Kitchen Design • Laying a Brick Floor • • Rebuilding Log Homes

April/May 1983 No. 14

o 5 o Fine % .. I I I .. od%rking 4 Letters 22 Victorian Addition Energetic clients and a pragmatic approach keep costs down without sacrificing quality Q&A 10 by Steve Larson

Tips and Techniques 14 27 Curved-Truss House Standard materials and a lot of time and patience 16 Reports create a vaulted building on a grand scale Water-Source Heat Pumps by Tim Snyder

76 Reviews 30 Gaslight Renovation: A Complete Guide Liquid-propane lamps give warm light at low cost by Tim Matson 78 Calendar 32 Putting Down a Brick Floor 82 Great Moments The mason's craft is easier when the bricks are laid on a horizontal surface by Bob Syvanen

Editor John Lively 36 Shelter fromthe Storm Art Director Betsy Levine Sometimes it's easier to live in the rain than to build Associate Editors your own house Mark Alvarez, Tim Snyder, Paul Spring by Brian Berkey Box-beam trusses, p. Western Editor Charles Miller 27 41 Treehouse Copy/Production Editor Ruth Dobsevage by Alfred Wells Assistant Art Director Frances Ashforth Editorial Secretary Lynn Meffert 42 Portable Power Planes How these versatile tools can true framing lumber and Consulting Editor Bob Syvanen clean up trim by Geoff Alexander

The Taunton Press: Paul Roman, publisher, Janice A. Roman, Log-Cabin Legacy associate publisher; JoAnn Muir, director of administration; Tom 46 Luxeder, business manager; Barbara Bahr, secretary; Lois Beck, Dog-trots, saddlebags and single pens are dismantled purchasing coordinator; Elizabeth Brodginski, receptionist; Liz Crosby, and reassembled by two Tennessee restorationists personnel assistant; Mary Galpin, production manager; Mary using a mix of mountain craft and modern construction Glazman, data processing. Accounting: Irene Arfaras, manager; Brick floors, p. by Richard Woodward Madeline Colby, Catherine Sullivan, Elaine Yamin. Art: Roger 32 Barnes, design director; Kathryn Olsen, staff artist. Books: Laura Log-Building to Last Cehanowicz Tringali, editor; Lee Hov, associate art director; Roger 52 Holmes, assistant editor; Deborah Cannarella, copy editor. With proper siting, roof overhangs, chinking and Fulfillment:Carole E. Ando, subscription manager; Terry ventilation, a log home should last 200 years Thomas, assistant manager; Rita Amen, Gloria Carson, Dorothy Dreher, by Alasdair G.B. Wallace Marie Johnson, Cathy Koolis, Denise Pascal, Nancy Schoch, JoAnn Traficanti. Robert Bruschi, distribution supervisor; Marchelle Designing a Functional Kitchen Sperling, David Wass, Ben Warner. Marketing: Ellen McGuire, 54 sales manager; Kimberly Mithun, sales correspondent; Kathy Springer, Planning around your family's lifestyle and work customer service assistant. ProductIon Services: Gary Mancini, habits will get you beyond standard solutions manager; Annette Hilty, Deborah Mason, assistants; Nancy Knapp, by Sam Clark typesetter. PromotIon: Jon Miller, manager; Dennis Danaher, publicist; Beth Ruthstrom, art assistant. 58 Floor Sanding Follow a pattern for best results Advertising: Ann Starr Wells, director; Richard Mulligan, sales manager. Carole Weckesser and Vivian E. Dorman, coordinators. by Don Bollinger The Taunton Press, 52 Church Hill Rd., Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470; (203) 426-8171. New England: Granville M. Fillmore, 98 Peartree Porch Ornamentation Point Rd., Darien, CT 06820; (203) 426-8171. Power planes, p. 60 42 A sampling from the well-preserved 19th-century seaside resort town of Cape May Fine Homebuilding (ISSN 0273-1398) is published bimonthly, February, April, June, August, October and December, by The Taunton by Betsy Levine Press, Inc., Newtown, CT 06470. Telephone (203) 426-8171. Second­ class postage is paid at Newtown, CT and at additional mailing Keeping It Simple offices. Copyright 1983 by The Taunton Press, Inc. No reproduction 62 Local materials, straightforward design, self-taught without permission of The Taunton Press, Inc. Fine Homebuilding'" masonry skills and family labor create a is a registered trademark of The Taunton Press, fnc. SubscriptIon comfortable home rate.: United States and possessions, $14 for one year, $26 for two years; Canada, $I 7 for one year, $32 for two years (in U.S. dollars, by Kirby White please); other countries, $18 for one year, $34 for two years (in U.S. dollars, please). Single copy, $3.00. Single copies outside U.S. and Lloyd Wright's Sowden House possessions, $4.00. Send to Subscription Dept., The Taunton 66 Bizarre shapes from custom·cast concrete block Press, Inc. PO Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470. Address all correspondence to the appropriate department (Subscription, by John Beach Editorial or Advertising), The Taunton Press, 52 Church Hill Rd., PO Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470. U.S. newsstand distribution by Rebuilding with logs, p. Textile Block Eastern News Distributors, Inc., I II Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10011. 46 71

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I was pleased with the report on the two ball bearings instead of one. This has crime? Did it have scratches? Tarnish? And Rockwell Sawbuck (FHB #12, p. 14). After I greatly reduced arbor runout. what was the unmentionable replacement? assembled my Sawbuck in slightly more than Our surveys of Sawbuck users indicate that Was it plastic laminate? 15 minutes, I spent an hour or so going over blade wobble is not a widespread Copper is poorly understood in the various parts, at which time [ adjusted problem .... Concerning our warranty, we contemporary architecture. Perhaps its price the fence lock knob. This knob has not ... stand on Rockwell's reputation for (high relative to aluminum and plastic) kept popped out since. If the tool was assembled satisfying our customers first, and worrying it out of circulation for a while, and now it in 15 minutes, then the problem of the lock about dates of manufacture second. seems to be a substitute for the above­ knob (as noted by both authors) was not mentioned aluminum. Mark my words, you really a problem, but rather an oversight at I'd like to join the debate about architects' philistines, copper will return and will stay, the time of assembly. fees raised by Henry Norris, A.I.A. (Letters, and it will purify (no mold or mildew will Bob Syvanen writes, "Cutting is not as FHB #1 3, p. 4) in his response to Herb grow) and it will educate with its finish that smooth as [ would like." My saw had bad Greene's $30-per-hour rate. Norris writes that no man can duplicate; a finish that is a blade wobble, which turned out to be the Greene "hires inexperienced novices and has private partnership between copper and old result of a bearing in the head not properly a low opinion of himself." Perhaps Norris is Father Time. pressed in. [ disassembled the saw and not aware that Herb Greene's buildings -William Post Ross, Georgetown, Maine brought the head to the Rockwell Service (particularly his residential designs, for Center. After waiting a week, the parts [ had example the Greene, Joyce, and Cunningham Tim Snyder replies: The natural patina that ordered had still not arrived and so a new houses in Oklahoma) have been widely copper acquires over time is, [ agree, a thing head was mailed to me. [ reassembled my published in architectural books and of great beauty. Like you, [ was surprised to Sawbuck with the new head only to find that journals, and have inspired two generations hear that Fountainhead's original copper the cut was still not as smooth as [ would of students and practitioners, myself countertops had to be replaced. Like many like. A slight blade wobble persists, but is included, since the early 1960s. He has also other parts of the house, the kitchen had acceptable if it stays at this level. written two thought-provoking and influential suffered some neglect in terms of simple, Several questions do remain, however. books on architectural design. Although I'm day-to-day maintenance. Wouldn't other internal parts have been not familiar with Norris' work and am [ saw some photographs of the kitchen as affected by the bad bearing before it was somewhat sympathetic to the high cost of Robert and Mary Adams found it, and even replaced, eventually causing slop in the architecture in offices with high overhead, [ the copper looked bad. Someone who knows repaired unit? How widespread is this think that his high rates would make the material as well as you do might have problem? If a manufacturing problem such as designing a residence that truly responds to been able to rescue the original countertop, this badly pressed-in bearing should cause site, client, and energy needs prohibitively but Adams chose to have it replaced problems after the one-year warranty has expensive. Greene does mention avoiding entirely-again with copper. As you can see passed, what will Rockwell do, if anything? offices with high overhead. [ agree with from the photo on p. 31, the new copper is . -Andrew Brennan, Westlake Village, Calif. Norris that "an architect's services are not kept highly polished. inferior in value to those of other L. C. Brickner, Director, Product Development, professionals." However, Herb Greene's fees [n Tips and Techniques (FHB #11, p. 14) Rockwell, Power Tool Division, replies: As you for residential design sound fine to me. Philip Zimmerman suggested he may be know, the Sawbuck motor is similar to those -Steve Badanes, Jersey Devil Design/Build, getting 10% more use by reversing his on portable power saws, but must be built Stockton, N.J. sanding belt after it is dulled in one with closer tolerances to deliver the best direction, but he is inviting problems. performance because the Sawbuck is used in [ was in terested in the article on the Most. . belts on the market today have an more close-tolerance applications than hand­ restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's overlap skived splice that is designed to run held circular saws are. Fountainhead (FHB #12 ). What caught my in only one direction. This direction is The arbor in the Sawbuck motor is longer eye was the subtitle of the story, "beautiful in marked on each belt when you buy it. By than those used in portable saws, and is form and function, but flawed in structure." reversing the direction, especially on an old, supported with a ball bearing at the blade As a building contractor, [ question whether worn belt, you risk scuffing or burning the end, and a roller bearing at the off end. The a building that is relatively new, yet falling wood. [n some cases, the belt splice may roller bearing is the pressed-in bearing you apart because of structural flaws is really even break, possibly gouging your surface. refer to in your letter, and while this "beautiful in function." lf Fountainhead's The extra 10 % of use is not worth the tolerance has been tightened, there are other architect were less famous, the building potential damage to your workpiece. factors that affect blade wobble. might be lab led a flop. If he were alive, he -Th omas E. Eckstein, Product Development The standard-equipment blade on the might be sued. [s Fountainhead really a Supervisor, Household & Hardware Products Sawbuck is a general-purpose blade that is functional masterpiece? Or is it just another Div.j3M, St. Paul, Minn. fine for all framing work and acceptable for example of the dictum, "because it's Wright, most trim applications. If a Sawbuck is to be it can't be wrong"? [ read Max Jacobson's "The Thin-Mass used for fine trim work, a steel or carbide­ -Jane Goodrich, Rochester, N. Y House" (FHB #1 1), and would like to use tipped fine-tooth blade designed for trim concrete floors on wood framing in some cutting would be a good idea. Regarding Tim Snyder's "Restoring of my projects. Unfortunately, a blade which is best for Fountainhead," it is my firm hope that the However, I'm concerned about the close work would not perform well in framing copper countertops were replaced with possibility of the concrete cracking for two applications. General-purpose blades are copper, but the context (and the slight sense reasons. [n the Washington, D.C. area, manufactured to broader flatness tolerances of shame implied by the so-brief mention of summer humidity is generally very high, and than the better hollow-ground or carbide said "replacement") implies otherwise. I'm worried about wood framing swelling trim blades and therefore may exhibit more Regardless of the predilection of a servant­ while the concrete slabs remain for the most blade wobble than the more expensive supplied society for continually polished part dimensionally stable. blades. The vast majority of the Sawbuck brasses and copper, the natural patina of In the article Jacobson states: "We don't users we have talked with are satisfied with copper that is merely kept clean is beautiful attempt to join the two physically-they their machine's performance, and many of and ever-changing, needing no justification. remain separate, independent structures." them have converted to trim blades if their Copper sinks and countertops educate their But he doesn't say how this is accomplished. work so dictates. owners with proof that beauty does indeed Later, he states that a polyethylene vapor [n addition to tighter tolerances in the increase with age. So what happened to the barrier is optional. [ would think that it or roller-bearing fit, we have changed the blade 25-year-old patina on the old Wright copper some other type of cleavage membrane (as is end of the Sawbuck arbor and are now using countertop? Was it discarded? What was the used with ceramic tile flooring on a full

