Rustic Carpentry Part 6

VERANDAHS.

The front elevation of a rustic verandah is presented by Fig. 133, which shows a part only, which may be extended to any required length at either end. As to the width, that indicated is 3-1/2 ft. from the wall to the middle of the collar-posts, the eaves having a further projection of 6 in. For a cottage verandah the width given is a satisfactory one.

It gives sufficient room for seats on a hot day, or for a promenade on a wet one. The width, as also the height, can easily be increased to suit a larger house. The verandah is supposed to be built on a raised platform of brick or stone.

All parts of the actual framework are of straight natural wood, preferably larch; whilst the mere filling-in of rustic open-work is of small crooked stuff--probably oak or apple tree. The roof, as ill.u.s.trated, is of tiles.

It will be seen that the posts which support the verandah are arranged in pairs, so that 3 in. or 3-1/2 in. poles will suffice for them. Their bases are supposed to be dowelled to the masonry of the platform on which they stand; they are 6 ft. 6 in. high. Except at the entrances, a sill of half-stuff runs from post to post on the platform. At a height of 3 ft. 3 in. they are connected by a round bar of smaller material, and, again, by a second cross-bar of similar size to the last, at 6 in.

from their upper ends. On the tops of the posts rests a lintel of half-stuff of larger diameter--say 5 in. The upper and lower cross-bars come opposite to the middles of the posts, but need not be mortised into them, for if their ends are cut V-shaped, so as to clip the posts, they can be nailed quite firmly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 133.--Front Elevation of Verandah.]

The lower cross-rail is placed at a convenient height for leaning upon.

At a height of 5 ft. 6 in. caps are formed by simply nailing four pieces of quartered stuff round each post. The diagonal braces which start from above the capitals pa.s.s in front of the upper cross-bars, to which and to the lintel they are nailed. Fig. 133 sufficiently shows how the panels between the pairs of posts and the frieze between the upper cross-bar and lintel are filled with open-work of small crooked branches, which contrasts in a pleasing manner with the straight pieces of the framework. This open-work may be made available for, and will be found useful as, a support for climbing plants.

In so narrow a structure the rafters alone will suffice to keep all in place, without anything of the nature of a tie-beam being called for.

These rafters will be of half-stuff, and for the given width a length of 5 ft. will be enough; this will allow of such a projection beyond the lintel as will give the eaves a width of 6 in.; the pitch will be rather less than a true pitch, but amply steep for the purpose. A piece of half-stuff nailed to the wall will support the upper ends of the rafters.

In forming the roof it is proposed to board over the whole s.p.a.ce upon the rafters, and to nail the tiles or other covering upon the boards.

The inside may be lined beneath the boarding with rush matting. This is an inexpensive material; its brownish-green hue is pleasing to the eye, and it is so inartificial in appearance as to harmonise well with the natural wood. After fixing the rafters, the matting is to be stretched tightly across them before the boards are nailed down. It is probable that the rafters will be arranged with intervals of about a foot between them, and to hold the matting more closely to the boards a strip of split rod may be nailed up the middle of each s.p.a.ce, or strips may be nailed so as to form a simple ornamental pattern; an intricate one will not be desirable, as fixing it will be overhead work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 134.--Front Elevation of Glazed Verandah for Grape Culture.]

A neat, but less characteristic, ceiling may be formed by painting the boards a suitable colour and slightly ornamenting them with split strips of rod. In this case the boards should be planed. None will be better for this purpose than 3/4-in. flooring boards, and these are commonly sold planed on one side. Other ways of lining the roofs of rustic buildings are discussed in Chapter XIII. For summer-houses thatch makes a good-looking roof, but a thatched verandah would scarcely be desirable unless attached to a thatched cottage. Practically the choice lies between shingles, metal, and tile or slate. A metal roof is, undoubtedly, that most easily fixed by the beginner; black sheet iron looks better than galvanised, and must be kept painted. As a matter of taste, metal looks thin and poor, but it becomes less objectionable when painted; a deep, dull red would be the colour to be preferred. Perhaps, of all available coverings, nothing will look better than tiles, as drawn. Red or buff tiles will in themselves look best, but the choice must, to an extent, be influenced by the general covering of the house.

It may be, if that is of slate, that small slates will come in most appropriately; but whichever of these coverings is used, the best finish against the wall will be with a "flashing" of metal, as shown.

It has been a.s.serted by some who consider themselves authorities in matters of taste that nothing of the nature of a greenhouse ever harmonises with natural surroundings, or is otherwise than an eyesore in a garden in other respects beautiful. The hard, straight lines of wood or metal, and wide surfaces of shining gla.s.s, are not pleasing, and are too suggestive of the shop and factory to accord well with natural objects. It has been suggested that the difficulty might be overcome by combining rustic work with gla.s.s. This, at the first glance, looks fairly easy; but, on consideration, it will be seen to be otherwise.

