big, splendid, important parts of the design,

enriched and made much of, they are now merely timid, emascu-

lated pipes, tucked away out of s ight as nearly as m ay be. T his

is a gr ea t mistake.



In

tllc

1 1 1 1 l f - t i 1 1 1 1 1 c . r I I O I I ~ I o f t o - ( l . t y \ v r

s I I : I I I

I I I I I ~ ~11111.11 I I I O ~ I

o f

o 1 1 r t e r r ~ ~ t . ~ . .i v i n g

t t111 I > ~ . h t . O I I I ~ ~ I I : I ~ ~ I I I If 1 1 r i v : l c . y 1 1 1 1 1 1 virw t v i t l ~ 1 I I I I V ~ I I K

I I ~

i l c 1 1; 1 g. s t1 1 11 c. t > r 1 ) r i t . k



Anotllrr typic:iI fwture of the I~;~lf-ti~ril crousr that \re hav e too 1o11p ~rplcc.tetl

s

t l ~ e :~in-\r.atcr ie:ltl of le:~tlor

ts

n ~ o t l e r ~ ~opper sul s t i t~lte



EXTERIOR DETAILS

The ir vertical lines which may usually allow of considerable

latitud e in their placing ar e of the greatest help to the designer

and the big heads give

splendid chance in the small house to

obtain a sense of scale of which the architect should not be slow

to take advantage.

W hile the lead heads which to-day are as common in En gl an d

as they formerly were are hard t o obtain in this country we m ay

ma ke very satisfactory heads and pipes of copper although it can

never be as tractable for this purpose as the more ductile lead.

Galvanized iron which was a few years ag o mu ch used for this

purpose is to-day of such

poor q uality th at it will no t last over

six to eight years when used for this purpose. Zinc is no t feasible

largely for th e same reason.



W

IILE

hc exter ior a r rangem ent an d des ign are l i tt le sub-

ject to rule , th e interior e ffe ct is even less so. T lle diffi-

cul ty of successful inter ior t reatr i le~l t ies in t lie i i ~ i ~ i d sf

m an y l~ouscholders, lorc iii ignorance of w hat they should t r y t o

do tha n in an y lack of interest in the resul t. T h e enthusiasm is no t

lacking, but i t is too often without proper guidance.

T h e l o ~ l g i ~ l gor n pre t ty and a t t r ac t ive home i s s t rong in

every housewife. S he ha s a very clea r ment:11 pictu re, in a la rg e

sketchy way, of t lie artistic niil ieri she ~r is h e s o produce, bu t a

very hazy idea of h o ~ vt is to be broug ht ab ont .

Th ere is, in th e masculine mind, ho~ve ver , deep-seated suspi-

cion th at an a r t ist ic home mean s an ui lcomfortable one. TIie vcry

word ar t ist ic br ings to his n l i ~ ld picture of a room crowded

with pictures and gimcracks, with chairs too good for one's feet,

a n d n o t s tr on g en ou gh t o s it 1111011; o r else he is chilled b y th e

vision of t l iat other type of the artistic room in which everything

has been reduced to i ts lowest terms and only that is permit ted

which is not only decorative in itself b ~ i that fi l ls

a

definite role

in the carefully studied picture. N o t a jonq uil mu st be touclied,

not

a

chair moved. Xo tllii ig is ad m itte d exc ep t on business.

A

p i pe l e ft on t he man t e l ~ r o u l d hrow the whole roolll off its bal-

ance. Th ese rooills a rc refined, delightful, an d thoroug hly cil-

joyable

n other people's houses.

I 'erhaps the best rule for

obtaining

the happy medium t l ia t

will brin g the wo rds artistic aiid honie toge ther is the well

l i n o ~ rn ne of IVilI iain AIorris: H a r e nothing in your house th at

you do no t l ino ~v o be ~ is ef u l r believe to be bea~ it i ful ," nd ,

we

might add , not too much of t ha t

t

nlay be taken as another

rule that pract ical requirements ei ther in the furni ture or i ts

arran gem elit m ust n ever be sacrificed for tl ie sake of a pp eara nc e.



I N T E R I O R D E T A I L S

1 1

rt

for ar t ' s sake, m a y do \re11 c l i o ~ ~ g hn t he studio but sliould

not be tolerated as

a

ru le for tlie 1io111e.

Good tas te sliould be sonlet l l i l~gn ~ o r e lian

a

eonnoissellr's

k l ~owl edge f works of a r t ; i t s l i o ~ ~ l dncl~ lde s well a j us t appl-e-

ciation of the relation of t l ~ c s e v o r l ~ sf a r t to tllcir sur roul ldi r~gs

a ~ ~ do each other . The r o o n ~ f careful sclectioli, a r r a n g c n ~ c i ~ t

arid r e s t r a i l ~ t f ~vliicliwe have s p o k e l ~ , s a n ideal one when i t

possesses

the addetl f c e l i ~ i g f co111fort a n d usefuloess. B u t the

art ist ic sliould be so interwoven with the practical t ha t the result

will reflect the 11atura1r e f i n e n ~ e ~ ~ tv l ~ i c l is the possession of the

owner.