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AprilfMay1983 5 LETTERS

mortar bed on wood framing) would be there is a longer wait for hot water (due to every penny spent on it. For the residential necessary to keep the wood and concrete the time it takes to heat up the transfer coil and small commercial builder, its good separate, independent structures, with each and to flush standing water from the piping), points far outweigh any drawbacks. able to move independently of the other as tankless heaters may not be suitable where Through-pan flashing does not cause temperature and humidity change, especially there is a shortage of water. structural weakness. Since mortar is not a where there is no air conditioning. Before buying a tankless heater, talk to glue, its sticking power is not a factor in -Robert W Reinhardt, Washington, D.C. people who have used one for over a year in determining structural integrity. Actually, if your area and under similar conditions. sound materials are used, the chimney mass Unlike the users of tankless water heaters -David Rose, Tokyo, Japan itself is what really holds it together. You with whom Elizabeth Holland spoke in might say gravity is the mason's glue. preparing her report (FHB #12, p. 16), we Re Paul Hanke's "Surface-Bonded Block" Leaking chimneys are not inevitable. If have been totally dissatisfied with our unit. (FHB #12 ). I found the use of %-in. threaded more masonry chimneys were properly We installed a $500 Paloma automatic water steel rod to connect the sill or top plate to flashed, brick masons and their products heater almost five years ago, and we have not the footing was an acceptable method, but would enjoy a better reputation. That would had a decent shower or really clean clothes one that might be improved upon. As Hanke be good for me (a fireplace mason), and good since. Our experience is typical here in says, threaded rod is expensive. I have used for my trade. It would also be good for the Japan, and I think your readers should know continuous threaded coil rod as a substitute customer and the general contractor, and more about the potential problems with for coarse-threaded rod or acme threaded thus good for insuring repeat business. tankless heaters than Holland discussed. rod for such things as cider-press screws. Handmade unit masonry is in mortal Most tankless heaters in Japan are This continuous threaded coil rod comes in competition with factory-made chimneys. installed at the point of use: over the kitchen 10-ft. lengths in diameters like II:! in. or :y.; in., Many factory products take advantage of sink and bathtub. Few Japanese take standard strength of 6,000-lb. and 12,000-lb. built-in customer resistance to masonry showers. Their washing machines are usually working loads respectively. We get coil nuts chimneys because so many people have been located next to the bathtub. The typical from Burke Co., 4021 Airport Way S., Seattle, burned, so to speak. But the messy leaking Japanese washing machine is not automatic Wash. 98108, a supplier to the concrete chimneys can be a thing of the past if we (the user controls it through its cycle, so building companies in our area. I believe this flash them properly. there is no mixing valve to restrict the flow of would fit the application better than the hot water); and there is no hot water threaded rod that you have mentioned in the I am writing in response to Tedd Benson's available elsewhere in the typical Japanese article. It also makes an inexpensive article on timber framing in FHB #12 . For house. Thus, most of these heaters are "non­ threaded rod for clamps and vises. the past five years, I have been employed by automatic," and have to be turned on -Jim Ross, Bellingham, Wash. a museum in the Midwest restoring 19th­ manually each time they are used. Also, there century framed buildings. Among some of is no pressure drop due to piping between In reading Letters in FHB #12 (p. 4), I those we worked on were about a half-dozen the heater and faucet. studied the photo of the chimney with German and Pomeranian half-timber The tankless heaters (at least those made flashing .. .. I have serious concerns about buildings. Their practicality, frugality and in Japan) are very sensitive to water this method of flashing a chimney. charm completely embody the pioneer spirit. pressure and incoming temperature. To First, the brickwork is bedded on the I would like to point out several differences protect the coil, there is a sensor that shuts flashing with no contact with existing between the joinery in the buildings I have off or reduces the flow of gas when there is brickwork below, causing a complete bond worked with and the joinery described by not enough heat being transferred to keep loss between the sections of the chimney. Benson. First, the tenon size is 2 in. and the coil from melting. This is not good, especially in a chimney. should not be centered. It should be 2 in. in With our "automatic" unit, the gas is Second, I remember reading that certain from one side of the post or beam. This supposed to turn on whenever any faucet or chemicals in mortar can react with lead and simplifies the process because if you use the valve is opened. The pressure drop is so can cause a problem. 2 in. side of a framing square on the edge of great within the heater that it doesn't sense a Third, the lead should not touch the hot the beam, you've laid out your joint with two flow large enough to start operation when part of the flue lining as it does here. Also, pencil lines on each side. our American washing machine is in use; the cost of lead in one piece to go all around Our method for cutting tenons also differs. there is about 15 ft. of piping between the the chimney would be very high. We have deduced from examination of washer and the heater. There is not even Lastly, if I were building this chimney tooling marks on original tenons that they enough flow for a comfortable shower. myself, I would find it pretty difficult to lay were hewn out with an adze. This method is It is impossible to adjust the heater bricks on and around the chimney as shown extremely fast, accurate with practice and not properly from late spring to early fall in the photo. as clumsy as a chisel and maul. The because of the warm incoming water. If I have never seen a chimney flashed this shoulders are sawn and several other kerfs adjusted for hot water at the kitchen sink, the way. This does not mean that it is not a are sawn along the tenon to ease the hewing shower turns cold in two or three minutes. workable solution to a thorny problem, but I of the tenon. Apparently the safety sensor does not can't go along with the business of The process Benson uses for finishing his proportionately regulate the gas flow completely breaking the bond between shoulder, sawing Yl6 in. from the finish line according to the amount of heat transferred, mortar and bricks at the roof line. and then paring to the line with a chisel, I but simply shuts it off. ... -Richard Kreh, Frederick, Md. have never seen before in old or new half­ If your readers are considering a tankless timber construction. Might I suggest that a water heater, they should fully understand John Hilley, a masonry contractor in Brewster, circular saw be used to cut right to the line the limitations of these units and particularly Mass., replies: There is no widespread and skip this whole paring process. I think the requirement for sufficiently high water agreement on principles and methods of that the old German craftsmen would make pressure. Tankless heaters will work properly good chimney flashing, but here are a few jest of a process in which you cut close to a if there is sufficient pressure and no thoughts in answer to Kreh: line with an accurate and flat-cutting circular restriction to the flow, and best operation is Through-pan flashing of masonry is the saw, and then pare to the line with a chisel. achieved by installing a separate heater at only flashing scheme that is, in my They used a crosscut saw to cut right to the each point of use. If a booster pump is estimation, 100% reliable. It is routinely done line, and made close-fitting joints that have required, try to find a heater that has on brick veneer work, and it should certainly lasted to this day. electrical switch contacts that close when hot be done at the roofline on chimneys. The last discrepancy I find is the shape of water is flowing; this allows the use of a $100 Lead is an excellent flashing material for the tenon and accuracy with which it is to $150 pump, instead of a much more masonry. It is non-compressible, durable, made. A 2-in. tenon should not be accurate to expensive flow sensor/pump combination. As easy to obtain and to fashion, and worth within Y32 in. along its whole length. On the

6 Fine Homebuilding r------( ) Enclosed Is $3 for your full-color 56-page catalog on Hot Tubs, Spatubs, Spas, Saunas and Steam units. ) Dealership opportunities available. Send $5 for____ complete______Information. __ Name ______Add�aa ______City______State______Zip Phone CALIFORNIA COOPERAGE P.O. Box E, San Luis Obispo,CA 93406(805) 9300544- CFHB43

AprllfMay 1983 7 LETTERS OLD SOUTH COLUMNS IN EXTRUDED ALUMINUM CAN BE USED contrary, it should taper from about I Ys in. to TO REPLACE ROTTING WOOD COLUMNS IN 8 EASY STEPS I I Va in. for a snug fit. It should also be beveled 1. Call 1-800-841-8674 for literature and at the end on all four sides, especially on the prices. narrow ends. This tapering and beveling is to ease assembly. This does not take away any 2. Study literature and price sheet to strength of the joint since the beam applies determine that aluminum columns are less force on only the first 2 in. of tenon and is expensive and easier to obtain than wood usually provided with a I-in. wide lip to sit columns. on. The pinning takes care of any lateral or 3. Sell spouse on all advantages of aluminum twisting movements. The tenon developed columns. into this shape because timber walls were diameters. raised in much the same manner as stud 4. Call factory at same toll-free number and auARE- walls are raised by carpenters today. place order for columns to be shipped s 4"x4". 6"x6". 8"x8", immediately from stock of Use The tenons of the walls and the second­ 50,000. 10"xl0". & 12"x12", floor joists had to fit into the base log and credit card or mail check. SMART walls respectively the first time. All your FLUTED DESIGN Schedule Saturday morning do-it-yourself friends and neighbors were helping you lift 5. complete with standard pr<>ject. S'Long cap and base... these tons of wall in place with pike poles, g' ADDITIONAL CAPS pulleys, horses and pure muscle. Some men 6 Columns will arrive in approximately 10 10' AVAILABLE-Scamoui, even rode the wall up, helping to place the days. 12' Corinthian and split cap 16' and base .. ,PERMANENT, poles as the frame went into place. To bring IS' Arrange for moral support, soft drinks, TROUBLE·FREE-will not rot. 7. 2 20' the wall down because a tenon was too snug ' warp or split. Replace your 1 can elbow grease, hammer, saw, level, 24 would be an embarrassment and about twice 30' old wood columns with and jack. as dangerous as putting the wall up. aluminum",LIGHTWEIGHT, EASY TO INSTALL-cut down My final tip is buy an adze for making your 8. Follow directions and install columns on labor cos Is, material costs and joints and squaring your timbers. The fish­ Saturday morning, eat lunch, then play handling time... BAKED·ON scale look of hewing adds an unbelievable golf with friends. FINISH-oven baked columns beauty and charm. Maybe a visit to a local completely finished for home remodeling when quick falling-down barn to see how they did it in installation Is required .. , your locality wouldn't be a bad idea for ��� HOMES-perfect for porches. Phone 800/84 1-8674 toll-free entrances, colonnades - a new anyone interested in this wonderful and Moultri e, GA 31768 ancient building system. idea in interior decorating. -Th omas W Joy, Palmyra, Wis,

I've really gotten bored and discouraged by all of the nitpicking articles and letters about R-values and vapor barriers. It's like reading an interminable dialogue between alchemists and witch doctors. For all the big talk about R-value this and vapor-barrier that, I've never Timberpeg's Post & Beam read in your pages, or anywhere else for that matter, a clear explanation of what an R-value is. Nor have I read how insulation material is construction explained. adversely affected by wicking up moisture, a malady most vapor barriers don't remedy imberpeg uses a 300-year-old because they are placed on the inside of the T method called post and beam con­ insulation. How about running a good article struction for each of the individually sometime that explains these things in designed, tll'oroughly modern homes ordinary terms, an article that would tell the we build. typical builder or other professional what he We don't use nailsllnstead of 2" or she needs to know about insulation but is x 4"s, we use 8"x 8" timbers for the too embarrassed to ask, or what's even frame. These are interlocked by mortise worse, can't find anyone who knows the right and tenon joints instead of nails. The re­ answers? Without a basic understanding of sult is a home of rugged durability that the principles involved, it's pretty difficult to meets every standard of architectural understand such statements as, "A stud­ good taste. PHOTOBY RICHARDG UCiH, � lAt'Il"A'EY ElDflA framed wall filled with R-I4 fiberglass batts The home is remarkably energy performed only marginally better than an efficient. Post and beam construction Get all the details in our brochure/ equally thick wall with empty stud cavities." literally wraps your home in a tight en­ portfolio. Act today to learn how you -Albert Pound, Botsford, Conn, velope, and opens both active and pas­ can build your own Timberpeg original. sive solar possibilities. Send $10.00 for our full color, 50-page brochure/portfolio to the Timberpeg Errata: In FHB #1 3, the cutaway drawing of The perfect blend of contemporary But the real reason for office nearest you. VISA@ and Master­ the insulated shutter on p. 49 was mislabled. and traditional. choosing Timberpeg is the beau- CardT" orders please call. The outer skin is Va-in. Thermoply and the ty of the natural wood and the . Dept FBA Box 8988 insulative core is Y2-in. Thermax. awesome spaciousness of R. ColI;n5. co 80525 Our new typesetting system gobbled up the (303) 221·3355 the interiors. Glass, texture . 1 500 Dept FBA Box photo-credit line for the article "Bathroom and color are carefully Claremont, NH 03743 ( (603) 542· 7762 Built-Ins" FHB #1 3, pp. 60-63). Jane Hunt blended for a spec­ Dept. FBA.Box 1007 did the photography. tacular appearance. E1lOn. NC 28621 Abbott Lowell Cummings is the author of (919) 366-2501 Th e Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, TIMBERPEG© 1983, T-Peg, Inc. 1625-1725, the book cited in Ed Levin's "Fairbanks House" (FHB #13 , p. 26).

