Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/60

 S6 COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. the other parts of the walls in order to be stronger ; for the corner, from its very position, is always the strongest part of the wall. Thus, a force applied to the wall, g, in the direction of /*, fig. 39, is resisted only by the thickness of the wall ; but a force applied at i or k, is resisted by the thickness of the wall, backed by its length ; and a force applied at I, is resisted by the length of both walls. The walls in this Design are finished with what is called a blocking course, fig. 40, VI, over which the slates of the roof project so as to throw the water into a gutter, formed in the upper surface of what is called the wall head plinth, n. This is a very common mode of roofing and finishing stone-built, slate-covered cottages, in Scotland ; where it is found both economical and durable. The chimney stacks are formed of hewn stone, finished with a simple cornice (fig. 41, to a scale of one inch and a half to a foot). In the section A B, in Design VIL it will be observed that the part of the platform which is under the "house, is formed of stones ; the object being to keep the floor dry, and to admit, if it should be thought necessary, of forming a flue in it. 75. Situation. A cottage with this description of roof is peculiarly adapted for an elevated situation, much exposed to storms ; it being impossible for the wind to get under a roof like this, which has no eaves. 76. Fitness. A great fault in this dwelling is, that the fire-places are in the side wall, and though they are in part protected by the lean-to, yet the heat thrown into that part of the building may be considered in a great measure lost, or of no great use. It would be an improve- ment to transpose e and /, as the heat given out behind the fire-place of b, would then be turned to some account. 77. Expression. There is very little more here than the expression of the subject. What there is, belongs to local manner, and that manner being common in Scotland, the dwelling before us may very well be termed a stone cottage in the common Scotch manner. This manner can by no means be commended in point of beauty ; but it might be improved both in ap pearance and usefulness, by the ad- dition of a porch ; a parapet to the terrace, and a vase over the porch, to bring those on the parapet, and the chimney pots into harmony, fig. 42. Vases for these purposes, of various forms and dimensions, are to be had from the potters, at a few shillings each. 78. Specification. In the follow- ing detailed specification, the walls are supposed to be built of stone, with brick coins instead of squared stones. As a number of technical terms are necessarily made use of in these details, we have explained them as they occur ; and the engravings which we have made use of in aid of this purpose, are to be considered as merely expla- 43 natory, and not drawn to any scale, like those illus- trative of the construction of the different Designs. 79. Specification of Bricklayer's Work. To dig out the several trenches for the foundations of the respec- tive depth and width required ; and to fill in and well ram in the earth round the foundations when built. To dig and steen (to line with brick or stone) in four- inch brick-work, a cesspool for the privy four feet (C in diameter in the clear, and six feet deep ; and to ^-^ dome (arch over) the same in nine-inch brick-work ; and put in four feet of twelve- inch hollow tile drain, fig. 43, with a proper fall to convey the soil to it. To build