I t is in this t h a t tlie t ra ined designer m a y bc of use t o tlie

owner of general e111t11rewlio desires t o surrourid liinlself wit11

a n a t n ~ o s p l ~ e r cf r c f i ~ ~ e m e n tu t 1vIio 11as llot liatl the special

t r a in ing necessary t o p r o d m e it. Tl lere a r e a gr ea t nlany s c ~ ~ s i -

ti \-e people of c ~ l l t ~ l r e.110 beeonlc I ~ea r t i l y ick of cheap lneretri-

c i o~ l s ecoration, b u t n.110, lacking tlie o p p o r t ~ ~ l i i t yr llice dis-

crimination t o obtain for tl ien~selves imple refinenlent, give

p

t he fight, tlirow over art ist ic effort of every sort , a l ~ d llow t1icn1-

selves to revert to decorat ive savagery. P c r h a p s TV \roultl bet ter

say t ha t they still keep their eelecticisn~, u t t ha t tlieir desire for

honest sinlplicity fixes their choice o n a crude sort of f u r ~ ~ i t u r e

tliat was t l ~ etyle in the S t one Age .

TVe may imagine tlie

perfectly

Ilarmonious living-room of tlie

C a r e D\vcller, with i t s eavenlous rough s t o ~ ~ eireplace, where

lie might roast a n i c l ~ t hyosaur ~ i svliole, lis chairs of g r ea t ]leu-n

logs, a n d his table ware of c1iil)petl flint. I-Ie Ilin~sclf, di r ty H e r -

crllcs

ill n

liorl's s k i r ~ , ondles a c111b. Tl iere is n o j a r r i ng note

i l l

this picture. It is a perfcetly collsistent esprcssion. E v e r y t l ~ i ~ ~ g

is in scale. B11t l v l ~ a tvo~llt l e o u r i n ~ p r e s s i o l ~f tllc o u n e r were

a dyspept ic c o m n l ~ l t e rwith a pink tie ant1 crensed t rouser s?

Gr ea t , c l ~ l n ~ s y~ l r ~ ~ i t r l l - e~ i a d e f scniitlings n11t1~ipllolsterctiwit11

co\v-l~itlcs

a

style of work \vl~icli ec1;s t o cur ry favor by ntlvcr-

tisirig itself ns simple, w11e11primitive \ r o ~ l l d e n l ~ e t t c r r o r t l .

I t

sceks t o be riotllil~g,nlltl

SO C S C ~ ~ C S

c i ~ i gbad. This negat ive



102

THE

H A L F - T I f i i B E R H O U S h

virtue

certainly

makcs i t r l~oredesirable than a grea t dcal that

may be llnd for the same price. I f our pursc be slim perhaps

nre cannot do better but it is nothing of which we may be

prolld. W e may think of a chair of this sort tha t

it

is the best

we can ge t f o r f i re dollars but not the best chair we can get.

N o picce of furni ture tha t call be made by an indifferent work-

m a n with hatchet in half a day can h a r e much claim to be

taken seriously.

I t is no me. T i m e will not t u r n back in his flight an d while

me are bound to sympathize ~v i t l ihose who are

in

revolt against

the tawdrincss 1vhic11 is so common the remedy does not lie in

flying to the other extreme.

t

is ra ther in insisting on having

our things well designed a n d well built whether they be simple or

elaborate. N o r is this impossible.

Such things a re to be had a n d

the ability exists t o make them more common a n d only waits for

the demand to call it forth.

Tl ie difference between good a n d bad

here is not to be measured in dollars but solely in the skill of the

designer.

I n adopt ing a t y p e of work we mus t imbue ourselves thor-

oughly with the scale a n d spiri t of tha t style. W e may choose the

robust o r the delicate; we m a y work in the spiri t of the Engl i sh

T u d o r 01 of the Colonial. T h e adjectives used to describe these

t ~ v o pposite types of work will va ry with the sympathies of him

who speaks.

W h e r e one will say the Engl i sh mork is clumsy a n d

brutal and the Georgian chaste a n d delicate another cast in a

temperamentally different mold will call E n g l i s h mork virile

and honest a n d the other timid a n d anaemic. W e know what

each means a n d tha t these descriptions will fit either s ty le a t its

best and worst.

t

does not make so much difference in which manner we

elect to build. T h e important th ing is not t o mix the]

W h e n the dain ty a n d the bold a r e joined we have an epice

effect impotent a n d vulgar.

T l ~ e esult is an architectural

eunuch.

Panel ing together with tapes t ry and paint ing is the oldeqt



TVl JI:RIOR

DET ILS

method of co ve ri~ig he \~rallsof room.

The chi l l iness and

roughness of stone walls was what led t o th e use of han gings

of some sor t to keep ou t the draf ts . H ide s were

?Val

probably used f i rst and later text i les of one sort

Trea tmen t

o r another . T h e weaving of tapest ry for the es-

pecial pu rpose of ~ v a l l overing was a very early

and widespread indus t ry throughout Europe and cont inued to

supply n popular need well into the seventeenth century.

Pa ne l ing of one sor t or another is a lso very old ar t , an d the

various stages in i ts dev elopn lei~t re of g re at interest an d worthy

of stud y. Be gin nin g with very wide pane ls of a single piece of

wood, they w ere gra du ally m ade narrow er a s i t became m ore diffi-

cul t to g e t the larg er pieces. T he n the rai ls an d sti les underwen t

a

series of changes in their constrriction, all in the direction of

economy of t ime and labor and the reducing of the necessary

am ou nt of skill required, so that

a

l a rge r body of ~vor l i rne ~ iould

have access to the craft . T hi s is of course

the

direction always

tnken in th e inlproven ient of metho ds of work.