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April/May1983 9 Q& A

The editors invite questions on all aspects of best method of warming the water and circu­ needed a curved staff bead to seal it to the building, renovation and restoration. We also lating it. A thermosiphon system might be brick. Three bandsawn pieces of �-in. by 2-in. publish reader comment on the answers. Send possible if the collectors could be positioned pine made up this curved section. I epoxied questions and comme nts to Q&A,fine Home­ below the radiant floor. The size of the collec­ them to the perimeter of the plywood along Box Newtown, Conn. building, 355, 06470. tors would be determined by the amount of with a lower rail. I didn't spline these pieces existing thermal storage and the heating load to each other because the plywood provided a The roof I built last year is supported by required in the house. The present gas-fired strong and stable surface for simple epoxied severailOx l4 larch beams that span 26 ft. system could be retained as a backup. butt joints. An elliptical sun was then cut from One of these beams has checked almost Like all active systems, you would have to �-in. stock and attached to the plywood at the entirely through, effectively rendering it consider what to do with the collected heat midpoint along the lower rail. two separate beams. A consulting engi­ during the summer. The collectors should be Clear, select-pine clapboards were used for neer states that there is still plenty of "re­ designed for maximum winter gain, but unless the sun rays. I laid out marks on both the serve," but I wonder if there is some way you cover them, there will also be significant small sun and the outer curve, giving me the to reunite the pieces. heat generated in the summer. Unlike an ac­ taper requirements for each ray. The thin -Stephen A. Smith, Concord, Mass. tive system that can store solar heat in a re­ edge of the clapboard was used for the narrow Bruce Hoadley, a professor of wood technology mote storage tank, your system will require a end of the taper, which butted the sun. I and author of Understanding Wood, (The way to dump its heat. rough-cut the tapers on the table saw. Then Ta unton Press, 52 Church Hill Road, Ne wtown, One way would be to divert all the heat the pieces were held between the layout lines Conn. 064 70), replies: It's difficult and risky to through a heat exchanger and preheat your to scribe their end cuts, which were rough-cut answer a question involving the failure of the domestic hot water. When overheating occurs, with a jigsaw and fitted with a block plane and beams without inspecting them. I have never the excess heated water can be drained from utility knife. known beams to check through entirely. But the tank and replaced with cold water. An­ A partial piece was used to begin the first in the case of a boxed heart beam, it is com­ other method would divert the collected solar ray, something like a starter course for clap­ mon for a large single check to develop, open­ heat to panels on the exterior of the house, boarding. The completed rays were nailed ing the beam along one face to relieve the and allow the heat to dissipate outside. with 4d galvanized box nails along the lower shrinkage stresses. If your nights are cool, it may be possible to edge, much like regular clapboards. I eased In a beam stressed in bending, if the sepa­ use the system for radiant cooling. Pumping the lead edge of each piece with sandpaper ration is vertical, such as the one pictured be­ water at night through the outside panel before it was installed. The key, or wide cen­ low left, it is probably of little consequence. In would chill it, and running it through the radi­ tral ray, was the last to be placed. It had to be fact, any minor strength loss due to check- ant floor would remove heat and keep the fashioned from a piece of unmilled stock be­ floor, and the house, cool during the day. cause there isn't any change of thickness In designing and sizing your system, you along its width. should consult with a mechanical engineer fa­ miliar with active-solar heating systems. My brick home is about 100 years old. Part of the house, a one-story attached I am currently building an addition to a room addition on grade, was originally Victorian house. The original structure built with a foundation of laid stone over features a gable-end bracket with a beau­ a crawl space. When the previous owners tiful sunburst of clapboards. I would like had a central-heating system put in, they to duplicate this ornamentation within a dug the crawl space to provide a cellar panel I've provided on the new addition. with enough clearance to install a furnace ing or shrinkage would probably be compen­ Can you tell me how? and ductwork. However, the foundation sated for by the added strength the beam had -Robert M. Gould, Buffalo,N. Y. was not extended down at the same time, gained in drying. Stephen Sewall, an architectural woodworker in and for years it has rested only on a small If the check is horizontal, however, as in the Portland, Maine, �eplies: The Victorian gable­ ledge of clay subsoil. drawing above right, it could lead to horizon­ end sunburst is an architectural feature most To provide lateral bracing, I recently tal shear failure, separat ing the remainder of often found in late Victorian (Queen Anne) built a concrete-block wall within the ex­ the beam into two planks. These would bend wood-frame construction. The basic design isting excavation to the height of the bot­ independently, making the beam weaker. But consists of a half-circle or half-ellipse, in tom of the old foundation. A gap of ap­ as long as the halves hold together, it will re­ which a smaller half-circle or half-ellipse (re­ proximately I ft. exists between this new main strong, functioning as an I-beam. presenting a sun) sits. Clapboard rays radiate wall and the excavated soil wall. What There is no natural way to reunite the from the smaller curve to the larger one. material should I use to fill the gap for op­ halves of a beam or reclose the checks. If the The motif of the Victorian sunburst may timum lateral and vertical supp ort? I checking worsens, consult again with a struc­ have been borrowed from earlier styles. Some should also tell you that I'm planning to tural engineer for safety and peace of mind. 14th and 15th-century Elizabethan furniture raise the roof on this addition and add a incorporated a carved sunburst feature. Al­ second story in the near future. My home has a radiant-heating system though the Victorian sunburst looks some­ -David R. Morris, Sunbury, Ohio contained in the 2,600-sq. ft. concrete­ what similar, it did not evolve from the feder­ David Bird, a geotechnical engineer in Ply­ slab floor. I am now using a propane gas­ al-period fan. mouth, Mich., replies: It's difficult to make spe­ fired boiler as a hot-water source, but I'd I recently made the half-elliptical sunburst cific recommendations without the benefit of like to convert to solar. Is this feasible? shown below with leftover clapboard. It was a an on-site inspection, coupled with some in­ -Mark Bracken, Stinson Beach, Calif. little over 8 ft. long and about 2 ft. high. formation about your soil and the dimensions Stephen Lasar, a solar architect practicing in I began by cutting a piece of �-in. fir ply­ of your foundation. Considering the conse­ New Milford, Conn., replies: Using an existing wood to the overall size and shape of the unit. quences of a foundation failure, getting an en­ radiant-floor heating system to store collected Because the sunburst sat in a brick opening, it gineer out to inspect your site could be dol­ solar energy is interesting because it com­ lars well spent. Elliptical sunburst bines an active (remote) solar collector with a However, I can give you some general sug­ passive (direct to the heating space) storage gestions. Provided the existing single-story system. This eliminates the need for a distri­ structure doesn't show significant diagonal bution system to transfer heat from storage to cracks radiating from the windows, sagging conditioned spaces. floors or out-of-square door frames, it is pret­ Using flat-plate liquid collectors with a ty safe to assume that the clay soil supporting pump and controls would probably be the the existing foundation is relatively hard. A

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Then glaze in with the obvious signs of structural distress pin the existing single-story wall footings, or the usual way, with glazing points and putty. mentioned above. permanently brace the new block wall to re­ Constructing the block wall was a step in strict this lateral movement, allowing you to Last year I laid a floor of 2x6 yellow pine the right direction. The next step, providing it add another story. that was quite green. Now that the wood meets with the code requirements in your has dried out, there are lots of cracks be­ area, would be to in corporate your new block The w.indows in our new house are to be tween the floorboards. I am planning to wall into a gravity-type retaining wall. This traditional multi-lite with separate panes stain and varnish (polyurethane) this for each light. We want to make double­ surface, but I need a good gap fillerfirst. glazed units for the muntin profile shown What would you recommend? below. What should we use as a spacer -Sarah Chabot, Blacksburg, Va. between the panes of glass, and how Don Bollinger, a flooring specialist in Seattle, should we go about assembling them? Wash., replies: The problem you're having -Bill Hustler, Sooke, B.C. Floor joist with shrinkage is common with 2x softwood Dale McCormick, of Co rnerstones, an owner­ flooring, and it's a difficult one to avoid. Most Existing stone foundation builder center in Brunswick, Maine, replies: The 2x flooring needs at least a year of drying be­ spacers should be a material that holds little fore it's stable. In my experience in the North­ or no moisture, or else they will be alternately west with hemlock car-decking, I've found two Pour concrete behind soaking up and exuding water, which will con­ or three years is better. But few builders can and over top of dense on the unreachable inner faces of the hold the material that long under ideal drying block wall. glass. Your best bet is the spacer made for the conditions before laying it. purpose-the hollow, extruded aluminum that The filler you need has to meet several re­ Fill voids in insulated-glass manufacturers use to create an quirements. First, it has to be able to stand up block with high-slump, airspace. It can be fashioned into the appro­ to floor traffic. It also needs to take stain small­ priate-sized rectangles using right-angle cor­ evenly, sand well and have a similar texture to aggregate ner keys like the ones for do-it-yourself pic­ the wood you are using. It must be flexible concrete. ture frames. enough not to break up during the seasonal Order the glass wholesale in large sheets expansion and contraction of the wood floor­ and cut the panes yourself for a savings. You ing. I don't know of a filler that does all this. I New should get dessicant and edge sealant at the have tried many products over the years with block same time. If you have trouble getting these varying success. Adding the very fine dust wall items locally, you might try All Metal Ine. (755 that the final sanding of a floor produces to a Busse Road, Box 850, Bensenville, Ill. 60106), lacquer base is my favorite. This filler is reli­ Earth or Tremco, Inc. (10701 Shaker Blvd., Cleve­ able for texture and sanding qualities, but the floor land, Ohio 44 104). dried filler and the flooring will take a stain Make the double-glazed units 14 in. smaller differently. This produces a less-than-perfect Gravity in width and * in. smaller in height than the color match, and requires you to keep an retaining wall inside dimension of the space between the ample store of fine sawdust of each of the muntins. Resting the bottom of the unit on a wood types you might need to fill. type of wall, shown above, resists lateral load neoprene setting block will leave !Is in. of play Commercially available pigmented acetone­ by its weight alone. It is designed to reduce at the top. The Ys-in. depth that your muntins solvent wood fillers are made specifically for the risk of a sudden failure of the soil support­ provide for the glazing allows these units to floors and are usually quite durable. There are ing the existing footings. This failure could be many brands of this kind of wood filler, and caused by additional load on the footing, Section of they are all about equally effective. Match the cracking of the soil due to drying out, or a vertical Glass color of the filler to a scrap of flooring that long-term creep movement of the soil. has been stained. Keep the lid on the wood­ To make a gravity-type retaining wall, you filler can and keep the can upside down when should fill the voids in your block wall with you are not using it, because the acetone will high-slump, small-size aggregate concrete or evaporate very rapidly. Good ventilation is mortar grout mix. Reduce the size of air voids necessary when you work with this stuff. in the concrete as much as possible by using a One comment about using polyurethanes on pencil-type concrete vibrator. softwood floors. These plastic finishes, The space between the soil wall supporting though they are very hard, create a thick film the existing foundation and the new block T over the surface of the floor, obscuring the wall should be filled and capped with con­ grain. They also remain rigid, though bonded crete. This can be a standard mix, but should to flooring material that is constantly moving. be poured monolithically (no cold joints) and be Y2 in. to % in. thick, with the remai ning I prefer some of the new Swedish finishes. vibrated. U-shaped steel reinforcing rods space left for glazing putty. These products come in gloss, semigloss and should be added before pouring the concrete To make these units, cut the aluminum matte finishes. They help maintain the look of to connect the block wall and the concrete be­ spacer into appropriate lengths and form the wood iit the same time they seal and pro­ hind it, improving the bending strength of the them into rectangles, filling one leg with des­ tect it. Although the Swedish finishes are not wall. In addition, take care that you provide sicant. Lay a pane of glass down on a clean, quite as hard as some polyurethanes, they are sufficient lateral bracing of the block wall flat surface such as a carpeted table. Then set more resilient and durable. They won't yellow when pouring behind it, since the wet con­ a spacer rectangle on top of the glass and with age, nor will they ever need waxing. I use crete could force the block wall out of plumb. stack up glass and spacer alternately until you a single coating of Glitza over one or two The lateral brac ing can be removed after the have a neat pile of units 1 ft. to 2 ft. high. Coat heavy float coats of Bacca. These finishes are concrete has cured. the edges of these units with sealant using a made by Glitza American (327 South Kenyon, It's not prudent to add any more load to the wide putty knife, and leave them stacked up Seattle, Wash. 98108). Bacca is a two-part pro­ existing foundation with a second-story addi­ until the sealant has dried. cess that has to dry for several hours. A light tion. This extra weight could cause some set­ Wrap the edge of the insulated-glass units sanding is required after each coat. Glitza is tling, and increase the lateral pressure on the with aluminum-foil tape to keep the glazing used straight from the can, and should be al­ new block wall. With the advice of an engineer putty from contacting the edge sealant of the lowed to dry for 12 hours.

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AprilfMay 198313 TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Tips and Techniques is a forum fo r readers to soap. First, I pour about Y:! cup of thinner into exchange the methods, tools and jigs they 've de­ a pan, and I work the brush back and forth in Clip-onI used to losenail nail set sets constantly. They al­ vised. We'll pay for any we publish. Send details it to remove most of the paint. Next, I pour ways fell out of my nail bags while I was on and sketches to Tips, Fine Homebuilding, Box this first batch of thinner into a storage con­ the job. To solve the problem, I took a remov- Newtown, Conn. 355, 06470. tainer (a 3-lb. coffee can is fine). Then I rinse the brush in 14 cup of thinner. I work the bris­ tles with my fingers to get out as much paint BaseboardsThe cost of tile fo cover tile base floors is surprisingly as possible, and return the thinner to storage. high-about $3 to $4 per running foot. On the In the container, the paint solids will settle to other hand, scribing a wooden baseboard to a the bottom, allowing the clear liquid on top to tile floor is very time-consuming. The method be poured off and used again. I use to install wooden baseboards gives me a At this stage in the brush cleaning, I pour able clip from a mechanical pencil and water-resistant joint where tile and wood about a tablespoon of laundry soap into a pail, slipped it on my latest nail set. I haven't lost it meet, and a fit that looks painstakingly wipe it up with the brush and work it into the yet. -Greg Halverson, Eugene, Ore. scribed, but isn't. bristles with my fingers. Next, I fill the pail First, I bevel the back of my baseboard ma­ with water and rinse out both brush and buck­ terial as shown in the drawing below. The thin et. I repeat this soap sequence one more time, LastCutting year I curves designed andIn builtbig abeams house that and then I shake out the brush thoroughly uses seven cantilevered 6x20 beams to hold and return it to its jacket to make sure that its up the second floor. The beams are exposed bristles remain straight. Using this cleaning to view on the outside, so I wanted a decora­ method, I've been able to use the same brush tive cut on each one to dress it up. The simple to apply both paint and lacquer, with no paint 12-in. radius arc I chose turned out to be a lot residue spoiling the clear finish. easier to draw than to cut with the tool at -Chris Thyrring, Halcyon, Calif hand-a Sawzall with a 9-in. blade. The basic problem with cutting curves in thick stock with a reciprocating saw is that ScratchDon't throw scriber out deformed Phillips-head Blade in retarded screwdriver bits. Grind them to a sharp point, position and use them in a pencil scriber for scratch Caulk scribing. -Tom Law, Davidsonville, Md.