Rustic carpentry is in its nature irregular, and cannot be brought to those level planes and straight lines essential to gla.s.s-work; whilst for interiors, and especially those of houses intended for vines, rough bark-coloured surfaces afford too much shelter to insect pests--so that, in reality, rustic-work can only be made applicable to a very limited extent. In the grape-growing verandah shown by Fig. 134, therefore, only a limited amount of rustic-work has been introduced, and that on the outside.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 135.--Side View of Bottom of Post for Glazed Verandah.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 136.--Side View of Top of Post for Glazed Verandah.]

Such of the materials as are of a rustic kind are, for the parapet and uprights, some rather small larch poles or other tolerably straight, round stuff, and for the panels, some of those "slabs," or rough outside planks. As to the posts, and such parts as are not rustic, they are supposed to be of good deal. The sash-bars, which carry the gla.s.s both in roof and walls, are to be bought struck by steam at a lower price than they can be worked by hand, or sashes may be bought ready glazed.

For glazing work of this kind, 16-oz., or sometimes 20-oz., gla.s.s is used.

As in the design for an open rustic verandah (see Fig. 133) it is intended that the collar-posts should be set upon and dowelled into a raised platform of masonry. The present structure is, of course, intended for the warmer sides of a house, south or west. The width, to meet particular cases, can be varied, but is, according to the drawings, 4-1/2 ft. The posts are 6 ft. high and 3-1/2 in. square. They are set with s.p.a.ces between them alternately of 3 ft. and 4-1/2 ft. On their tops rests a wall-plate of the same width as themselves, and 2-1/2 in.

deep. The rafters, which are sash-bars rebated to carry the gla.s.s, rest on this wall-plate, and against a second vertical one fixed to the house wall.

Fig. 134 is a front elevation of a portion of the verandah, whilst Fig.

135 gives a side view of the lower half of one of the collar-posts. At _a_, in Fig. 135, is seen the section of the upper cross-rail, which has its top 2-1/2 ft. from the ground; at _b_ is the lower cross-rail, or sill. Both are of quartered rough stuff, and are mortised to the post 3/4 in. from its inner edge, so that when the 3/4-in. boarding, _c_, is nailed against them, it will come flush with the inner side of the post.

At _d_ is indicated the sash-frame, with its rebate for gla.s.s, which occupies the upper part of the opening; and at _e_ is a metal flashing between rail and sash to throw off rain. It is proposed that the sashes in the narrower openings only should be made to push outwards at bottom for ventilation. At _f_ is a piece of halved rough stuff nailed to the front of the post.

The panels, which occupy the lower part of the s.p.a.ce between the collar-posts, are filled with pieces of rough plank or "slab," as shown in Fig. 134. These pieces should wear their natural bark as far as possible; they are nailed to the inner boarding.

In Fig. 136 the upper part of a post is in like manner shown in profile: _g_ is the wall-plate in section, and _h_ is the lower end of a rafter.

At _i_ will be observed a strip of quartered stuff nailed across the post (with a fir-cone bradded beneath it), which gives a starting-point to the upright _k_, by which the openwork rustic parapet is supported.

These uprights are of small round stuff, slightly flattened on the side towards the post. The openwork parapet is too plainly figured to need description; it is intended to break to a certain extent the straight lines, and partially to conceal the gla.s.s-work of the roof, without seriously interfering with sunshine.

So much of the planed wood-work as shows outside should be painted of a good brown, to a.s.similate with the rustic-work.

CHAPTER XII.

TOOL HOUSES, GARDEN SHELTERS, ETC.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 137.--End Elevation of Rustic Tool House.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 138.--Side Elevation of Rustic Tool House.]

For the small rustic tool house shown by Figs. 137 and 138 the materials used are what are known as "slabs" or "rough planks." These are cheap, and have, when judiciously handled, a good picturesque effect. These slabs are the outside slices cut from logs of rough timber. These slabs generally retain their bark (except in the case of oak), and in most districts they will commonly be of elm. Their thickness and outlines are necessarily irregular: one end will frequently be narrower than the other; and this will account for the arrangement seen in the walls and door of the tool house. They are to be bought at saw-mills, and often sold at a fire-wood price. Where their cost is not sensibly increased by carriage, no other material comes so cheaply for building rough sheds.

The ordinary country way of using them is as in the horizontal section, Fig. 139. This plan, however, is not suitable for the present purpose.