I t w ill no t

be

worth our while here to discuss such technical

inlprovernents as m olding ru n in the solid, o r planted on.

T h a t is a m at te r of arch itectu ral archaeology. TVllat we a re in-

terested in here is ~ v h a t ur p anel ing is goin g to look like when we

have it.

Few luxuries in a house will pay their cost better t l lan wood

paneling, bu t i t has som ething to sa y fo r itself even on th e score

of economy.

t

is surprisingly warn), for i t docs not cll i l l the

~varmed ir of the roo111 as plaster does, and we are savcd the

troriblc and expense of constantly decorating, for unlike 1va11

pap er, pilneling improves with age. Tlie highe r we can cover o u r

walls with mood, th e b ette r the y \\rill look, an d th ey will look best

of a ll when sheathed in a brow11 coa t fr om floor to ceiling.

T3Tliilc h c divisions of tlie pane lin g slioulcl be of siniple s l ~ a p e ,

~ r d i n a r i l y ectangular we may well flower orit at tllc top into

sonietliing a little Illore int cre stin g fcw silnple n~ ol lirlgs lld

r)crliaps

a

l i tt le ca rvin g; but

i

our room bc [lot largc we sllall



1 4 THE

I - I A L F - T I b I B E R H O U S E

tlo well to keep th e pa ne l i~ ig ery q l~ ie t nd modest, avoiding too

11enry s inkages or too I ienry n~ old ing r a n l i ~ ~ gn tlie pauels. If

re

m e a livcly ~ v o o d , s q ~ ~ a r t e r e dv l ~ i t e31; o r cypress, we need

not fear nlorlotoriy ever1 if the panels hare tlie sligl~testpos-

siblc sinkage and

11

nlo ld ing ~vhaterer .

111

fact, as in so nlany

otllcr problems in design, we are steerillg our collrsc betrvceli

the Scylla of fussi~iesson the one hand, n~ i t l he Cl~ aryb di s f

s tupid i ty

11

tlie otlier. T lic n le d i~ ln l h a t is ju st in ste p wit11

t l i e room, i t s s i ze , decora t ion and f~~r~ l i sh ings wliat nre a rc

s t r i r ing for .

F o r finis11 there is not l iing so good as oil or w a s on qu arte red

oak over a brown stain, not too dark . O ak does not tu rn d ar k

fro m a g e bu t 0111y fro m dir t.

111

E n g la n d the \rood is f requent ly

lef t as i t comes from the plane, but in t l i is country \ re prefer

to do som etll ing

by

w ay of fil ling the p ores in ord er to ke ep o11t

th e danipness.

It

is l~ a rd ly ecessary to discuss pap er mad e to

inl i tate wood a~lcl sed to give the in~ pre ssio n f p anel ing. I t is

an ion g tliose l ies th a t a re t l ie

immoralities

of architect~lrc.

I f we a r e t o have p l a s te r ~ va l l s here is not m i icl~ eed to say

an yth ing abo11t tl lenl here, as every m an w l ~ o ives ill a ho11se

is familiar with tlienl, o r a t least wit11 the p a p e r tliat usually covers

tliem.

I t is no t tlie au tho r s in tentio n t o lmm-gue ag ain st 117all

pape r. F a r f rom it . It is probably tl ie most pleasant, attractive

arid serviceable cov ering fo r walls we have or tlie mo ney

and tl ie variety of patterns sllould give us a new respect for the

hum an m ind. I f t lie pa pe r is one wit11 f lo ~ re rs r trees i t is safest

t o l iave them trea ted conventional ly an d t o avoid ti le real ist ic

roses, etc., ~ v h i c h r e p r e t ty e ~ ~ o u g hs pictures but are hardly

sui table as a decorat ion. P a p e rs pr inted

in

two tones of the

sam e color a r e a l ~ ~ v ~ y safe and quiet and make escel lel l t back-

grounds for pictures.

It

mould be going a l i t t le too far afield to discuss the claims

to o ur at tent ion of th e va rio ~i s or ts of pa t tern s a n d colors.

Clioos-

i n g

n

paper i s a ma t t e r i n ~1~1 i che nlilst keep one eye on the

pa pe r a nd the other on t lie room considered as a ~v hole. T h e ques-




105

tions of color, of seale, and appropriateness of

pattern

a r c t h e

t l lings to be consideret l, a nd ~v i t l i l l tl ie tas te a ~ l t l iliowledgc in

tlie worltl a t olir fingcrs' cntls, it will still renlain

a

n ~ o s t i f i ic l~l t

th in g to do, an d mo st of us will 11ave a surp rise of some so rt \vhen

we see i t on

T h e re is n111eh t o I)e said fo r le avi ng p las ter ~v all s, ntl pa r-

t icular ly eei lings , roug h from the t rowel o r t larby. T he y m ay

the n be tintetl if thollglit desira1)le. T h e te st u re is so ft antl pleas-

ing ,

a n d

t i le ref lec ted l ights f rom the ~val ls nd cei l ings much

tenipercd. T h er e is o bet ter background for hanging pic tures .