35° to 45° bevel edge on the front of the baseboard will usually FrictionlessFor me, the most hinge frustrating part of making conform to a well-laid tile floor with a few taps and installing a heavy, handmade entry door of a hammer-no scribing is necessary. Be has been finding the right hinges. Even with a sure to use a piece of scrap wood to cushion good set of heavy butts, the hinge barrels be­ the hammer blows. gin to grind down after a while. Soon, the door After dry-fitting, I tack the baseboards in sags so much that the bottom rail drags on place. As I remove them one at a time, I care­ the threshold. A solution to this problem be­ came obvious when I discovered thrust bear­ Blade in fully lay a bead of good caulking compound in advanced position the void behind the bevel. I like Geocel caulk ings at a bearing-supply outlet recently. (Box 398, Elkhart, Ind. 46515). Any caulk that Thrust bearings (drawing, below) are simply a oozes out can be cut away after it sets up. Pre­ set of needle bearings captured in a circular finishing the baseboards saves time, and usu­ metal collar. They come in a variety of sizes. ally gives better results than trying to paint or These bearings are used in conjunction with a varnish them in place. pair of thrust-bearing washers, which are ma­ -M. Felix Marti, Monroe, Ore. chined to close tolerances. the free end of the blade tends to drift out­ To fix the door, I used a hacksaw to cut a ward, cutting an arc larger than the one that is section out of the appropriate barrel of each being followed. After much trial and error, in­ CleaningI've been a builder paintbru for manyshes years, involved in hinge leaf, replaced the section with the cluding guiding the protruding blade with a all phases of construction, and at some point thrust bearing and the washers, then rein­ pair of lineman's pliers, I developed the tech­ in nearly every job I've had to get out the stalled the hinge pins, as shown. My hinges nique explained below. paintbrushes. I admit I'm no artist, but I have show virtually no wear after six years of use. Begin by scribing each beam carefully on learned a few techniques along the way. -Clint Lewis, Woodland Park, Colo. both sides with the aid of a cardboard tem­ When I purchase a new brush, I get a pure­ plate, and then place it upside down on a pair bristle one with an unpainted handle-there's of sawhorses. Once approximately 14 in. of the no store-bought finish to peel off the raw cut has been made, the operator can advance wood, and the oil from my hands preserves or retard the blade on the scribed path by the handle. I usually put a small nail above leading the cut with either the heel or the tip the ferrule and bend it down toward the bris­ of the blade. This develops a torsion within tles at a 90° angle. This allows the brush to the blade that affects its course. hang in a can of paint or thinner without Have a helper stand on the opposite side of touching bottom, so the bristles won't warp. {!, the beam and describe the path of the blade When it comes time to paint, I take a 16d as the arc is being cut. If the blade moves out­ nail and punch a ring of holes in the deep part CJ) side the pencil mark, the operator needs to of the groove at the top of the opened paint advance the blade. If the blade starts to move can. These holes allow the paint that accumu­ inside the line, the operator can retard it to lates when you wipe the excess from your CO pull it back on course. With a little practice, brush to drip back into the can, rather than 0>/ this method works very well. overflow and run down the outside. When the �® Incidentally, the helper is actually relief lid is replaced, the holes are sealed inside. Q) personnel, since each cut on my 6x20 beams Whenever I use a brush with oil-base paint, Q took nearly 1 Y:! hours to complete. I clean it with paint thinner and liquid laundry -Eric K. Rekdahl, Berkeley, Calif

14 Fine Homebuilding JORGENSEN ADJUSTABLE HAND � SCREWS Jaw Open Box LengthCap. List Sale of 6 #5/0 4" 2" .. $11.59 $ 7.50$ 40.50 #4/0 5" 2'12" . 12.45 8.50 45.90 #3/0 6" 3". 13.35 8.95 48.33 #210 7" 3'12' . 14.35 9.50 51.30 8" 4'12" . 15.97 10.50 56.70 JORGENSEN #Q MAKIT A ELECTRIC TOOLS #1 10" 6" . 18.25 11.95 65.50 Model List Sale STEEL BAR #2 12" 8'12" . 20.94 14.25 76.95 1900BW 31/4" Planer w/case .....$ 143 $8 9 CLAMPS #3 14" 10" . 26.56 17.50 94.50 11003 1/4" Planer Kit. 261 178 Throat Style 37 #4 16" 12" . 34.55 24.95 134.73 21/2" Lots 1805B 416 285 6 1/8" Planer Kit. Bar Size 1/. " x 3/. " List Sale 9900B 3"x21" Dustless Belt Sander 191 127 of6 JORGENSEN $ 7.88 99240B 3"x24" Dustless Belt Sander 208 139 #3706 6" . $ 5.50 $ 29.70 PONY PIPE #3712 12" . 8.13 5.95 32.13 9401 4"x24" Dustless Belt Sander 273 179 CLAMPS 10 Finish Sander, Square Base . 79 49 #3718 18" . 9.64 6.95 37.53 8045 (pipe not included) B04520 Finish Sander, 5" Round Base 79 51 #3724 24" . 10.54 7.35 39.69 Lots #3730 11.76 44.55 9045N 41/2x 9114' Finish Sand ., Dustless 160 110 30" . 8.25 List Sale 01 12 #3736 12.85 8.95 48.33 :mill 1 H.P. Router . 118 82 36" #5Qfor 3/4 ' black pipe $11.23 $ 7.95 $ 85.86 3III1B 11/4 H.P. Router 196 1:11 #52 for '12" black pipe 9.36 6.50 70.20 3IDlII 2 H.P. Plunge Router 299 190 JORGENSEN #74 Bar Clamp Pads 4113 2.50 27.00 3700II Trimmer 1/2 HP. 124 85 STEEL BAR (Set of 4) 109 65101.VR 3/8" Rev. Var. Speed Drill .. 68 CLAMPS 0P4700 1/2" V.SR Drill 4.8 AMP. 142 95 Style 6013BR 1/2 " Rev. 6 AMP Drill .. 159 118 Throat 45 5" Lots 6000R 3/8" R.V.S Uni-Drill . 154 112 Size x Bar 1 3/8" 5/16" List Sale 60100WK 3/8" Cordless Drill w/case 142 84 of6 . H91 JORGENSEN 6012HOW 3/8" Cordless 2-Sp. wid. Drill 164 107 #45066" . $ 22.49 $ 15.95 $86.15 Jaws T' x B'. Wide I IIIwSize· lY, 7/16 STEEL "I" BAR 4200N 43/8" Circular Saw 138 92 #45088" . 23.04 16.50 89.10 x x!i/32 Size 4300BY VaT. Speed Jig Saw . 192 121 #4512 12" . 23.85 17.50 94.50 5/8" DiameIBr Saew CLAMPS #4518 18" . 25.16 18.95 102.35 Model List Sale #4524 24" . 26.61 20.95 113.15 MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOLS #Tl24 24" . $23.45 $16.50 #4530 30" . 28.06 21.95 118.50 Model List Sale #72:11 30" . 24.38 17.50 #4536 36'/ . 29.54 22.95 123.95 0224·1 3/8" Magnum Hole Shooter $ 144 $ 99 #TaJ 36" . 25.16 18.50 0234·1 1/2" Magnum Hole Shooter . 155 109 #n48 48" . 27.62 21.50 JORGENSEN 6507TSC SawzAll w/case . 179 120 #Tl1JJ 60" . :II.n 24.50 6365 7 -1/4" Circular Saw 149 99 HOLD DOWN #Tm 72" . 3126 26.50 5900 3" x 24" Belt Sander . 311 218 CLAMPS Model #1000 Model "2000 5910 4" x 24" Belt Sander . 330 229 Box 5620 1 H.P. 8 AMP Router 215 145 List Sale of6 "DOWL-IT" 1.50H.P.10 AMP Router 239 165 5660 #t623 3" opening gap $ 9.98 $ 7.50 $ 39. 95 5680 2.00H.P. 12 AMP Router . 299 209 COMPANY 5397 T.S.C. 3/8" Hammer Drill Kit 203 145 5399 '12" 6.2A HD Hammer Drill Kit 239 169 JORGENSEN BAND CLAMPS Model List HITACHI POWER TOOLS (CANVAS) Sale # 1000 ...... $33.95 $24.95 Model List Sale Style Box 62 # 2000 ...... 42.95 32.95 OUT·l0 3/8" 2 Speed 3.9 AMP Drill . $133 $ 88 List Sale of 6 SB·75 3"x21" Dustless Belt Sander 2 Sp. 195 140 #6210 10' . $52.24 $34.95 $188.73 STANLEY HAND TOOLS SB·ll0 4"x24" Dustless Belt Sander 2 Sp. 273 189 #6215 57.29 37.95 204.93 15' Model List Sale SO·110 4'12" x 9" Finish Sander 144 99 #6220 20' 62.32 40.95 221.13 59 Doweling Jig wiset of 6 Guides $41.79 $25.95 SOO-11041/2" x 9" Finish Sander Dustless 155 104 #6225 25' 67.34 42.95 231.93 1525A Screwmate Drill and JHY·60VaT. Speed Jig Saw 3.5A . 184 128 #6230 30' . 72.39 45.95 248.13 Countersink Set . 18.19 11.50 PSM·7 -11 AMP Circular Saw . 158 119 71/2' 11·992 Utility Knife Blades-lOO ea . TSB·l0 Mitre Saw -10" 357 259 JORGENSEN BAND WEB CLAMP Heavy Duty w/blade disp .. 19.69 12.50 ORC-l0 List Sale Lots 3/8" Cordless Drill 2-Sp/Rev of12 6OY, Block Plane -Low Angle. 28.69 19.95 with Adj. Torque Range 144 96 #1215 15' . $10.57 $ 6.50 $ 70.20 9Y, Block Plane . 29.29 19.95 VTC·l03/8" Cordless Hammer Drill 2 Speed , Reversible 171 125 STI Y,Hammer, Steelmaster JORGENSEN 3-Way Edging Clamp 16 Oz. Cur. Claw . 16.85 10.95 List Sale Lotsof 12 STt/A Hammer, Steelmaster 16 Oz. Rip Claw 16.85 10.95 * SUPER SPECIALS * #3325 $ 7.16 $ 5.25 $ 56.70 Modal List Sale 2-1/2" . 31A Screwdriver, Ratchet H.D. Manual Return . 41.05 27.95 0Tt-l0 3/8" Cordless Hitachi Drill Model ARROW STAPLE GUNS List Sale 131A Screwdriver, Ratchet 2 Speed with Reverse . $133 $ 74 HD. QUick Return . 44.39 29.95 3/8" Hitachi Variable Speed Rev. #T·50Heavy Duty Staple Gun.. $21.60 $14.95 DIDV 130A Screwdriver, Ratchet 3.3 AMP Drill . 114 69 #ET·50Electro-Matic Staple Gun. 31.5021.50 QUick Return . 33.09 22.95 5007BMakita 7114' Circular Saw 13 AMP 154 89 JR 3000 W 2 Speed Recipro Saw w /case . 159 100 STANLEY'S FINEST SET OF 6 #40 WOOD CHISELS Model List Sale ; 46 '14'- 1/2" -3/4" -I"_ 11/4 ' -1'/2 ' $1 28.39 $79.95

