Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/267

 COTTAGE DWELLINGS IN VARIOUS STYLES. ii4,3 435 happened to be used in the lieating place. The opening in the roof may be simply a pan- tile with a covered hole, fig. 434, such as are comiTion in the neiglibourhood of London. If thought necessary, a small flue to each cooking place could easily be inade by earthen- ware tubes, ten uiches or a foot in diameter, such as fig. 435, with a cap to keep off the rain, fig. 436. These tubes are common in all potteries, and are sold in the neighbourhood of London at only from ninepence to tenpence per foot. The same description of tubes, twelve or thirteen inches in diameter, may be used in forming the six upiight flues to the six fires, which will thus render brickwork imnecessary for them, except at the dampers, and for the cliinmey shafts. All the window casements may be of iron, and all the doors ledged ; and no window shutters can be required where there is perfect security, and abundance of heat. Warm curtains of some cheap worsted stuff in winter, and calico blinds in summer, wDl be found preferable. The pri^■^es are not proposed to be made water-closets ; but to prevent the rising of smell, a description of cheap basin and trap maybe used, such as fig. 437, r ■'sJiJVA'^A 435 ^^ manufactured at the common tile potteries about London, and sold by retail at 2s6«L each ; or fig. 438, which has a hole for a water-pipe at tr, and forms altogether a very complete trap ; these ai-e also made at the tile works, and are sold at 5s. each. It will be understood that the upper part, x, of fig. 438. is a separate vessel, of a funnel shape, and that the lower part, y, is a basin with a soil pipe, z ; and that when the fimnel is placed in this basin, it must be so adjusted as to have its truncated extremity reach to within two or three inches of the bottom. As this funnel, from its construction, must then necessarily remain immersed in water as high as the under part of the soil pipe or discharge tube, z, it is evident that no smell can rise through the funnel. When X has been properly adjusted to y, it must be made air-tight with cement. 491. General Estimate. The cost of these dwellings will evidently depend much on the price of common country labour ; for the work of the carpenter and joiner is very limited, and still more so that of the bricklayer. From a rough calculation made for us by an experienced surv-eyor, it appears that the whole of the twelve dwellings, with the requisite offices complete, as shown in the plan, might be executed, where common labourers' wages are 10s. a week, for about ^"500; which averages less than it 50 a dwelling. 492. Remarks. Wherever this plan is proposed to be carried into execution, choice should be made of a dry soil, becaase that will greatly lessen the expense of the footings to the mud walls, to the flues, and to the platform. It must not be forgotten, also, that a level spot is to be preferred, unless one of a uniform slope is obtained, and the number of dwellings increased so as not to require the flues to be returned. We have no doubt that in many situations, perhaps in most, it would be least expensive to form all the flues of thirteen-inch tubes, so close together as to touch each other, supported on brick or stone piers, filling up the interstices above them, and levelling the surface so as to form a com- fortable floor over them with concrete (gravel and mortar), and the flooring composition before mentioned, § 386. These, and every other description of flue in this position., the direction being straight, may be easily cleaned, which they ought to be at least four