I t i ~ l a yeen1 r a t l ~ e r scet ic to one who is used to l ia \~ir ig r~ nc l~ cs

of lus cioi ~s ink roses nodtling a t him fr om his \\.all, bu t wllen he

has beconie accustometl to i t he \ \i ll never g o back to t l lc othcr

~ v l l i c l ~ie ma y well re ga rd with a sl iperior eye.

T h e simples t of a l l c e i l i~ ~g s ,vllich is the l~ndersitleof the

floor above, is still practicable fo r us if we choose. T h a t is,

the beams and jo is ts forming the construct ion of

eilings

t h e floor a r e allowetl t o sho w fro111 below , :111d the

spaees between may be plastered or ceiletl with

wood. T hi s gives us fo r beams th e real solid tinibers wllicll

a re w orkirig f o r the ir l iving, a n d their checks ant1 cracks

an d kriots a f fec t us p leasan tly wi th th e fc e l i ~ i gw h i e l ~ g r e a t

s t rength in repose a lways gives .

111

t h e s i n ~ p l e s t

V O I . ~ re

riiay

leave thes e untouelied

01.

enrich wit11 carv ing o r d ecorate in color

as in l~ c h s th e roo111 w arra nts . Tll c objectiorl (f or no sl~iclt l

more inevitably has two sit lcs than all architectural probleni) is

t h a t sucli floor is a p t t o tran snli t tllc noises fro111 tbove, r~liless

this

contingency

is g r~ ar tl e tl ga in st . 'l'liis 111ay be l)rc vc ~l tc tl )y

lay in g sheathing quil t 1)ctn~eelihe unclcl. ant1 ul)l~crloors :ibovc,

doing a \ t7ayas ni~ich s possi1)lc wit11 ally colii~ectio~lc t \ v c c ~ ~llc

tw o, cven to n ail in g l'rom o ne i nto tlie otller. ' l ' l~c 111)1)cr loor

may Ilc lait1

011

s l cc~)c r s

rit1

SO f1o:ltetl on tlic q~liltvitllorlt cvc11

a

I I : ~

o convcy the vil)l.ntio~iso tllc

I I I I ~ ~ C I '

loor

:111t1

i ts joists. 0 1 l r

plns tcr ur i t lcr~~ent l i:iy 11c ilso f r~ r r c t l rit o ~ t olie 11cn111s11stc:ltl

of be ing pu t

OII

l:ltlli~lg11;lile(1 igl it :~g :li~ isth e l ~ ~ i t l e r f l o o r i ~ ~ g ,



TH I - I A L F - T I R I B E R

HOUS

thus giving us a dead-air space between the two ~vhicliwill help

smother the sound waves.

I f however this matter of sound seems to us a very important

one and we are perhaps to have a young person above our heads

who insists on tak ing a constitutional before going to bed there

is another way. This is to have our floor and ceiling constructed

in the ordinary way plaster a n d all and then bean1 our ceiling

without regard to what is behind. These false beams give us a

greater freedom in the mat te r of design as we may be quite inde-

pendent of a n y constructional reqliirements as they are already

taken care of. W e may make our beams of ally size or shape tha t

suits us space them a n d pa t te rn the ceiling with them as we

please. I n th is case too we may build them u p instead o using

the solid mood a n d so g e t rid of a n y fu tu re checks or cracks if

t h a t is ever a desideratum. still more thorough method of

sound-proofing is to hang a false ceiling below the real one and

entirely independent of it.

Now let us consider plaster ceilings of a more elaborate sort.

T h e plaster ribbed ceilings of the time of Elizabeth and Janles

a re the most peculiarly and distinctively En glish things of all the

arcllitectural work of tha t busy time. Although the a r t was

learned from the Italians its subsequent development was along

the lines of native thought and predilection. t clung to its in-

dividuality with g rea t tenacity and refused to be touched by the

foreign influence tha t was having such a marked effect all around

it. T h e plasterers of this time developed

a

style of work tha t is

peculiar to E n g la n d a n d is found nowhere else. These ceilings

a re very elaborate a n d of most intricate pat tern being covered

with a n all-over design of interlaced a n d decorated bands and

ribs often with bosses or pendants a t the intersections.

T h e effect of these complex ceilings when well designed and

covering rooms worthy to receive them is a t once refined and

sunlptuous. W h e n badly done they a r e extremely clamorous

and chaotic.

T h e expense of doing this work to-day keeps it f rom being



o l~ t : ~ i~ l r - t l

)?

thc

~ r s c

f

tllc

linen-foltl :ill11

~ . t . i l l c l i t .

11lotive5

I

1 1 1 ~I ~ I I ~ I I ~ - ~ I I I I I I I

f

St 1 ) 1 ) 1 1 1 t t s .

V I I I I I

pliihtcr

~ > ; I I I I V

o t ~ v I ~ ~ Y Ior t . c . i I i 1 1 ~

t l c c . o r : ~ t ~ t ~ ~ ~

t

follo\vctl f ; ~ r

I

t i111c

llc

>toll( .

v i u l l t i ~ ~ g

f (;otl~ia.wor



THE

I I A L F - T I A I B E R I - I O U S E

junl l f rom the f ire to the m antcl , an d not delay to fol lo~v he

s l o ~ r volutior~ of a shelf for pots an d pan s a nd on to s tich

elnbol.ttte ~ n a nel arrangements as that s1lon.n faeing page

I t is a lo11g time sir ~c eE ng l an d has been

a

cormtry \vherc it

was feasible to fill the g re at yaw nin g fireplaces with logs of w ood.

