The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1865-10-11
COUNTRY LIFE,


Five Acres More than EmOugh.
From the New York Citizen, we copy the
i following, the second Of = series of desulto-
ry chapters, each complete in itself, from the
pen Of that rare humorist, Ralph Cockaigne
The present paper will be read with peculiar
interest by all who have been through the
vexntions Of -building:]
If there is anything in which do pride
myself more than another, it is my ability
to plan and lay out house. No matter how
remarkable the shape OF the lot may be. |
can always plan An admirable arrangement :
and if architecture, not law, had been my
fate, tho public would have been surprised
Mt my productions. To be sure, chmneys
have an inconvenient habit of coming up
through windows; and windows Of getting
themselveSin the way Of partitions. or locat-
ing in various odd and unsystematic places;
sometimes the only passage from the
kitchen to the front door, will be through
every room on the first floor, and occasion
ally the stairs will be omitted but these are
matters for tho practical builder to correct
the great point is to mark out the general
scheme scientifically. OF course, therefore,
The first thing to do towards building my in
: ended house, was to prepare the plans.
large house huge pile Of bricks or wood
is AN abomnation and il costs 50 outrageous
" 1.-THE profit or loss was never out OF my
mind) but there seems to be limit in re.
duction Of size that cannot be surpassed
at once proceeded to lay out an admirable
plan for house twenty four feet square, a
neat, nice, comfortable, coy little cottage
and this is mn economical size, because it re-
quires precisely two lengtha Of board. There
was grand hall through the centre, and
piazza round three sides; there were four
rooms on each floor. and ii would have been
perfection hadnot the parlor and dining room
proved to be only about seven feet bytwelve,
which, after some careful measurements, was
determined to be rather small
However, the plan had so many recon-
mendations that determined make an effort
with it. Inmy younger days had passed
much time in Connecticut, and had there seen
houses Of the incest kind. attractive inside
and out, which were said to cost but five
hundred dollars apiece. A friend Of mine
on Long Island had imported ono, which came
to him, cut out, sawed and marked, and all
ready to put up. SO, having determined to
the name of the makcr--A Mr.. Lum Of Fair
estimate. Instead Of returning me an esti-
mate by which could readily calculate for
y little increase Of size, the stupid fellow re-
piled that he would como to New York and
show me some plans Of his own. wrote .
severe letter in reply, saying that | wanted
an estimate, not q plan. Since that l have
not heard from Mr.. Lnm, and believe he is
still studying out the beauties ofGny arrange
ments, and will one Of these days come be-
fore the world ~ great architect on the
strength Of my ability.
Not to be put down or deferred, however,
/ made other plans, some Of which had the
Kitchen outside, some in the basement, and
some on the first floor. In one there was .
piazza on all sides, in another there WAS no
piazza whatever some had the servants in
the garrct, others placed them In the cellar
was ready to erect an entirely new house,
or convert on old barn that was near the
premises into two or three houses. There
was nothing. that my resources were not
equal TO, and Ne drawings would furnish .
new stock in trade for young architect. My
friends gave me their advice. They respect
lively assured mo that could not live with
my kitchen In wing, and could not exist
with it anywhere else that would be rob-
bed II the servants were in the attic, and
robbed and murdered II they were ON the
ground floor; and that NO house was worth
building, unless it was filed in with brick,
and that brick filling was . mere waste OF
money that il would be hot as an oven II it
was not double boarded, or il Il was double
boarded and not double plastered; that every
door must be deafened, or the noise overhead
would be uncomfortable, and that deafening
would be Of no use whatever; that the root
must be made Of gravel, or Il would leak,
and II made Of gravel, it would break the
entire building down; that oiling was the
true mode Of protecting the woodwork, and
that nothing whatever but paint would an
swer; that the natural wood WAS the mos'
beautiful trimming, and that only stained and
paiated woodwork was decent; that thu
proper way was to paper the wall, and tha
no paper will stick on fresh walls. Their,