Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1911 — The American Home [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The American Home

WILLIAM A. RADFORD Editor

Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and give advice FREE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to the subject of building for the readers of this paper. On account of his wide experience as Editor, Author and Manufacturer, he Is. without doubt, the highest authority on all these subjects. Address *ll Inquiries to William A. Radford, No. 194 Fifth Ave., Chicago, 111., and only om •lose two-rent stamp for repJtv

In building a house of concrete, no matter what the form of the material may be, the concrete should be strong and sound; It should be wet, far too wet to be delivered from its mold for considerable periods of time. The best artificial stone made, in this country is that made by the wet process, simply because plenty of water is necessary in the setting of the cement. The coming year,will witness a great boom in. cement-house building and the principles that underlie the use of this material are easy for the public to understand. But there are certain limitations in

which the purse of the intending builder is involved. Solid wall cons&uction is very limited In Jts application to dwelling house construction. While we have solved the problem of the factory and mill building in reinforced concrete the same may not be said for dwelling houses of all classes. In the mill and factory structure we have a relatively large amount of concrete as compared with the lumber and labor involved in the making of the forms, whereas, in the dwelling house, with the cut-up surfaces and irregular openings, the ratio of .the cost of forms to the concrete is out of all proportion, and places concrete practically out of the

running In comparison with other material. Moreover, the internal stresses, particularly the shrinkage of concrete in the masß, are such that the walls are apt to crack. They must be furred, or an air space formed, otherwise they will be damp and extremely unsatisfactory. In the fall and spring there is likelihood of condensation on the inside of an uninsulated con crete wall, and, last of all, it is a difficult matter to give a solid concrete wall an architectural treatment that can be called satisfactory, except at a very considerable expense. The wooden house is, of course, highly inflammable and should only be built aB a last resort. Such a house, covered with metal lath and furred, has some excellent architec-

tural possibilities, but when well built will not be foudd to be cheaper than a rough brick wall, for the frame must be sheathed, papered, metal furred and lathed and covered with scratch coat of mortar before it is in condition to receive the stucco. This will be found to approximate closely the cost of brick work. But then It should be considered that the stucco house, although the cost may be the same as that of a rough brick wall, is much more desirable because of Its modern appearanca and attractiveness. Much has been said about the faults of stucco work, but like many another failure in the use of concrete, they are traceable to the Ignorance of the user rather than to the fault of the material. Stucco has been much abused but it will give the best of satisfaction if it is properly made and applied. There are plenty of examples of this style of house the country over which have withstood the test of years and their appearance and durability have been proved to the satisfaction of the owners. We irf prone to judge things in a class by the failures and not by the sue>

cesses. It Is so' with stucco honees. We present here the penpecUve view and the plans of a stucco house of pleasing design. One feature of this house is the economy of the design of the roof. The space is all utilized within a few feet of the top. Care should be used in selecting the site for this house. It should stand on a large lot and be provided with plenty of shrubbery. It will be noted that the upper sashes of the windows are ornamental. The stucco for this residence should be very light iu color and in contrast the roof should

be painted dark. The house is entered through a wide door that opens into a hall of generous dimensions. As one stands in the hall, at the end of which is the Btairway, one may look through at each side and get the impression of the size of the residence. The width is 46 feet and the length is 29 feet. At the left is a large dining room which is provided with an open grate, while on the right is the large living room. In both the

dining and the living rooms are large circular windows. Back of the living room is a bedroom and at the rear of the dining room is the kitchen. On the second floor are two large bedrooms.

Second Floor Plan.

First Floor Plan.