A s in all thc old coun tries, wood is too prccious to b11r11 cs ce pt

in the nlost gingerly fashion, and with its disappearance the fire-

p lace has s l l r ~ n ~ knt i l i t i s now too of ten only large enough to

hold small coal gra te. S o we shal l no t car e for the mo dern

Engl i sh method of f i r ep lace t r ea tment , and ~rouldmuch bet ter

look t o th e old ones for inspirat ion.

A s the fu ne t io~ l f a f ireplace is bound to m ake i t

a

focus of

life in winter, so the treatment drle to i ts importance \vill make

it the decorat ive centre of the room the rest of the year . W h a t-

ever the details, i ts general design shollld be carefrlHy kept on

the same plane wi th the rcst of the room a n d it s furnishings. T h a t

is, i t should be as simp le or a s gorgeous as i ts surroun dings , which-

ever the case m ay be. T h e keynote th at has been struck nlr lst be

maintained if we are t o have harm ony . Th is might seem to be a

superfluolls warning to intell igent people, and would be so if

nridespread interest in th e fire]>laee did n ot so often blind th e

owner to i ts less i~ n p o rt a n t l ir rol indings. T h e owner has seen

some particll lar fireplace some~rhere v l l i ehhe admired so much

that he has never forgot ten i t , and has long been awai t ing the

chanee to

reproduce

it. So , with a single eye to i t s charms an d n o

tho ug ht of the rest of his room, in i t goes. T h er e seems to be no

oth er es pla na tio n why in a ge ntle , refined roo111 \Ire m ay tu rn

ar ou nd an d find ollrselves c oi lfro ~lt ed by a ruffianly-looking

cobble-stone f ireplace, ma ntel and al l. T h e sort of thin g th at

\rould do very well in a bllngalow with t:~blesmade of logs and

armchairs ingeniously evolved from mriti lated mackerel tubs, is

not a t al l the t hi ng t o g o wit11 0111 Georgian fu r~ l i tu re nd \vhite

paint . A no the r abo nli~lat ion n a real house is the rough brick

chimney ancl mantel, the tentacles of which seen1 to have insinu-

ated thelnselves f i rmly about the hearts of our home-makers.



I N T E l t I O R D E T A I L S

1

So, then, let us have our fireplace and mantel in step with 11s

a n d ou r other belongillgs. T h e fireplace open illg shoultl be from

two to fire or six feet in width, with whatever height me choose.

T hr ee feet is enough micl tl~ or an av erage room. T h e size of

tlie flue n111st increa se with tlie size of th e ope llin g; th e sec tional

are a should not be less tha n o ne-tenth of th e are a of the fireplace

opening. good dep th for the opel ling is t~ v e n ty nches.

I f

it is d ee pe r we lose too in11e11 of th e he at, if sliallol\-er t l l a ~ l is -

teen inches nve nla y have smoke. I t is a mistake to have fire-

places over four feet nritle unless we a r e p r epa r ed t o b l l r ~ lbig

sticks, as sma ll ones will look meall.

JVe may f r ame

i l l

the opening wit11 either cut stone, as in

the i l lus t ra t io~ lfac ing page 106 or I ~ r i ckor t i le, or al iyt l i i l~g

that is not inflanlmable.

f

our mantel is of wood it niust be

kep t a t l eas t f ou r i nc l ~esa w a y a ll a r o ~ ~ n d . e d brick n la kc s

an excel lent border

i l l

t he li v ing-r oon~ o r ~~ np r e t e n t i o us7o1.k.

If brick is used in the betlrooms it will often be better to use

sonlc l ighter color

S I I C ~

s g ra y o r yellow. JVhen red bricli is

used the joints should always be either white or black, b11t the

mor t a r s l ~ou l dnev er be c olored t o m atch th e b rieks 1111lcss o r

some special reason. T ile gives l i t t le m ore finisllcd ap pe ara nc e

th an brick, 1 ) ~ t re a t ca re s h o ~ lld e exe~.cised n the selection.

E sc cl le n t dlll l-glazed ti le in plain colors ar e to be I ~ a d . l liose

w i t h t h e h i g h g l o s s a r e g e ~ ~ e r a l l yo be avoid ed; the glit ter of

their high-lights gives

a

thin, h ard look, whicl~ s

a

restless note

in

the room. Ti les wi thout an y glaze whatever ma y be had ill q ~ la in t

a n d at tra ctiv e pa tte rn s, copies of m edieval t i le, an d sholild be

part icular ly sui ted to

a n

E ~ ~ g l i s hoom. S to l~ e , i a~ .b le nd cc-

ment facings are also used, the choice depending on t l ie type of

room wit11 ~ v l~ ic hre have to do.

