Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-07-30

Among the first feelings which q traveller
acknowledges 10 himself after returning
from Europe Is one of disappointment At the
/ general run of our houses, especially those
il the country. He misses the picturesque
ness of the English cottage. of the German
/ farmhouse. the yine-gr0wn walls. the win
dows projecting from the roofs, the low
/ height, the shadow. aad quiet tone about
/ them, and the irregular form. lie feels at
first as if he would give all the staring,
/ formal villas Of his country for one little
/ ivy-grown or red-r0o.ed cottage in an Eng
/ li>h hawthorn lane or a green German val
! ley. But soon experience teaches him that
a country : architecture is to a large degree
a necessary fruit and outcome of It's circum-
| stances. We have a peculiar and difficult
climate here. and must first of all consider
| it in our building. There Is the heat of the
1 tropics in the summer, and the almost Arc
| tie cold in the winter We cannot have low
/ houses here. for the rooms would be intol-
. cradle in summer Low. sharr-cabled cot
tages, with d0rmcr windows in the roof, are.
no doubt, picturesque, but they mean hot
/ chambers under the roof. and low. close
sitting-rooms. Even if an air-chamber be
1 secured between the roof and the bedroom.
/ still the upper rooms, in such nights a. we
/ have now, would be almost uueniurable
We must have houses high between floors,
/ and the bedrooms well separated from the
root.
Then another clement of the picturesque
Is the deep shade and thick vines oyer-clam-
bcring the walls. But our experience shows
that sun and air are indispensable for health
IN house, and we are compelled more and
more to plant trees at a little distance, Sc
curing shade by piazzaS or balconies. and al
lowing the sun Tree play on roofs and walls.
moderate use Of wall-vines Is Of course,
permitted under these conditions, but anv
excessive draping with ivy or creepers
breeds insects and increases dampness. The
constant liability to malaria, Of course,
modiees all our modes Of building. and com
pels US to admit sun and air. Indeed, it
viii he noticed now in England that all the
country houses are built much more in the
American or French stvle than formerly.
with airy chambers, high stories, and much
openneSs to the sun, and summer balconies
for shade
The irregular form Of English houses Is
historical feature a result Of growth. Ii
appears here sometimes where an old conn
tIy-seat has been enlarged and remOdelcd,
and Is wonderfully attractive. Bat it i
exceedingly inconyenient. 1t requires great
expense in the care, in lighting, warming,
and drainage. The cheauest of all houses l.
the square house, and as most people build
with small means in this country they natur-
ally adopt this, or some modification of this
form. These old and irregular English vii
las, itshould be remembered, have become
nui-ances under modern sanitary ideas
Their drainage is execrab.e. and they are
often nests oftyphoid fever.
In this country, the first thing for house
holder to consiier-before all ornamental
ton or architectural effects drainage.
lie must see to it that his water-pipes and
drain-pipes are well protected from the
frost, that the traps are close, and that the
outflow Is unimpeded. In all small house
holds it Is the part Of wisdom to place the
water-pipes behind the kitchen chimney,
(Which Is always warmed to haze but one
angle. and no cross-pipes to any bedroom.
81 fatal are the return gases from n drain,
that 1t Is safer to keep up the old-country Gus
tom Of bowl and pitcher in the bedroom,
and obtain all the water from but one place
the hath-room-whichs should be entirely sep
a-ated from the bedrooms. 1t is believed
by physicians in New York that one Of the
most prolific sources here of diphtheria and
all foul-air diseases Is the return gas through
the Croton water-drains.
In regard TO material, it is doubtful II
anything is more suitable for this climate
than wood, with "brick filed in. This is
dry and warm. But in every locality there
are peculiar, and often beautiful. building
! 4
in the Swiss chalet style with very pretty
effect. Yet small house-builders will find
that every deviation from the ordinary style
Is expensive. Stone alone seems often
damp and (for some unknown reason) not
50 completely water-tight \ red roof is
very pretty feature, but if Of tile or slate, it
Is expensive, and if OF shingles, exposed to
rot. 1t seems a pity that the modern black
and blue slate Is 50 much taking the place
OF shingles in country houses. PiazzaS are
the great necessity in this climate, and the
pre:tiest feature in our architecture. They
should not, however, be built on the south
side Of the building, and on the west should
not be 50 broad as to exclude all winter sun.
balcony for an oren-air breakfast would
be an exceedingly pretty feature in our best /
villas.
Ofmeans of warming small country
house it Is difficult to speak "to edifcation."
Our present system of hot-air furnaces Is |
ruinous to health, and destructive to furni- |
ture. The old-fashioned hall stove Is pref !
cradle. We are inclined to favor a moder- !
ate portable furnace, and then soap-stone |
Franklins with open fires for the sitting and |
bedrooms-to be replaced by crate fires in
spring and autumn, with ''dumb-waiter' /
from the cellar to lift fuel to upper floors. |
Most people unquestionably keep their
houses too warm, and with too little change /
of air. House-building is continually i'm
proving in our country districts. and. under 4
the present cheaper COS: of materials and 1
labor, we shall soon have great revival of |
this art, and gradual deTelopmentof Of Ameri
can arehitaetura y Y Time