April/May1983 15 REPORTS

to the water table, and this is often done C£nhance WaFew peopleter-sour�e would be ableheat to guess pumps what a 70- through a second well. year-old farmhouse and a converted brewery Recently, water-source heat-pump systems CVo ur have in common, apart from being located in have been made to work with closed-loop q-Jome .. the same town in southwestern Wisconsin. water supplies, so that water disposal isn't a Both are heated with groundwater heat problem. In most closed loops, polybutylene pumps, electrically driven appliances that, in piping is run underground, so that the water this part of the country, are at least three used to heat the refrigerant can regain its times more efficient than conventional gas or warmth from the earth. Closed-loop systems oil furnaces. This translates into substantial linked to solar panels that keep the water savings for the owners of both buildings. warm also have great potential. In both cases, The efficiency of a heater is measured by more experimentation should lead to reliable its coefficient of performance, or e.O.P (a installations that can be used in a number of ratio of heat delivered per unit of energy different residential situations. consumed). A groundwater heat pump in If you are considering installing a water­ southern Wisconsin (installed in 1980) was source heat pump, there are a few things to rated at a C.O.P. of 3.0, with a running cost of keep in mind. Air-to-air heat pumps have $4.64 per million Btus. By comparison, been manufactured for three decades, but the equivalent electric resistance heat (with a water-source heat-pump industry is relatively typical e.O.P. of .65) cost $13.90 per million new. There are several good small suppliers Btus during the same time period; natural gas as well as a few larger ones; a well-known heat (.86 e.O.P or lower) cost $6.50 per company name doesn't necessarily indicate a million Btus. superior product. Heat pumps work like refrigerators and air­ A heat pump's $3,000 to $4,000 price tag wftlzJhis conditioners, but in reverse. Water-source may or may not include several things. Some c§pace C§avfng heat pumps extract heat from water and units have reverse cycles that provide air intensify it before transferring it to the air conditioning during the summer. These units CYork...�pi raJ�taj [ Impeccably crafted in oak or other fine that heats the house. Groundwater are larger and more costly, so if you're hardwoods. True flying spiral design, no temperature throughout the U.S. ranges from interested in heat only, the air-conditioning need for centerpost. 5' or 8' 6" diameter. 45°F to 70°F-ideal for heat pumps. The idea cycle is an unnecessary expense. Write for our free color brochure. that such low-temperature heat can be Thermostats on individual models vary. upgraded to around 10 0°F and transferred to Some units have a backup resistance heater YORDepartmentK SPIRAL ST F AIR indoor air may seem amazing, but it's simply in case something goes wrong with the pump North Vassalboro, Maine 04962 a matter of exploiting the natural cycle of itself. These usually have three-way switches evaporation and condensation. that allow for pump only, backup only, or Freon, or a similar refrigerant, is used as automatic operation. the heat-transfer medium. It circulates Reliable service is important, so talk with �OSENZWEIG through the heat pump in a closed loop. With several suppliers and their customers in your a normal boiling point of around 43°F, liquid area. A knowledgeable dealer should be able 'l\ LU�s��� Freon turns to gas when it's warmed by the to help you size and select the heat pump water, absorbing heat as it changes phase that best fits your requirements. (see FHB 10, p. 18). The gaseous Freon is Retrofits can work out nicely if you're HARDWOODS then put through a compressor, which replacing a conventional forced-air system, DOMESTIC & FOREIGN further increases its temperature. When since you can use the same ducts to RED OAK BASSWOOD allowed to expand again after the distribute heat-pump air. Water supply and MAPLE BIRCH compression cycle, the Freon condenses back disposal are major considerations, and you'll ROSEWOOD CHERRY into a liquid, giving up its heat to the cool probably need to have the installation WHITE ASH MAHOGANY interior air that is blown over its coils and supervised by an engineering consultant. WALNUT POPLAR then ducted through the house. Some dealers provide this service as part of TEAK WHT. OAK Air-to-air heat pumps work the same as the purchase price; some don't. water-source heat pumps, but rely on Manufacturers should provide some data ambient air temperature as a heat source. on running costs, but you'll have to check SOFTWOODS They don't work very well when these figures carefully because they might not COM. PINE CEDAR temperatures hover around the freezing include running the blower. A reasonable SPRUCE FIR point, though. Groundwater offers a more payback period (which you can calculate by REDWOOD CL. PINE reliable temperature range for heat pumps comparing heat-pump running costs to those during cold winters, but not every home for gas, oil or electric heat) is anywhere from owner can find a usable water source. The four to eight years. former brewery has a spring running through Finally, it's a good idea to keep up to date PLYWOODS its basement that the owner tapped for his on new developments in water-source heat­ ASH FIR water source. The farmhouse has a well that pump technology. Right now limited AGATHIS LUAN is used for both the heat pump and the applicability and high installation cost are WALNUT TEAKWOOD MAPLE domestic water supply; used heat-pump the two major stumbling blocks to this PINE OAK MAHOGANY water then gets piped out to the livestock. heating option, but as fossil fuels get more BIRCH FLAKEBOARD Water-source heat pumps typically require expensive, and as better heat-pump designs POPLAR FIBREBOARD between 5 gal. and 12 gal. of water per are developed, the water-source heat pump CHERRY COATED BOARD minute to function properly. You've also got will gain a broader appeal. For more No shipping out of metro area to dispose of the water once it's been used. information, contact the National Water Well - Wisconsin state law prohibits returning water Association (500 W. Wilson Bridge Rd., to its underground source once it's been used Worthington, Ohio 43085) or the Better 801 EAST 135th STREET for any purpose, so it must be either piped to Heating-Cooling Council (Box 218, Berkeley BRONX. NEW YORK 10454 a nearby stream or released into a drainfield. Heights, N.J. 07922). In some states, used water may be returned -Lynette Strangstad 212/585-8050-1

16 Fine Homebuilding Save $10,000 or more on yourown new home. BeNo experience your needed. Learn at homebuilder as NRI shows you how. in professional Building Construction course

Yo u can save from Tr aining 10% 50% to of the cost Built Around of your new home by building it yourself. Energy-Efficient And NRI can show you Home how. NRI's new profes­ Yo u learn better sional course in Build­ because NRI training ing Construction is practical training. teaches you what you Yo u get over 100 need to know to be a action proj ects from building contractor. scale-model construc­ And you learn at home tion to building actual in your spare time. framing sections. Les­ Whether you want to sons and projects are The Exquisitely Beautiful, build your own home, get a better job, coordinated with a contemporary Extremely Affordable, or start your own contracting business, energy-efficient home designed espe­ NRI can get you started right. cially for NRI. Yo u keep these plans to Custom Home Kit. From Site Selection build your own home or select from 50 Soaring Magnificance. to Landscaping more than low-cost optional plans. Open Ceilings . Skylighted Interiors. By being your own contractor, Includes Seminar, Ready To Assemble. you save at least 10% of the cost of the $1,000 in Discounts The Monterey Domes Home. The most sophisti· typical home right up front. Then, de­ At no extra charge, graduates may cated design ever conceived. And the simplest. pending on how much of the job you do participate in optional owner/builder Move into a world where twenty foot ceilings yourself, you can save up to 50%. NRI seminar, meet other builders, get expert and floating second floors are everyday occurances. takes you through the job fro m start to advice on local building codes and Hand selected lumber, precut and predrill ed, finish in 70 lessons full of photos and conditions. Or, elect individual consul­ bolts together effortlessly, creating the Monterey diagrams to make learning easy. Yo u tation. And you get NRI builder dis­ geodesic dome home. The st rongest. The most begin by learning how to pick the best counts worth over $1,000 on materials energy efficient. The most affordable. Bar none. site, learn to read blueprints, estimate and panelized house packages. Pa�kaged for the inexperienced builder, every· thing has been thought out. No skills or special costs, follow the job through right to the Free Catalog, tools are needed. Alrframing lumber is color planting of shrubbery and trees. No Salesman coded. No piece weighs over 35 pounds. Monterey Domes also offers a long line of Learn Professional Will Call custom extras. Triangular solar collectors. Precut, There's much more to the NRI heavy shake panelized roofing. Custom Nothing's left out.Se crets Yo u learn the trade architectural aesigns. Just to name a few. Building Construction Course. Send practices and secrets of the pros. To learn more, a specially prepared, 110 page the coupon for your free catalog de­ color Catalog & Plans Book awaits you. Within its Masonry, carpentry, roofing, painting, scribing all lessons, projects, and oppor­ covers are do zens of homes and floor plans. Sizes even plumbing, heating and electrical tunities in the building business. See ran e from under 1,000 to over square feet. g 3,500 work. Yo u learn what good work looks how you can save big money by build­ BaSIC Package prices start as low as $3,995. like, tip-offs to bad or sloppy work. Order your copy today. It's Unconditionally ing your own home or earn big money Guaranteed to meet your satisfaction. How to supervise jobs ...when to bring by building for others. If coupon has in specialists ...trade and financial prac­ been removed, write to NRI Schools, tices ...how to keep your job moving 3939 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, on schedule. D.C. 20016. ------I NRI Schoole All career courses Please rush me the one free McGraw·HilI Continuing approved under catalog I have checked. I under­ I • Education Center GIBUI. stand there is no obligation. 3939 Wisconsin Avenue o Check for I o I want to beginnly Monterey Domes experience. �j J Washington. D.C 20016 details o Building Construction Course Please rush me my personalized copy of Monterey o Air Conditioning, Refrigeration I DomesCatalog & Plans Book, including prices. II & Heating Courses We'll give you tomorrow. Enclosed is $6.00 . I.�. n •� Including Solar Te chnology I o Also, send Monterey Domes Basic Home Assembly NO SALESMAN WILL CALL o Automotive Mechanics Manual for an additional $6.00. o Small Engine Service& Repair Course I o Electrical Appliance Servicing Name Name (Please pri nt) Age ______o CB/Communications I Address ______o Color TVI Audio/VIdeo Servicing I Oty/State/Zip Address o Computer Electronics Including Microcomputers I MONTEREY DOMES o Industrial Electronics Dept. BK-4 City/State/Zip 1760 5621 I Chicago Ave., Box Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the National Home Study Council 1333-043 Riverside, Calif. 92517 L ______� I

April/May19 83 17 YE�TERMOR W Design/Build Sc Learl\to Design & uild You Own H 5e!

We offer instruction in the design & construction of houses during our two week programs.

MORNINGS are devoted to the ins & outs of the architectural process. AFTERNOONS are spent on construction sites learning the "LO-DOME" @ ventilating skylight hands-on building. The VENTARAMA SKYLIGHT with its 33 years of consistent quality introduces a sophisticated new look, the "LO-DOME". Lowering the profile of our original dome has created a "flat look" unit with the advantages of an ac rylic double-dome. Our easy to use screen/storm panel system, our silent­ motorization and our pole or hand crank operator are all guaranteed to give years of easy carefree service.

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Write or call today for information about sizes and Write us for our '83 br ochure: easy one-day installation to: Box 76A, Warr en, VT 05674 802-496-5545

ENTARAMA® SKYLIGHT CORP. We are a non�proflt organization which does not ~140 Cantiague Rock Road, Hick sville, N.Y. 11801 (516) 931-0202 diSCriminate on the baSIS of race. sex or creed

The most beautiful room is an empty room. When it's floored or paneled with longleaf heart pine from Mountain Lumber.- Your favorite room can be an authentic American treasure with genuine heart pine woodwork. Reclaimed from original colonial structures, this unique wood brings casual elegance and durability to flooring, paneling, or custom cabinetry. No disrespect to our ad agency, but the energy efficiency of a home that utilizes Woodwork as beautiful as our best advertisements are created by only Andersen Perm a-Shield windows. hundreds of Ward customers who know They've built a lifestyle around the rustic your antiques. our product first hand. charm and warmth that a Ward log home Whether you're restoring, remodeling, Our customers get to appreciate provides. or building from scratch, heart pine Ward quality every day. They've learned Write us about owning a Ward about the lasting beauty and durability of Cabin. We'd like you to become part of will give your home a special feeling the handpicked Northern white cedar logs the best ad program ever created. that you'll treasure as much as your Ward usesexclusiv ely. They appreciate ... WARD Live in the legend. most prized antique. To learn more , about longleaf heart pine, call or Box 72-Y4 Houlton, ME 04730 WARD CABIN CO. (207) 532-6531 -1-800-341-1566 write for our brochure and price list. o Send Ward's complete presentation book with 100 floor plans (for which $6 is enclosed ). o Send Wa rd's dealer information kit, including o Send more______free informat ion. ______�presentation ______book (for which $10 is enclosed_ ). 1327 Carlton Avenue, P.O Box 285 FH Name Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 Address______(804) 295-1922 or 295-1757 City State Zip Phone ( Charter Member of the Log Homes Council

18 Fine Homebuilding iverseSh styles Solar ingleshape a Col� Irad,) t mCQrpp hou orales a Trvrtl/)e wall and dir�� �<.iin