T h e m an te l is ea1)al)le of s11c11 a n ines11n~istil)lcvariety of

treatment that me can ol i ly speak of i t in general tcnl ls.

f

the

chimney l~ re as t s ill th e ce n tre of th e wall of roo111 no t too

high-studded, ant1 is of a n ~ p l e i t l t l~ , t is never a m istake t o insist

on the horizontal lines of a ~nlznte l. I n the f irs t p lncc t l ~ c l~c l f



110 TH

HALF TIbIBER H O U S E

may be carried straight across the f ron t of the breast a n d even

t u r n the corners, if our chimney projects into the room, a n d re turn

on the sides agains t the \vall. T h e space below the shelf on either

side of the opening m a y be treated with some arrangenlent of

panels, colunl~is ,brackets, o r pilasters, a n d the space above,

i

we can afford an overmantel, either with simple paneling to the

ceiling, or more elaborate work, if the general t rea tment of the

room demands it. W h e n finished, if we have managed to keep our

horizontal feeling predominant, i t will have a very sober, restful

look. The re is a sense of physical weight about s u c l ~

a

design,

a feeling of inertia, t ha t is a very soothing one to tired nerves.

A

good picture f r amed into the overmantel looks well, much better

than a mirror.

t is as t rue of the mantel as of the paneling, on whose province

i t begins to encroach, tha t the more the better. W e cannot have

too much wood, and if the question were asked if i t would be better

to have a g rea t deal of cheaply doire paneling o r a little of very

excellent quality, the author, a f t e r ma tu re deliberation, decides

t h a t he ~ v o u l d efuse t o answer

A common mistake wit11 a fireplace tha t is to be much used as

a centre of sociability, is to place lights over the mantel shelf.

MThenthese a re lighted those in f ron t of the fire will h a r e to look

directly a t them, which is a l w ~ sisagreeable.

I f lrowever such

outlets a re sufficiently supplemented by others, so tha t they may

be treated merely as decorations if need be, a n d their l ight dis-

pensed with,

it

m a y be a help in the design t o keep them, and le t

their use be chiefly t h a t of contr ibut ing t o the general illumination

on special occasions.

T h e stairs of an earlier age, which mere of stone and wound

a round a central shaf t o r newel in a tower, a r e now rarely found.

Those between two walls a re more common, but

tairs fo r f ron t stairs a r e general ly avoided. T h e stair

t ha t follo\vs the ~va l l s ,either straight o r tu rn ing

with the angles of the hall, were the latest illvention and the best.

T h e y a re capable of much digni ty an d richness in their t rea tment ,



I X T E R I O R D E T A I L S

an d lcnd an interest to the a pa r tm en t in n~hich hey occur tha t

transcen ds tha t of an y othcr fea turc of the hom e. stair is

rea lly on ly a 111surious ad der , having s tring ers instcad of sides,

a n d flat trea ds an d riscrs insteatl of rrlngs. Tl lc hand-rail wo11lt1

Iiave been called a n e ff 'etea n d

degener te

inventioi l by thc Lakc

D~ vel lc r s , nd the ba lus ters a nvastc of t ime and ~u ate r i a lwhich

\vo l~l d iave, 110 doubt, been bitterly assailed by thc lcatlcrs of thc

Society for the Conservation of t l lc Natural Resources of the

time.

This ladder , as i t becomes more elegant and complicated,

should add to i t s o ther in lprovemcnts tha t of d in~ in i s l i i~~gn

stcepncss. T h e am at cu r pla nn cr nvill nowhere have so in r~ ch iffi-

cul ty as with the stairs, and nothing short of bi t tcr esperience

will teach him th a t they a re onc of tlic comparativcl - few tllings

t h a t will a b s o l ~ ~ t c l ydm it of no co ~n pr on ~i se . he re is no s tantl -

a rd w idth for l ialls o r doors, I I O given size for fireplaces or ro onls;

they m ay be varied to suit . N ot so our s ta i rs . Th cy are r igid

and intractable. A s long as

men

persist in gro wing s is feet tal l ,

they must I lave s i s f ec t of c lcar ~ ~n o bs t ru c t edpace to walk in.

J17hile their legs ar e th ree feet lon g they

will

object to having

t o

l i f t

their bodies inore than six or sevcn inches a t a step. A ~ l d

if a man's foo t is no t qu ite twelve inches, it is so ne:lr it th a t noth-

in g less tha n t h at much space nyill do for l iinl to s te p

011

Tlierc

ar c various cnlpir ical rulcs for laying ou t

comfort ble

stai rs . OIIC

in common use with sta ir built lers is th at the p ro d r~ c t f th c rise

and t r ead n llis t be b e t~ rce n evcnty- two and seve~~t --five ~ ~ c l ~ e s ,

~ r i t hhe height of th e trcnd bctmcen fo ur a n d eight inclics. A n -

o t he r ru l e in m e i n En g l an d g ives t he p r o dr ~ c t s s i s t y - s i s i ~~c l i c s ,

with thc assum ption th at th e rise will 1)c five :uld a l~ a lf i~clics,

and tliis is further nloditied 1)y the r111c hat for cve1.y one inch

of t rca t l addcd to or subtmctcd fro111 n ~ l v euclles. tllc five :1nd

half inch r isc s l~ al l e t l i~~ ~in is l lc t lr increased

y

I ~a l fnli illell.

T lin t is, a rise o f s i s i~lclies ho111dhave trca d of clcvc~ l ucl~e s,

rise o r sevcn incllcs, onc of 11i11e nc l~cs .

