Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-09


out-Trees and Wall Vines-OId Country
Seat RemodeIcd - Drainage - Material.
Locality-StyIe.
1t is amusing to hear a man or woman who
has crossed the ocean ridiCulc our country
dwelling houses and compare them with the
piCturesqueneSS 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 tins
country for one little ivy grown or rrl rooted
cottage in an English hawthorn lane, OF a
green German valley. But experience teaches
that a country's architecture Is, to a large
degree, a necessary fruit and outcome of It's
circumstances. We have peculiar and diff
cult climate here and must, first Of all, con.
slider it i'll our building. There is the heat 0f
the tropics i'll the summer, and the almost
Arctic cold in the winter. We cannot have
low HOUSES here, for the rooms would be in
toleTable in summer. Low, sharp-gGbled
cottages, with dormer windows III the roof,
are, no doubt, picturesque, hut they mean
hot chambers under the roof and low. close
sitting rooms Even If an air chamber ho
secured between the roof and the bed room,
still tho upper rooms, in such nights As we
have now, would h. almost uncndurahlc.
We must have HOUSES high bctw~'n 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 overclambcr-
ing the walls But our experience shows that
sun and air are Indispensable for health i'll a
house. and We are compelled moro and more
to plant trees at n little distance. securing
shade by piazzaS or balconies and allowing
the sun free play on roofs and walls. \ mod
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, mOdiiiCS all our
mpl,> of building and compelS Us to admit
sun and air Indeed it will L. noticed now
in England that all the country huuS,ss are
built much murn in the American or French
style than formerly, with airy chambers,
high stories and mucn opcuneSs to the sun,
and summer balconies for shade.
The regular form of English houses is a
historical feature, IA result of growth. 1t Gp-
pears here sometimes where an old country
seat has been enlarged and remodeled, and
Is wonderfully attractive. | live in such a
house. and while | enjoy it and am proud Of
it. must confess that it Is exceedingly incuu-
venient 1t requires great expense i'll the
care. lighting. warming and drainage. The
cheapest Of all houses l. the square house, and
as most people build with small means in this
country. they naturally adopt this, or some
mobilization OF this form. These old and If
regular English villas, 1t should he remem
bcred, have become nuiSlnces under modern
sanitary ideas. Their drainage is eXcrrable
and they are often nests of typhoid fever.
DRAINAGE THE FIRST THING.
In this country the first thing for house
holder To consider, before all ornamentation
or architecturalG affect, is drainage. He must
see To it that his water pipes and drain pipes
are well protected from the frost, that the
traps are clos, and that the outflow is unim-
peded In an small households it Is the part
of wisdom tu place the w$ter pipe behind the
kitchen chimney, which Is always warm, and
to have but one angle and no cross pipeS to
any bedroom. 80 fatal are the return gases
from a drain, that it Is safer To keep up the
Old country custom of bowl and pitcher in
the bedroom, and obtain all the water from
but one place. the bath room, which should
be entirely separated from the bedroom II
is believed by physicians that one Of the most
prolific sources of diphtherIa and all foul-air
diseases is the return gas through the Cruton
water drains.
In regard 10 material, it Is doubtful if any
thing Is more suitable for this climate than
wood with ~brlck filled in" This Is dry and
warm But in every locality there are Iecu-
liar, and often beautiful, building stones,
which could be- combined with wood in the
Swiss chalet style with very pretty ehect.
Yet small house builders will find that every
deviation from the ordinary style Is eXpcn-
sive Stone alone seems often damp and. for
some unknown reason, not 50 completely
water tight. 4 red roof is very pretty feat
ure, but if Of tile or slate it Is expensive, and
if OF shingles. exposed TO rot. II SEEMS a pity
that the modern black ard blue slate Is ~
much taking the place of shingles in country
houses. PiazZas are the great necessity i'll
this climate, and the prettieSt feature in our
architectuye. They should not, however, he
built on the south side of the building. and
on the west should not he 50 broad as to ex-
clude all winter sun. \ balcony for an open
air breakfast would be an exceedingly pretty
feature in our best villas Boston Budget.