I February/March '81 Staircase Renovation, Solo Building Regulations, Ageless Adobe, Building a Con­ Te mplates, Soldering Copper Pipe, Renovating a Car­ Timber-Raising, On-Site Shop, Elements of Designing, temporary Adobe Home, Solar Site Evaluation, Truss­ riage Barn, Making an Insulated Doo r, A Small House Site-Built Solar Collectors, Paint Stripping, Ve nting the Frame Construction. to Work In, Underground Cistern, The Rafter Square, Plumbing System, Molding and CastingMaterials, Roof Framing Simplified, Glossary of Roofing Terms, December '81/January '82 perative Crafts­ Peaking Over a Flat Roof, Massive Passive, A Greek 6 Coo Cutting and Raising a Hip and Gable Roof. manship, Classical Style in a Porch Addition, Contract­ Revival Restoration, Redw ood Classic. ing Yo ur Home, Ground-Fault Protection, House of II October/November '82 Rammed Earth, Site Steel and Salvage, Trouble Spots in 19th-century Layout, In the Solar Va nguard,The Architecture of Ar­ 2 April/May '81 Restoring a Porch, Bernard May­ Framing, Rhode Island Stone-Ender, Keeping Te rmites thur Brown, ConnecticutRiver Va lley Entrance, A Lit­ beck 's Wallen II House, A Large House on a Limited Out of Yo ur Home, N62FL-Airplane House. tle Place in the City, The Thin-MaSs House, Barn Budget, Passive ling, Wa terproofing Earth-Shel­ Coo House, High-COuntry StudiO and Residence, Installing tered Houses, Round-Log Construction, Upgrading 7 February/March '82 Building a Curved Wa ll, a Factory-Built Skylight, Site-Built Skylights, Flashing Yo ur Electrical Service, The Point of Repoi nting, Ta ble­ Shaping Compound-CUrved Sills, Expanding a Kitchen, a Curb, Double-Envelope Addition. Saw Molding, Maine Country House, Sculptural StudiO Sizing Roughsawn Joists and Beams, An Island Retreat, Addition, Custom Kitchen Planning. Batten Doo rs, Earth Shelter on CapeCod, Working 12 December '8Z1January '83 An Introduction with Green Wood, Buying Green Lumber,Tax Shelters, to Timber Framing, What Makes a Good Framing 3 June/July '81 Formal Entryway, Landscaping for Getting a Building Permit, Russian Fireplace, A New Chisel, Restoring Fountainhead, Surface-Bonded Block, Energy Efficiency,Frank Lloyd Wright's Jacobs II Facade, Attic Ve nting, Silo House. Refining Yo ur Designs, Rock-Bottom Remodel,Tr ans­ House, Form- d Stone Masonry, On-Site Carpentry Base forming an Iowa Farmhouse, The Renovator's Too l Kit, with a Circular Saw, The Septic Ta nk Revealed, Rum­ 8 April/May '82 Sticks and Stones, Hung Walls, Roof Shingling, The Deck Upstairs, Curved rs, fordizing Brick by Brick, A Matrix of Design Va riables, Raising Heavy Timber, Hanging an Exterior r, Doo Doo Shingle Solar, Houseboat. Hybrid Trombe Wa ll Additions, Pass ive-Solar Thermo­ Mortising Butt Hinges, Three Sides to the Sun, Install­ siphon, Rebuilding a Modern House, A Modern Florida ing Fixed Glass Windows, Electrical Outlet Boxes,S0- 13 February/March '83 Concrete, Small-Job Con­ Cracker House. lar-Powered Cabin, Green-Wood Woes, The Scribed El­ crete, Figuring and Ordering Ready-Mix, The Fair­ lipse, Working with Drywall, A Mobile Workshop, banks House, Facing a Block Wall With Stone, Open­ 4 August/September '81 Re building a Fire-Dam­ Sidewall Shingling, A Modern Mississippi House. ing Up an Attic, Hardwood Strip Flooring, BUilding aged House, Too ls for Timber Framing, R.M. With Ferr ment, Appalachian Axman' s Art, Green­ June/July '82 Restoring a Victorian Porch, Octa­ o-Ce Schindler's Kings Road House, Cappinga Foundation, 9 house Shutters, Small House in Virginia, Bathroom gon House, Adding Up, The Kitchen Cabinet, Counter Renovating a Chimney, Estimating Construction Costs, Built-Ins, Church Revival. Intelligence, Permanent Campsite, Flashing, Toe nail­ Framing an Open-Plan Saltbox, Distributing Green­ ing, Laying Brick Arches, SuperinsulatedHouse, Out­ house Heat, A Modular Home. side Circular Stairway, Unifying Site and Structure. To order back issues. use the accompanying insert 5 October/November '81 Moving a House, Re­ or send your name, address and $3 per copy ($4 in Can­ building an Addition, Making Curvilinear Sash, Bow­ 10 August/September '82 Alden Dow's StudiO ada) to the addressbelow. Yo u can also call us toll-free, Cot and the Honeymoon Cottage, Restoring Brown­ and Residence, ChOOSing the Right Roof, Acrylic Glaz­ 1-800-Z43-7ZSZ and use your credit card. (Connecticut stone Facades, Wood Foundations, Understanding ing, Cabin Cellar, A Mill for the Chainsaw, Timbers and residents call 1-426-8171. )

,,� o-(, � . FiDe HOlD.ebuUdingThe Ta unton Press. SZ Church Hill Road. Box 355. Newtown. Connecticut 06470 TRIMWORK AND FRAMING DONE BETTER BY JENKS PORTABLE TOOLSPRING SPEC POWERIALS MODEL-SHRAD and SHSB If trimwork and framing is MODELS: part of the job, W.S. Jenks & Son has some great buys SHRAD -Saw helper for radial arm saw -complete $1 09.99 for you this spring. Whether SHSB -Saw helper for saw buck -complete industrial user, general $109.99 contractor, homeowner Folds into compact, easy-ta-carry unit for storage or transport. Useable for crating a level work builder or professional surface off the back of a standard pick-up truck. Legs adjustable from 28Y2" to 43". Exclusive self­ craftsman, it's W.S. Jenks aligning connector bracket, made of heavy steel. automatically aligns the extension to the saw table & Son for the finest in without any tedious adjustment -right on -every time on. Smooth surface, medium density particle hardware, tools and board-151f.1" wide by 69W' long. Framed by H.D. aluminum extrusions for long life. Buy it for your machinery. radial arm saw or your saw buck. Once you have one, you can easily adapt to the other by adding an Write for a Jenks spring optional connector bracket. specials catalog. Please Bracket only SHRDA for radial arm saw enclose 50' for postage and SHSBA for sawbuck handling. - Sale prices apply while Yo ur choice $1 0.99 ea. quantities last. Sets up in Yz minute -UPS prepaid and allowed continental USA

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Victorian Addition Energetic clients and a pragmatic approach keep costs down without sacrificing quality

22 Fine Homebuilding by Steve Larson up building materials, and take care of all of low corner rev ealed an undersized footing, the demolition and cleanup. and a sill plate that was almost completely ea­ Eacing Monterey Bay and backed by red­ Securing a permit for remodel work on a ten away by termites. The rest of the founda­ wood forests, Santa Cruz, Calif., flourished in historic building wasn't easy. The preserva­ tion was in excellent shape, so we propped up the late 19th century. A nationwide reputation tion committee wanted detailed drawings of the house (see FHB #4, p. 34) and got ready as a seaside resort and a plentiful lumber sup­ all four sides of the house, and it took several to pour a new section of foundation. ply spurred the construction of elegant Victo­ hearings and a petition signed by the neigh­ Here, we were confronted with a classic di­ rian homes and buildi ngs on the hills and bors before the project was approved. lemma in remodeling. Should we jack up the fields a few blocks from the beach. corner to make it level, thereby lifting the en­ Today, this old section of downtown Santa Evaluating the structure-We wanted the tire dining room, or should we leave well Cruz is a desi gnated historic district, and the house to show little evidence of new construc­ enough alone by fixing the foundation and once neglected structures are now being val­ tion, so the old and new sections had to building to the old lines of the house? It's cer­ ued for their historic and architectural quali­ blend. This meant that the imperfections of tainly easier to build on a platform that's ties. As a contractor who does mostly remod­ the old house would become our problem as square and level, but this advantage was eling work, I get involved with some of the old we grafted on the new addition. outweighed in this case by another pre-exist­ places as their new owners bring the sagging Before adding a second story to an existing ing condition-the dining room had already buildings back to life, or add on a room or dwelling, I need to be sure that the framing been remodeled, and lifting the room would two. One such place is the stick-style cottage and foundation underneath are adequate to damage the new walls. that Kit and Kurt Haveman bought in 1976. support the new load. One thing I want to My solution was to leave the sag in the know is whether tilting walls or sagging floors downstairs floor but to reduce the slope up­ Disrepair-The Havemans acquired a house are clues to serious structural flaws, or simply stairs to !4 in. per 10 ft. by progressively that had been partially converted into a print the result of normal settling, lumber shrink­ shimming the new floor joists. This kind of shop. The front porch had been torn off, and a age or minor construction mistakes. compromise happens all the time in remodel­ boxy stucco addition had been built in the My rule-of-thumb for significant error in an ing. Correcting every problem may be more front yard for the presses. The plaster was old house is this: up to !4 in. out of plumb or trouble than it's worth if it means damaging falling off the interior walls, and the exterior square for windows, doors and 8-ft. walls, and existing architectural features. Compromises hadn't seen a paintbrush in 30 years. up to %-in. rise or fall in a 10-ft. run of floor or are often necessary to create visual harmony Fortunately, the Havemans had the energy permanently loaded beam. If the deviations between old and new. For ex ample, a new and skills required to put the house back in are greater, I hunt for the cause and correct plumb wall next to an old leaning wall can shape. Over the past four years, they had torn the problem if structural integrity is at all in make both look bad. With these things in down the addition and restored the porch. question. At this stage I often feel like a cross mind, we decided to live with the out-of­ The . windows are all intact now, some with between an archeologist and a detective. square platform, since the only alternative leaded glass, and they've replaced the crum­ By stringing lines and estab lishing level would be to rebuild the entire first floor so bling lath and plaster with gypboard. marks, we found that the first-floor ceiling was that it would be square. By the time I met them, their family of sev­ neither flat nor level. It sloped away from the We formed and poured the new section of en had outgrown the original ten-room house. central bearing wall toward the side walls, foundation, and removed the honeycombed They needed a larger bathroom, and studio with a significant drop of % in. at the south­ wood. As we replaced pieces of the floor, and storage space for their home-based res­ west corner. We got another surprise when we walls and ceiling on the back porch, we dis­ taurant-decorating business. They asked me found that the side walls weren't perpendicu­ covered another serious inadequacy. to build a second-story addition. lar to the rear wall. This th rew the upstairs platform a full 6 in. out of square. Framing problems-When they built the An appropriate plan-Architect Marilyn A close look at the foundation under the house in 1892, the carpenters hadn't put Crenshaw worked with the Havemans to de­ headers over the doors and windows in the velop the addition's design. They planned to one-story bearing walls. Single 2x4s were extend the existing partial second story to­ spanning up to 10 ft. This hadn't caused seri­ ward the rear, and cover the entire house with ous problems yet, but the framing was clearly a broad hip roof that matched the original 10- too weak to support a floor above. in-12 pitch (drawing, facing page). This would The solution to a problem like this is nor­ give them an additional 450 sq. ft. of living mally straightforward: open up either the inte­ space, and would preserve the look of the rior or exterior of the wall and insert a new original house. Low-profile tempered-glass header over each opening. But in this case, I skylights would incr ease the light inside the didn't want to open any of the downstairs house without interrupting the roof planes. walls because doing so would disturb the The addition would include a larger bath­ complex trim and shingles on the exterior and room, a studio and attic storage. The rear of the newly completed drywall and cabinetwork the addition would be flanked by a deck over on the interior. the backyard for enjoying the outdoors. Our solution was to install a 4x10 girder on From the outset we knew that the work the top plate of each bearing wall. The three would have to be done on a tight budget­ girders, which now span all the windows and about $40,000-with well-ordered priorities. doorways below the addition, transfer the Obviously, the first goal would be framing and load from above to supporting studs on either enclosing the addition. Next, the bathroom This former Victorian vacation house had suf­ side of the openings and safely on down to fered years of neglect and commercial abuse. and restoring the baby's room would receive In the photo above, a stucco addition has been the foundation. full attention, followed by the interior finish removed, and salvaged brackets and balus­ To install the girders we had to cut the ceil­ work in the studio. A backyard staircase, a trades have been installed on the porch. The ing joists back 3Y2 in. where they were resting ground-floor deck and a fancy deck rail would small photo on the facing page shows the on the top plates. Fortunately, the original get whatever remained in the budget. To cut southwest comer before the second-story addi­ plates were a full 4 in. wide, so the 2x4 joists tion was begun. The elevation drawing at the costs, we would use recycled doors and win­ lower left fore shadows the nearly completed had about Y2in. of bearing (small drawing, dows wherever we could, and the owners Job, above. Trim, permanent deck rallings and next page, bottom). We connected them to the would pull their own permits, order and pick a coat of paint will finish up the Job. new girders with framing clips. On top of

Photo this page:Kit Haveman AprilfMay1983 Z3

New walls and rafters butt against the old as the addition framing nears completion, right. The former hip rafter at the southwest corner has been doubled to help carry the new loads and to provide a solid nailing surface for the new rafters. Before the house gets a fresh layer of composition shingles, the old roof will be taken down to the skip sheathing and the en­ Ure roof frame covered with \4-in. plywood. these we installed new 2x10 floor joists be­ tween the girders, and then nailed and glued a new :j.:I-in. plywood subfloor in place.