I t w ill be seen f r o n ~his r111c lla t a s tlic rise illcreases th c trc atl



2

TI IE

I I L I L F - T I J I U E I t I - I O U S E

tlccreases, and this is fo~lndo 11e a correct relat ion. I t s l l o ~ ~ ldc

said in this connection that sl~ort l ights of s teps o~ l tdo ors l~o uld

h a r e a w i d e r t r e a d , a l l o ~ r i ~ l gor th e long er strid e n~l1ic11 ur

g re at er pace nil1 n ~ a li e cccssary. T h is is also tru c wl1ei.e two

01 l lrce step s o c c~ lr lone inside.

A

very good l)ro11ortion for

comfor t is a r ise of f ive or s i s inches and a t r ead of f o u r t c c ~ ~

o r t ~ r e l ~ e .

T h e easy, lusurio us stair , if one nlay ever call the cscrcise of

lif tin g oneself by one s calves a lu s u ry , of o u r old houses, is nowa-

days too of ten replaced by fewer an d higher s teps ~v i t hhe accom-

pan ying narrow t read. W het l ler this is du e al together to the rush

of modern life ~ ~ ~ h i c hs ~v i l l ing o sacrifice any t l ling to speed, an d

regards the el iminat io~lof one step as a gain in efficiency, or

rvllether i t is due p ar tly to lack of floor spa ce fo r th e accommoda-

tion of a

proper stair , is

a

question tha t nl i g l~ t dm it of debate.

It

is always a pp all ing nyhen o u r plan is stil l on pa pe r, to see the

am oun t of room th e s ta i rs take up , when they ar e proper ly d raw n

t o scale. T he y are a p t to so fill our hal l and encroach on doors

and passage space that we feel something must be done to kcep

then1 within bounds, forg et t ing tha t the y ar e incon~pressible, nd

th at th e pen alty of tr yi n g to squeeze tllenl is sure to be har d climb-

in g o r knoc king one s h ead, or nlore lilccly both. T h e steepness

of some f lights sometimes tem pts one to think th at the plush han d

cord along the w al l might wel l be used to rope the c l i~nbe rs o-

gether before they star t

up.

It

is well no t t o g o th e ~v ho le istance from floor to f loor with-

out

z

landing where one m ay pause for

a

l n o n ~ e ~ l tf desired. O ld

people f ind a long, uninterrupted f l ight a considerable tax on

their st rength, an d such a chance to g et their breath is much a p -

preciated. I f th e stairs m ak e a t11r11 t should be by mean s of a

lan din g, an d never by th e use of winde rs if it can be avoided.

W ind ers a re steps which ha re their r isers radiat ing from a newel

an d ar e of necessity narrow a t the newel, and f laring ou t again st

the opposite wall. Th is variation in width, together with the

changing of direction, makes them the cause of many accidents.



T h e r e is, ho~vever , his to he said in tlieir favor, t h a t their varyiiig

width of tread, a e c o r d i ~ i g o the distaiiee fro111 the newel, ena1)les

l o n g o r short legs t o picli olit t he s t ep t h a t best suits them, a n d

this one will uneonseiously (lo in cliriibillg a n ~ i u d i n g tair. \Ire

m u s t expect t o find winders in service stairs, where landings ~ v o u l d

be too high

a

price t o p a y fo r tlic space they require.

T h e Engl i sh t y p e of s ta i rway t h a t n ~ i l l e a l ~ p r o p r i a t ell o u r

house will no t v a r y in eonstl.uction f rom a n y otlier, e s c e l ~ tl l the

I

one point of haviug wha t is calletl

close striug," tliat is, t he

ou te r edge of the stair , instead of a l l o n ~ i n ghe risers alitl t reads

t o be seen f rom below, is fiiiishetl so t h a t they a r e elltirely en-

closetl, sliowing

a

s t ra igh t edge l ~ a r a l l e l o the so f i t . T h e balris-

ters , ~vhichwill I)e a11 of the sanie leiigth, res t

011

this str ing. 'l'his

is a s typical of the Eiig l ish s ta i r a s the open string," ill \vl~icli

t he ends of the s teps show, is typical of the Georgian o r Cololiial

work.

A s for the rest, we shall have tiiriied balusters, a lieavy carvctl

i i e~ re l , n d the finish general ly will pa r t ake of tlie character aiitl

scale of the s ~ i r r o ~ i u t l i l i gork, mliich n ~ i l l at i lral ly be more heavy

a n d robllst than iu the Colonial.

T h e

eliairs of the T u d o r period were matle ent i re ly of wootl,

a n d tliough lire m a y mit igate their r ig id i ty somewhat with tile l i e l ~ )

of elishions, we sliall still find them heavy, cll~liisy

k nrniture

ant1 uncomforta1)le affairs, ant1 ~liisuitet l o n ~ o t l e n i

ideas. T h e tal)lcs with tlieir brilbolis legs (lo ~ve l l

eno~lg l i , n d m a n y of the cabinets : l i~d~ ~ r e s s e sf the periotl ~\ ' i t l i

their nai've c a w i n g a r e very c~r~ : l i~ i tut1 clit~rnliiig.

T h e

cane f ~ r -

n i tu rc of the S t u a r t s aiid tlie t u r ~ l e t lwork of tlie .Jncol)c;~li ~ e r i o t l

a r e thoro~iglil *~) rae t icn l or lis, aiitl a stel-lilig s ty le of \roi.k tha t

strikes tlie Iiappy ~ne t l i~ l rn)etwecii the clllnisii~css

f

tlie c:~l.l .

