Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/176

 WOMAN'S HOME Garden City, and the recent revival of a more refined taste in domestic architecture, have ah-eady exerted their in- fluence on the speculative builder, showing him that a fair exterior of simple design better satisfies the average twentiet h-c e n t u r y person than the hotch- potch of cheap carving, florid cast-iron work, and gaudy paint that one time drew him tenants. Associated with an in- artistic exterior one not infrequently finds faulty construction and bad materials. 154 DAMP COURSE GROUND LEVEL FLOOR LEVEL The Walls Bad brickwork soon shows its shortcomings. The bricks may be sound, but the " pointing " falls away, revealing shoddy mortar behind, every course of which becomes a channel for conducting the rain inwards. Look, then, at the pointing, and see that it is sound, continuous, and of cement-like hardness. Every house is required to have a properly constructed " damp-course," the purpose of which is to prevent the moisture rising from the soil and permeating the walls. Many old houses lack this essential, but are not always damp in consequence, because they have been built of materials less porous than the present-day brick, and with better mortar. Some modern houses have the damp-course in name only, owing to the use of improper materials, or of proper materials badly applied. The damp-course is generally obvious enough as an extra thick space between the brick courses just above the ground- level. It will be noted that the bricks below this space are permanently damp in all weathers, but if the damp- course is effective, the brick- work above it will be dry. If not, and provided there is no temporary cause for the dampness, such as recent rain, it may be assumed that the damp-course is at fault and the house on that account undesirable. Patches of moisture showing above, but not immediately contiguous to the damp-course, a may have their origin in the same defect, the moisture passing up the inside of the wall for some distance before showing on the outer surface. Hence the need for examining the walls inside as well as out. Moisture showing near the eaves, or high up on the walls, may come from leaky guttering, faulty roofing, or from cistern overflow, and may be disposed of by remedying these defects. In detached country houses in exposed positions, the walls are not infrequently perma- nently damp through rain driving against them. A house subject to such conditions is not hopeless if the tenant or The damp'course is generally obvious as an extra brick space landlord be prepared to the between the brick courses just above the ground-level. Shaded spend moncy in provid- T part of wall is always more or less moist. The unshaded •, , • ^ • „ portion should be always dry mga protective CO VCrmg on the weather side. Painting the brickwork is one remedy, but hanging tiles is a better one. Cementing and "rough-cast"* is still another. Houses of impervious stone, like those found in the north of England and in Scotland, are usually dry enough. An important point is that the space below the ground floors should be ventilated by " air-bricks " let into the walls (see illustration above). This not only ensures that no stagnant air shall be imprisoned beneath the floors, through which it may filter into the living-rooms, but also that the wood of the joists and floors shall be protected from dry- rot, a fungus that plays havoc with all woodwork, and diffuses an unpleasant musty odour through the house. Air- bricks, if present, will be seen in the brickwork below the damp-course. Cracked walls, even if the cracks have been made good with cement, are an indication either of settlement, due to bad foundations or unstable soil, or of bad materials and faulty building. Houses with cracked walls, therefore, are best left out of consideration. Window-frames should be examined to see that they fit snugly and are properly pointed with cement. Houses, the brickwork of which is ren- dered in cement and covered with rough- UJ ji 3 Q. 2 vj ' DAMP COURSE GROUND LEVEL -{ >r ^ z^^^ '-'".' '12 .' _;Z,'4 1 1 ^.c:-'.rr 1 : i . -'.f:' *' * ; 1 Course of moisture in a wall provided with an inefficient damp'COursc. The brick- work above the damp-course should always be dry f
 * Coarse plastering applied to the exterior of walls.