Extending the r oof-Tying the new roof to the old framing presented some challenging connections. The hip rafter at the southwest corner was carrying part of the load of the small gable on the west side of the house. Ex­ Replacing the gutters tending the roof would transform this hip into a valley, and as such it would have to support the new load of the jack rafters falling on it. We reinforced it by sistering a new fir 2xlO to the old 2x8 redwood rafter (small drawing, facing page, top). We butted the new 2x10 ridgeboard to the old one, holding it in place with nails and framing straps, and propping up the other end with a temporary brace. At this point we dis­ covered that the original ridge board was out of level; if we continued it our new ridge wouldn't be level with the floor of the new ad­ dition. We wondered if we should keep the line of the old ridge, or angle it slightly to keep the ridge level over the addition to sim­ Ogee Soffit Galvanized gutters border the cornice returns plify roof framing. We decided to go for level, molding where new construction meets old. The new feeling that the discrepancy between the lines New shingles, ripped to match the original in width, of the old and new ridge wouldn't be apparent New 1 x6 fascia board 2x4 furring strip are woven into the square butt pattern that has once we were done. We got away with it. covered the house for 90 years. Things got even trickier at the east side of the house where we planned to add a ridge­ Blending architectural features-To our gutters. First we removed all the old gutters, high full gable. Part of this new gable would great relief, the existing exterior walls were along with the small piece of fascia board that extend over the old roof in the area above the plumb, and we tied the new walls directly in fit into the dado on the gutter bottom, as original stairwell and hall. We couldn't disturb line with them (photo, top). To keep the lad­ shown in the drawing above. This exposed the the original rafters here because they directly der and scaffolding work to a minimum, we old rafter tails and soffit nailers. We then at­ supported an elaborately restored ceiling. So framed and squared the wall sections on the tached an all-heart redwood 2x4 furring strip instead of cutting off the old rafters and hang­ new floor, sheathed them with ¥S-in. plywood to the end of the rafter tails, followed by a 1x6 ing them to a new, continuous valley rafter, for shear bracing and shingle backing, and fascia board. we laid the gable rafters on top of the old roof then tilted them into place. We carefully Before the roofers put down the composi­ framing. This was a little complicated. At the aligned the planes of the old wall sheathing tion shingles, they installed a 1 Y2-in. galva­ line of the stairway wall we cut off the original with the new plywood so that the old sidewall nized drip cap along the perimeter of the roof, hip rafter after propping it up with a 2x4 brace shingles would blend inconspicuously with and made sure to bend the edging out far for temporary support. Then we added a dou­ the new ones. enough so that the back lip of the gutters bled 2x10 common rafter directly over and After we completed the framing and roofing, could be easily slipped under it later. partially supported by the stairway wall. Kurt ripped new cedar shingles to match the We treated the new section in a similar way, The top section of the new valley rafter, old ones and our roofer, Sonny Hankes, ap­ but without the 2x4 furring strip. Eventually, also a 2x10, was likewise butted into the dou­ plied them over courses of roofing felt in the we plan to add a piece of ogee molding to the bled common rafter above the stairway wall. same pattern as the originals. As the shingles junction between the gutter bottom and the To complete the valley over the stairwell, we went on, some folks passing by asked us why fascia board to approximate the original look laid a 2x10 flat on top of the existing rafters in we were tearing off the old siding. They more closely. line with the upper section of the new valley thought the addition was part of the original Cornice returns are a common Victorian rafter. The jack rafters of the new gable then house-our greatest compliment. feature. Nestled under the gable soffit, they terminated with a compound miter on top of form a sort of tiny, hip-shaped roof. In this the flat 2x10, and with standard side cuts at Gutters-As on many Victorian houses, al­ house, the returns were covered with tin the upper end of the valley. most 100 years of exposure to the elements flashing and bordered by the original gutters. It was obvious that the original rafters had worn out the redwood gutters. Replacing The new gutters had a different profile from wouldn't be able to support the new load of them would have meant getting kiln-dried the old ones, so we couldn't butt new to old at the gable. We solved this problem by building redwood custom-milled at a cost of over $12 each gable. Nor could the old tin be made to a knee wall that bears on the doubled 2x10 per lineal foot. This was more than our budget overlap the new gutters. rafter, picking up the load of the gable rafters could bear, so we designed a system that let Rebuilding all four cornice returns (photo and taking the load off the old roof framing. us substitute commonly av ailable galvanized above) was my only choice. After carefully re-

Illustrations: Frances Ashforth; Photos: Steve Larson AprilfMay1983 25 moving them with shears, prybars and a re­ were expensive, and both involved tearing able to re-route the bathroom supply and ciprocating saw, I partially assembled new into the walls of the temporary bedroom on waste lines, and the vents for the studio heat­ units on the ground and then nailed them into the first floor. This job would cost a lot and er, the kitchen range and the basement fur­ alignment with the rest of the fascia board. make a big mess, so the Havemans decided nace and water heater-all without resorting This way, the new gutters could run continu­ not to work on this chimney until later. We to external plumbing or ductwork, or tearing ously around the cornice. We used composi­ dismantled it down to the second-floor level into downstairs walls (drawing, below left). tion shingles over roofing felt to replace the and closed off the fireplace. Painstaking planning allowed us enough room tin flashing. When we framed the new roof, we made left over for a 12 -in. by 12-in. sheet-metal sure that rafter placement allowed clearance laundry chute from the bathroom to the base­ Working around the chimneys-The two for a new chimney, and laid a plywood sub­ ment laundry area. brick chimneys that rose from the first story floor over the old flue. We were disappointed Our building inspector pointed out a poten­ into what has now become a second-floor liv­ that we had to leave this portion of the project tial problem created by this new channel. He ing area weren't tall enough to penetrate the undone, but we had to proceed with more emphasized that similar passageways, as well new roof. They would either have to be ex­ pressing tasks. as hidden cavities created by old-style bal­ tended or eliminated, so we brought in a By completely dismantling the other chim­ loon framing, had let fires race through older chimney specialist for an opinion. The news ney, which originally vented the wood burning homes by providing unseen chim neys for wasn't good. The old mortar was cracked, and stoves in the kitchen, we created a clear chan­ flames and toxic gases. Rather than building there were no flue linings. Both of the chim­ nel from the basement through to the second solid firestops at each floor level, we, chose to neys were dangerously unstable. story. Victorian house plans often included encase the entire channel with %-in. gyp­ For the fireplace chimney, the solution large, multi-storied plumbing wells, which iso­ board to form a one-hour rated fire barrier. would have to be to dismantle the chimney lated pipe runs and left room for repairs. We We sealed cracks in the gyp board where pipes down to the firebox and begin anew, either decided to make similar use of our much or ductwork entered with plaster-based with masonry laid up to modern standards or smaller channel. patching compound. with triple-wall metal ductwork. Both options By carefully arranging the pipes, we were The laundry chute was custom made from galvanized sheet metal for resistance to both fire and moisture damage. For fire safety and The bathroom blends Victorian style with con­ Chimney to to prevent small children from falling into the temporary materials and convenience. The venti laundry-chute walls next to the tub, the floor, and the shower conversion chute, I balanced the plywood and mahogany (accessible from two sides) are covered with bin-type door so it would be self-closing mortar and tiny hexagonal tiles. To protect Attic (drawing, bottom left). Another door inside against moisture damage, the floor was hot­ mopped and the mortar tile base sloped to a the chute provides a second safety barrier-it drain under the tub. Both the wainscoting and has to be opened manually by someone tall the laundry chute (right center of photo, and enough to reach inside the bin. drawing) are lauan mahagony stained dark. - Working with the o wners The successful completion of a building project depends not Second floor only on the technical competence of the - builders, but also on the cooperation and ( communication between the builders and the clients. A good working relationship is even more important during renovation or remod­ eling because of the surprises that inevitably pop up along the way. Early in the framing stage we all began to Water realize that the budget for the project heater wouldn't cover the non-essentials, and that Basement some of the work would have to be post­ poned. We were thankful for a realistic prior­ 3fe-in. by 3- in. ity list, and we stuck to it. Anything completed mahogany wainscoting would be done right, and anything not imme­ diately needed would be left untouched and ready to go when funds permitted. The owners' active participation was a key element in accomplishing good results. Be­ I-in. by #10 sides handling the demolition and cleanup, wood screws plus glue hold they were always available for consultation box to rail and decision making. They also took over the and stile. painting, staining and decorating chores. As the money dwindled, they became more involved in the basic construction. Kurt wain­ scoted and trimmed the baby's room, and Kit laid the 46,000 plus hexagonal tiles in the bathroom (photo left). In addition, they found salvaged components such as doors, win­ dows, newel posts and light fixtures. The proj­ ect was a success because of this kind of co­ operation, inventiveness and flexibility. 0

Cross section Steve Larson is a contractor and remodeling in­ of laundry chute structor in Santa Cruz, Calif.

26 Fine Homebuilding Curved-Truss House Standard materials and a lot of time and patience create a vaulted building on a grand scale

by Tim Snyder

Long before the blasting crew began carv­ A reinforced foundation-Stevens' calcula­ ing into the granite of his mountainside build­ tions showed that the completed roof, includ­ ing site, Larry Stevens had decided that his ing trusses, sheathing and concrete tile, would house would be built using a system of curved weigh 89,840 lb., or 22,460 lb. bearing on each wooden trusses. Above the town of Sandpoint, of the four corners where the trusses would Idaho, and overlooking Lake Pend Oreille, the be anchored. This weight called for an excep­ site seemed to demand a design that would tionally strong foundation. Footings 32 in. make the most of the great view. wide and laced with Y2-in. rebar were formed Apart from providing generous window and and poured on the granite bedrock. For the balcony areas on all sides, Stevens' plan for a portions of the foundation that would be be­ truss-framed roof offered other advantages. low grade, Stevens built the block wall 16 in. The inherent strength of the frame meant that thick, then used 12-in. wide block for the no interior bearing walls would be required, Framing the view that inspired its groin ed­ above-grade sections. This raised the founda­ vault design, top, the arched roof of Larry Ste­ so the floor plan could evolve independently vens' house awaits the construction of the liv­ tion walls up to the level of the bond beam-a of structural considerations. The trusses ing space beneath it. Above, work on the continuous ring of reinforced concrete. The could be built during the winter, then erected building proceeds slowly, within the con­ bond beam holds the entire substructure in in a matter of days once the foundation was straints of time and money. Block walls will be tension against the outward thrust exerted by faced with stone, and board-and-batten siding complete. And having the roof done early will be applied over the plywood sheathing. the roof system on four of the building's cor­ would allow Stevens to finish the interior of ners. Since the other four corners would be the house as time and money permitted. subjected to inward thrust, Stevens built inte­ Stevens also wanted a design that would be tagonal foundation. The octagonal form would rior block walls at or near these corners to act unique, and he liked the way curved trusses bring the view in on several sides of the as buttresses. They also serve as partition look. Working for the local electric company house, and would also offer stronger support walls in the basement. as an engineer and draftsman, he had the for the concentrated bearing points of the Inside the forms for the 12x12 bond beam, technical background to calculate stresses on trusses than would a square structure. The 20 Stevens built a connected grid of Y2-in. rebar, a number of preliminary designs. Truss size, main trusses would be clustered in groups of bending the steel into 8-in. squares. After the shape and location were the main variables. five on four of the building's eight corners. high-strength concrete was poured into the Stevens wanted to be able to build the trusses Sixty-four smaller, secondary trusses would bond-beam forms, Stevens formed pockets in himself using standard construction lumber. connect the main trusses to one another. the corners to accept the trusses. He also wanted the roof structure to be strong Blasting out a building site on the steep enough to hold concrete tile, having seen one slope took several months. In addition to cre­ Truss construction-Engineered to be nar­ too many fires caused by chimney sparks ating a level area for the basement and foun­ row at the top and bottom and wider in the landing on a wood roof. dation, the crew had to remove enough rock center, each truss was made by covering a The final design called for a massive roof for septic fields. By the fall of 1973, Stevens frame of laminated lx4 or lx6 chords with a with four identical curved gables set on an oc- was ready to start building. skin of Y2-in. plywood. Working in a large barn

AprllJMay 1983 27 during the winter, Stevens and his son Doug Masonry-wall section Typical truss construction built a giant deck from 2x4s and :J4-in. ply­ at corner wood to serve as a work surface for laying out Approximately and fabricating the trusses. nine 8d nails per lineal ft. To build each truss, they first traced its out­ line on the plywood deck, then nailed down wood blocks at 2-ft. intervals along the outer curve of the outline. The first Ix6s in the top 12-in. by 12-in. poured-concrete edge of the frame were then nailed to these bond beam. reinforced with %-in. rebar perimeter blocks, which bent them to the proper radius. Successive Ix laminae followed until the top edge of the frame satisfied the loading requirements Stevens had worked out (see truss-construction drawing at right). Then 2x6 blocking was nailed against the in­ side face of the laminated chord on I6-in. centers. Stevens cut each piece of blocking to length so that he could begin nailing the first Ix6 ply of the inside chord to the blocking ends. The four valley trusses, which would carry the greatest load, were built with six Ix6 plies along both edges of each truss and 2x6 blocking between. All joints were nailed, with progressively longer nails as the plies built up. Where one Ix4 or Ix6 joined another, Stevens used scarf Scarf join ts are joints rather than butt joints. And for addi­ staggered from one lamination tional strength at both ends of the truss, %-in. to the next. dia. bolts tied the lami nated edges of the frame together. Valley trusses were As each frame was finished, its plywood constructed with 1 x6 skin was cut to size and nailed in place on the laminations. All other major top side. Then the perimeter blocking was trusses were built with 1 x4s. pried loose from frame and deck, and the frame was flipped so that its other side could be sheathed. %-in. dia. bolt at top and bottom