~ v o r k

I I I ~

lie alniost i.ococo q ~ i a lty of ~ r l i a t 'ollo\vctl.

111

select

i ~ ~ g

lir f r ~ r n i t r ~ r ere iicctl ilot I)e too c;~refl l l o ilisist

11

Iiar.ilig

cverytliing of ally oile Iiistoric style. Ail aiincliro~lisniwill not

1)e fclt

i

we lieel) tlic s;liiie s l ) i~ ' i t lltl cllni.nclci.

i l l

tlie ivork.

Str~fr'ctlellail's,

I I ~ ) I I o I s ~ c ~ c I l l

leatllcl.

or

tal)cstl.y, tllc l~ ig l i e-



THE

H A L F - T I b I B E R H O U S E

POUSS~ ' ,eather-backed Po rtu gu es e cliairs, or even the armchairs

of I ta ly , will not jar . Tl lc i r fu~ ida nle nta l l~aracteris t ies re the

same. Osc ar IVilde lias said :

8

beautiful things belong to the

sam e period," a n d if tr u th is sonlelrliat stl-etched fo r t lie s a lx of

th e epigran l, i t is tr u e so fa r as there is a bond of brotherhootl , a

secret understandi~ig,between beautiful works of art, wli:~te\~ei.

t lieir period or eou ntry . O f course with tlic period room there

is no problem of this sort. B u t \re need not feel because nre 11avc

n couple of chairs of one period, that the whole room and its con-

tents must be made to mateh.

I t is mor e dangerous t o m i s our pe riods t han t o n l i s ou r

natioiia ities. W o rk of the same epoeh is a p t to ha re much the

sam e charae ter everywhere. Jac ob ean chair is perfectly com-

patible with one of Louis

XI

in France, but \ \ i l l never do

with a Louis S V chair , o r even with a n En glis h chair of the

t ime of G eorge

111

There is one article of funliture, howel-er, over t l ie style of

which Ire have no control , namely that amorphous monstrosi ty,

th e g ra nd p i s ~ ~ o . t s por ten tousness begins ~ r i t h t s name an d

is fu rth er evidenced by the gr ea t, sliapeless body su pp orted on its

fat , vu lgar legs, i ts unsp eaka ble piano finish sti l l fu rth er call-

i ~ i g t ten t ion to i ts grandeu r . O n entering a strange room if we

are in an absent-minded mood, our f i rst inst inct ive thought on

riotieing its fun erea l presence will be t l iat we nlu st not in tru de a t

a

t ime like this when tl ie family's late pet mastodon is evidently

lying in s tate . I t is one of the seven ~ro n d er s f the deeorat ire

world v-liy it is tha t c i ri l izat ior~ as pu t u p wi th sueh a th o ro ~ lg l~ ly

outrageous piece of furn i ture for so long. P erh ap s

it

is because

one unconsciously tliin <s of th e u gl y lrrornan ~ v i t h lie be au tiful

voice, an d with a sigh classes i t as a no ther one of th e mysterious

~ro r l i ing s f nature . B u t i t is not a necessity a t a ll .

Splendid

pinno cases Iiave been designed, bu t i t is only spasm odically th a t

the heavy band of the Trictoriarl era has been for a moment

s l~ ak en ff. T o have a case

especially

designed means that we s l~ al l

have no choice in select ing the tone of the piano but must take




the works as i t comes; and t l ~ e r es of course grea t elioice in

the tone of pianos even of tlie best nlakers.

Ther e is no more deliglltfril stri t l~. ll the decorative a r t s tliall

tliat of furni ture. 11e11of all ages 11c1vegloried i l l Invishing tlieir

best energies a n d sliill on the :~r t i s t ic livelltio~la11(1bea l l t i k i ng

~

of the articles in daily use. 1 I e n 11nve always cspcsscc l tllcir

trrle selves ill tlie work they lo~ved ~ e s t o do. O f old f rirnitr~re t

is

11ot too nlucli to s a y : S l l o ~ v1lcnrliat a nian sits 11

sli

will tell

you \\.hat he is.

l l~esubjec t of the styles of furn i ture is not one to be treated

liglltly o r dismissetl

i l l

paragrapll , a n d is f a r beyo l d the scope

of a n y slicli gelieral work as this.

I ublic etlueatioll in ~ n a t t e r s f archi tecture aiitl

11a1.e made gigant ic strides in tlie last tn7enty jVe:1rs. I n ~ ~ o t l i i l ~ g

do

w

show the characteristies of qriiek-tliililii~~g,tlaptable

people as in the eager reception we give this ~ . e n n i s s n ~ ~ e ef tlie

a r t s in which we have had so large a share. N o better architec-

t u r e is being d o i ~ e l l j ~ r r l ~ e r ell the ~vor l t l o-day tllarl in this

country, and if some of the allied u t s lag lit t le belli~ldwe feel

tliat it \\-ill no t be for l ong ; for abili ty and entllr~siaslna r e a t

work, a n d the resul t 117ill b e i e a u t y ill the service of nmn.



Unlverslty of Califomla

SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY

405 Hllgard Avenue Loe Angeles CA 90024-1388

Return this materlal to the llbrary

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