Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-17
AMERICAN HOMES.
OUR CLIMATE TO BE CONSIDERED
WHEN WE BUILD.

Some Things Which We Must Do With
out-Trees and Wall yines-Old Country
Seat RemodeIed - Drainage - Material.
Locality--StyIe.
1t is amusing to hear man or woman who
has crossed the ocean ridicule our country
dwelling houses and compare them with the
picturesqucneSs of the English cottage, of
the German farmhouse the vine grown walls,
the windows projecting from the roofs, the
low height, the shadow. the quiet tone about
them and the irregular form. They would
give all the staring, formal villas of this
country for one little ivy-;srown or red-roofed
cottage III an English hawthorn lane, or a
green German valley. But experience teaches
that a countfy's architecture is, TO large
degree, a necessary fruit and outcome of its
circumstances We have peculiar and diff
cult climate here and must, first of all, con-
slider it in our building. There is the heat of
the tropics in the summer, and the almost
Arctic cold in the winter We cannot have
low houses here, for the rooms would be in
tolerable in summer Low, sharp-gabled
cottages, with dormer 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
secured between the roof and the bed room,
still the upper rooms, in such nights as we
have now, would be almost uncomfortable.
We must have houses high between floors
and the bed room well separated from the
roof
TREES AND WALL VINES.
Then another element of the picturesque is
| the deep shade and thick vines overclamber-
| ing the walls But our experience shows that
sun and air are indispensable for health in a
| house, and we are compelled more and more
| to plant trees at little distance, securing
| shade by piazzas or balconies and allowing
| the sun free play on roofs and walls. Amod-
crate use of wall vines is, of course, permitted
under these conditions, but any excessive
| draping with ivy or creepers breeds insects
and increases dampness. The constant liza
! bility to malaria, of course, modifes all our
modes of building and compels us to admit
sun and air Indeed it will be noticed now
in England that all the country houses arc
built much more in the American or French
| stvlc than formerly, with airy chambers,
| high stories and mucn openncss to the sun,
| and summer balconies Tor shade.
The regular form OF English houses Is a
| historical feature, a result of growth. 1t ap-
| pears here sometimes where an Old country
| seat has been enlarged and remodeled, and
| Is wonderfully attractive. l live i'll such a
| house, and while | enjoy it and am proud of
it, | must confess that it is exceedingly incen-
venient. IL requires great expense in the
care, lighting, warming and drainage The
cheapest OF all houses is the square house. and
as HloSt people build with small means in this
country, they naturally adopt this, or some
| modification OF this form. These old and If
regular English villas 1t should be remcm
| bereI, have become nuiSanccs under modern
sanitary ideas. Their drainage is cNecrable
and they are often nests OF typhoid fever.
DRAINAGE THE FIRST THING.
In this country the first thing for a house
holder TO consider, before all ornamentation
or architectural effect, Is drainage He must
SIC to it that his water pipes and drain pipe:
are well protected from the frost, that thu
traps arc close, and that the outflow is unim
pa.ied In all small households it is the part
Of wisdom to place the water pipe behind the
kitchen chimney, which Is always warm, and
- have hut one angle and no cross pipes to
any bedroom. So fatal are the return case.
fr5Ia drain, that it is safer to keep up tbs
old country custom of bowl and pitcher ii
the bedroom, and obtain all the water from
but one place, the bath room, which should
le entirely separated from the bedroom l
is believed by physicians that one of the mos
prolific sources of diphtheria and all foul-ai
diseases is the return gas through the Crotol
water drains
In regard to material. it is doubtful if any
thing Is more suitable for this climate thai
wood with brick filled in" This is dry ant
warm. But in every locality there are pecu
liar and often beautiful, building stones
which could he combined with wood in tn
Swiss chalet style with very pretty effect
| Yet small house builders will find that every
deviation from the ordinary style is expen
sive. Stone alone s6-,lls often damp and, 70
some unknown reason, not so completed,
water tight. \ red roof is a very pretty feat
ure. but if of tile or slate it is expensive, an
if of shingles. exposed to rot. 1t seems pit.
that tire modern black and blue slate is S
much taking the place of shingles in countr.
houses Piazzas are the great necessity il
this climate and the prettiest feature in on
architecture They should not, however, b
built on the south side of the building, an
on the west should not be so broad as to e1
clude all winter sun. A balcony for IN ope
air breakfast would be an exceedingly prett,
feature in our best villas-Boston Budget