In so small a structure, rough planks on the inner side would take up too much s.p.a.ce It is, therefore, proposed to straighten the edges, either by sawing or by chopping with the axe, according to circ.u.mstances, and lining their inner sides with thin board. If the cost be not objected to, 1/2-in. match-boarding will be neatest for this purpose; if economy is an object, the boards of packing-boxes, bought from the grocer, might suffice. There are, it will be seen, three sides only to be lined.

Among a lot of rough planks, it is likely that stuff may be found sufficient for the posts and other scantling. As to the six pilasters, which are added for appearance merely, it is possible that stuff might be found which would, when sawn to width, do for them; in the ill.u.s.tration they are supposed to be fir poles or elm saplings; four sticks only are needed to supply the six halves and four quarters used.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 139.--Common Method of Using Slabs.]

At the corners are four main posts, 4 in. square (see _a_, Fig. 140).

These enclose a s.p.a.ce of 7 ft. by 5 ft. (outside measurement). They are let into the ground 2 ft., and rise 5 ft. 3 in. above the ground line.

On their tops, and coming flush with their outer edges, rest the wall-plates, which are 3 in. deep; these are needed at the back and sides only, and not at the front. On the same three sides will also be cross-rails, 2 in. to 3 in. thick, the ends of which will be let flush into the posts about a foot from the ground. To the wall-plates and these rails the slabs are nailed. In the side elevation, Fig. 138, the nails driven into the cross-rails appear, but not those driven into the wallplate, a piece of rough stuff being there shown as fixed over the latter to support the eaves of the thatch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 140.--Ground Plan of Rustic Tool House.]

To the front are to be seen the two door-posts, _b_, _b_, Fig. 140, which are 2 ft. 8 in. apart, and should be about 3 in. square. As their tops are nailed to the front pair of rafters, they rise to a height of 6 ft. 6 in. The s.p.a.ce between door-post and corner-post is filled up by a single slab nailed to the two--5 ft. 6 in. long by 10 in. broad. Above these, instead of a wall-plate, comes the piece of strong slab, shown in Fig. 137 as having an opening cut in it for the head of the door. This is nailed against the door-posts, rafters, etc.

The pilasters are only a matter of ornament. As drawn, they are of halved stuff; the corner ones are so placed that their middles come opposite to the corners of the posts, on the other faces of which pieces of quartered stuff are nailed to meet them. The simple arrangement of the caps of these pilasters, with their decorations of fir cones, is shown on a larger scale in Fig. 141. The horizontal piece beneath the eaves, nailed over the slabs, has the effect of resting on the caps.

Beneath the thatch at front and back corresponding pieces are fixed, those at the front being ornamented with fir cones nailed upon them.

The roof is shown in the elevations as thatched. No other covering will look so well, or be so thoroughly in keeping with other parts. The non-professional builder finds it easy to prepare for thatch, any rough stuff serving as rafters and laths, and inequalities being of no account. The rafters for thatch should be arranged about 1 ft., the laths about 6 in. apart.

Should there, however, be reasons for not employing thatch, the building may be more quickly and easily, if not more cheaply, roofed with galvanised iron; only the gables will then best be made sharp instead of blunt, as at present.

Regarding the door, its outer slabs, which appear in Fig. 137, are simply nailed to three ledgers of the same. Being of such rough materials, it will open better if hung on hooks and thimbles than on b.u.t.t hinges.

The dotted line at _c_, Fig. 140, marks the projection of a set of shelves, about five in number, which fill the whole of the left-hand side. Of these, the lower will be for flower-pots, the upper for lines, setting-pins, trowels, etc. At _d_ is shown a strip of wood fixed across the floor to hold the wheel of the barrow from running back when that useful vehicle is tilted up against the end wall, which will be the place a.s.signed for it. In the gable and upper part of this end will be hooks or pegs on which to hang the riddle, watering-cans, and such matters. At _e_ is an upright let into the ground, which, at the height of 2 ft., supports rails running to side and back; these form a kind of stand for spades, forks, and tools of that description. Above, against the wall-plate, may be more hooks or pegs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 141.--Enlarged Cap of Tool House Pilaster.]

It is suggested that at _f_ a seat might be fixed to fold down like the leaf of a table when not wanted. As this building would form a snug shelter in a shower, such a seat would be a convenience; but the more important use of this s.p.a.ce is that slightly below the level of the eaves it will be fitted with a rack for hoes, rakes, and similar implements. Such a rack is best made by boring 1/2-in. holes in a strip of wood at intervals of 3 in., and driving pegs into them 5 in. or 6 in.

long. This has to be nailed so that the pegs will slope upwards, at an angle of about 45. Rakes, etc., hung in a rack so made cannot fall.

Figs. 137 and 138 are 1/3 in. to the foot; Fig. 140 is 1/2 in. to the foot; but Figs. 139 and 141 are not drawn to scale.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 142.--Garden Snuggery.]