Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/207



5 Wall plates, 29 ft. long, 8 in. diameter.

3 Wall plates, 17 ft. long, 8 in. diameter.

3 Sleepers, 17 ft. long, 8 in. diameter.

6 Sleepers, 15 ft. long, 8 in. diameter.

30 Joists, 8 ft. long, 4 x 2.

64 Rafters, 10 ft. long, 3 x 2.

Battens for shingles, 3 x 1, to be nailed on every 3 inches.

Iron, 3 x 1, to be nailed on top and bottom, and middle of sheets.

300 Slabs for walls and floor, 8 ft. long.

18 Studs, 8 ft. long, 3 x 2.

In this plan I have allowed joists for flooring, slabs to be used for the purpose. The one house is as easy to build as the other, the only difference being in size, and that is very slight. If you can afford to build your house of sawn timber, so much the better for you, as a house so built is far preferable to one of the slabs, though I have seen the roughest hut (externally) made beautiful with the aid of canvas or cretonne inside. In the old days it was the custom to line the slab huts with unbleached calico, or a cheap calico, and very often then papered over the calico, the effect being very pretty. On most stations nowadays they build with sawn stuff, on many even sawing the timber on the place.