Raising the frame-Twocranes were re­ Plan view of truss system quired to hoist and hold the first trusses while Stevens and a few friends braced them in po­ sition on the foundati on. The four valley trusses were the first to go up. Opposite pairs were set together on either side of the cross­ shaped ridgeboard, a double 2xI2 beam that Stevens had built on the ground beforehand. The central section of this ridgepole was fas­ 32-in. tened to the first valley truss, and they were Y2 -in. rebar set on 8- in. centers hoisted up together. Then the second valley truss was lifted up against the ridgepole and Wall and trua s constraction. Eighty-four one of Stevens' lineman friends used his trusses, ranging in length from 4 ft. to 40 ft., climbing spurs, a rope and plenty of nerve to bear on four corners of the. specially reinforced octagonal foundation Valley trusses grapple his way up to the ridge and nail truss ( ) (Ill) and central ridgeboards (D) were erected first. to ridgeboard. All of the major truss connec­ Then the rest of the main trusses ( Ill) were in­ tions were made with S-in. boat spikes stalled, followed by secondary trusses (D ). through predrilled holes. The trusses have curved, laminated outer The first two trusses were roped off secure­ chords, separated by 2x blocking and covered with a skin of Y2-in. plywood. ly before the crane operators released the precarious assembly. Then while one crane maneuvered the third valley truss into posi­ rectly to the main frame members of the 35 ft. This was a good thing, since nailing tion, Stevens' spur-equipped friend rode the house rather than to the foundation. down the concrete roof tiles would demand boom tip of the second crane up to spike truss more time on top of the house. to ridge. The fourth valley truss was spiked in The roof -The secondary trusses were in­ Stevens covered the roof deck with tar­ similar fashion, and by the end of the second stalled as the roof decking went up. Stevens paper, then flashed the valleys with IS-in. day, all 20 main trusses were in place. The used 2x6 tongue-and-groove lumber to sheath square copper sheets that had been crimped main trusses were grouped in clusters of five: the roof, starting at the base and working up. along both sides. The next step was to fur out one valley truss, two gable trusses, and two The sheathing stiffened the frame, and secon­ the roof with Ix2s, nailing them down hori­ standard trusses. Stevens and his son braced dary trusses were set as they could be zontally on I2-in. centers. Each tile has a lip the frame plumb with heavy wires and several reached from the sheathing. Climbing up and on its upper edge, which is designed to fit long boards so they could set about installing dow!) the four curved roof peaks gave Stevens over a furring strip. A single nail through a the smaller trusses that would be fastened di- a lot of practice working at heights of up to hole holds each tile in place.

28 Fine Homebuilding Illustrations: Christopher Clapp Top, interior walls brace the non-bearing cor­ ners of the foundation against inward thrust. Temporary braces and cables hold the roof framework true until it is stiff ened with 2x6 sheathing. At left, builder's felt and furring strips were installed over the sheathing in preparation for the concrete tile roof. Above, interior partition wails had to be custom-fitted - to the curved trusses in many places. Ten years, and still building After the call for just over 6,500 sq. ft. of living space independence that initially were the most roof frame was up, a friend informed Stevens from basement to second floor. Insulating the promising features of the design are now its that his creation was technically a groined curved sections of wall and ceiling, and build­ most demanding. Stevens works on the vault, a structural form that gained its fullest ing square partitions against the curved frame plumbing, wiring and carpeting as time and expression in Gothic architecture. Like a me­ of the roof (photo above right) have taken ex­ budget allow, and admits that the scale of the dieval cathedral, Stevens' house is taking tra time, but the result is a pleasing combina­ job is far greater than he originally anticipat­ longer than usual to complete. The work of tion of angles and bends. It's impossible not ed. Since his retirement in mid-1982 he's had building the house beneath the massive roof to sense the strength and symmetry of the more time and energy to devote to the house, continues to this day. The concrete-block curving skeleton as you move from room to but hesitates to give a definite completion walls will eventually be faced with some of the room on the two upper floors. And the view of date. After all, that opening he framed next to stone that was blasted from the site. Sandpoint and the lake below is spectacular. the chimney on both upper floors might Stevens' plans for the interior of the house At this stage, though, the size and structural someday house a small elevator. 0

Aprll/May1983 29 Gaslight Liquid-propane lamps give warm light at low cost

by Tim Matson

Lighting with liquid propane (LP) gas was the wall. Fires can also start when a lamp is a foregone conclusion at the time I built my set near a flammable material. But when in­ house. With estimates for bringing in the stalled properly, following the manufacturer's mainline juice running between $2,000 and clearance recommendations, a gas lamp burns $3,000, I had little choice but to investigate within its own safety zone, like a woodstove. non-electric lights, and LP-fired lamps were I've been asked if there isn't a chance that a by far the best option. Now, more than six burning gaslight might go out and fill the years later, visitors often mistake my gaslights house with a cloud of explosive gas. I suppose for the electric kind, an error that never fails it's possible. But nothing close to that has to please me. happened to me during more than six years of What is it about gaslight that puts it at the gaslighting, and I've never heard of it else­ top of the list of non-electric lights? For one where. I have heard of explosions in homes thing, a well-maintained gaslight delivers at using natural gas that is piped in from a dis­ least the equivalent of a 50-watt bulb, and tant source; these result from disruptions in that's minimum. I find it's usually closer to 75 the supply line. Such an accident is highly un­ or 100 watts. Just as important as brightness likely with LP gas because the household fuel is the constancy of light. Kerosene or white­ supply is on site, under your control. It's even gas mantle lamps can generate as much light possible to shut off the gas at the tank outside as a gaslight, but not on a continual basis, and when you're not using the lights or other ap­ not without periodic tinkering. It's the steady pliances. This is a nuisance, and we don't do feed of pressurized LP gas that makes for monthly surcharge-here it's $5.78 for a pri­ it. Instead, we follow one house rule: never steady light. And there's no chance of a flare­ vate household-you'll see how much extra leave a burning light unattended. up due to overheating. gaslight you could buy: about six gallons of When fuels burn incompletely, as almost all Moreover, since LP gas is usually piped to propane, worth 288 hours of light. That's fuels do, toxic carbon monoxide (CO) gas is the light, a gas lamp has no fuel reservoir at close to a month's gaslight at the daily 10- produced. You can't see, taste, or smell CO, its base. Mounted on a wall or post, the lamp hour average. In other words, gas and electric but it can make you sick or kill you. A gaslight throws light horizontally and downward light are a close match. is designed to burn at a fixed rate, with no ad­ where it's needed, rather than casting the Other factors in figuring gaslight cost in­ justments in the level of illumination. Thus, by shadow characteristic of lamps that sit on clude the appliance itself, tubing and installa­ design, it is tuned to burn at peak combustion their fuel pots. In addition, because of the uni­ tion. One gaslight will run about $30, plus the efficiency, minimizing the production of CO. form fuel feed and the permanent mounting, a price of a few yards of copper tubing. If you Ventilation is crucial. Unfortunately, most gaslight's delicate mantle is long-lived. ask your gas dealer to do the work, the total gaslight manufacturers are reluctant to sug­ cost per light will be roughly $60, depending gest anything but "adequate" ventilation. One An economical solution-A gaslight will on how many you equip. However, it isn't dif­ engineer at Coleman told me: "We'd lose our run roughly 48 hours on a gallon of LP gas- ficult to install your own gaslights, and I'll talk credibility if we started making ventilation 12 hours per pound. To figure out your hourly about this procedure later. standards." You can take adequate ventilation running cost, divide the price per gallon by There are other ways to consider the eco­ to mean two things: enough air for the light to 48. My dealer charges 97 cents a gallon, deliv­ nomics of gaslight. Property tax usually in­ burn properly, and an air-exchange rate gen­ ered. That means I'm paying just over 2 cents cludes an assessment for electrical hookups. erous enough to exhaust fumes. an hour. If I burn an average 10 hours of light Where I live, they are valued at $15 0 for 200- Before the advent of tight houses, natural a night-and that's a lot for my small cabin amp service and $120 for 100-amp. But there's air leakage in a home provided enough venti­ (two lights, for instance, each burning five no tax charge for having propane gas tanks lation. Today, the question of ventilation is hours)-it costs me about 20 cents a night, $6 behind the house. Finally, there's the indirect more important. After talking with several a month, or about $72 a year. value of gaslight. Land that's not served by gaslight manufacturers and an im porter of It's interesting to compare running costs for electricity is usually cheaper to buy, with a lighting accessories, I'd say that the consen­ gas and electric light. The electric rate here is lower tax bill. sus on gaslight ventilation rates hovers be­ 11.4 cents per kilowatt hour in winter and 4.9 tween 2 and 3 cu. ft. of air per hour per light. cents in summer. It's not really accurate to Safety-Fire and fumes are the two hazards In old (leaky) homes, natural air exchange average the yearly rate at 8.15 because lights associated with combustible lighting. For the should be more than enough for several gas­ peak in winter, but let's do it anyway, keeping most part these hazards are eliminated by lights. To ventila te airtight houses, a nearby in mind that the figures will be skewed a bit gaslight design. According to the U.S. Con­ window should be left open slightly at top and low. Say a 100-watt bulb will run for .83 cents sumer Protection Agency, most lamp fires oc­ bottom. Everyone I talked to agreed that gas­ an hour. At first it appears that gaslight runs cur when a burning light is upset. This is a lights and small, airtight enclosures don't mix. about three times as much as electric. But if real danger with table lamps, but not with LP "We're trying to steer away from camper caps you take into account the electric company's gaslights, which are permanently mounted on and ice shanties," one manufacturer ex-

30 Fine Homebuilding plained to me. Said another, "I've never heard ready to install it. Otherwise you may get of anyone succumbing to gas fumes in a house moisture or spiders inside. or a cabin, but I have heard of it in an RV." The tubing is flared and connected to the valve on the Opalite's wall bracket with a Location and installation-The typical gas­ threaded coupler. Use a straight fitting if the light has four main working parts (photo, tubing will be exposed on the wall, and an el­ right): the valve and wall-bracket assembly, bow if you plan to conceal the tube in the wall the valve cover, a glass globe, and a mantle. cavity. Smear the joint with pipe dope before You can put a gaslight together in a couple of screwing it tight. At the other end of the tub­ minutes, and with the unit intact, move it ing run, your gas dealer will probably connect around to judge how it will fit in various loca­ the tubing to the regulator. If you do it, use a tions. If you haven't seen a gaslight working, flared fitting here as well. Though the tubing check one out; it will make it easier for you to is malleable, curves in a tube run should be locate your light in a good spot. carefully shaped so they don't crimp, and el­ There aren't many manufacturers of gas­ bows should be used for right-angled bends. lights for indoor use (see the list below right). It's easiest to connect the tubing to the The Humphrey Opalite is by far the most pop­ lamp's wall-bracket valve before the wall ular gaslight in the U.S., so it's the one I'll re­ bracket itself is screwed to the wall. The fer to. Humphrey has been shipping gas lamps bracket's recessed screw holes hold the unit from their Kalamazoo, Mich., plant since away from the wall so that air can circulate 1901. They've got a reliable product and a behind the gaslight, shielding the wall from good spare-parts network. high temperatures. Safety, illumination and economy are the Now remove the globe and attach the valve three main considerations when locating a cover to the bracket by hanging it on the two lamp. The mantle is fragile-whether or not tabs at the top of the bracket. Swing down the GaUght anatomy. The wall bracket is the it's burning-and the glass globe is fragile valve cover so that the slots in the bottom en­ base of the unit and contains the threaded flare too. So your lamp should be outside busy gage the locking screws, and tighten them. fitting for the upper supply line, the nozzle and household traffic patterns, and away from If you're already hooked up to the regulator, the on/off switch. The valve cover fits over the work areas where percussion or vibration may leave the lamp's switch in the "off" position, wall bracket and contains the bunsen, globe support and an integral reflector that doubles cause damage (a workb ench, for example). and check your work for leaks. Some people as a heat shield. Liquid splashing on a hot gaslight can crack use a match, attempting to ignite a small flame the globe, and a strong current of air can at a leaky joint, and gas dealers use a special cause the light to pulsate; so keep a safe dis­ sniffer, but I've come to rely on liquid soap. but the first time the light is ignited, it will tance from kitchen sinks and cross drafts. Simply pour some dish detergent on each shrink to its final form. Most important, follow or exceed the manu­ connection and look for bubbles. Your nose Turning the light on is easy. First, turn on facturer's clearance specifications. One gas­ can also alert you to leaks. Added to the odor­ the gas supply at the tank. Next, with the han­ light can generate 1,800 Btus every hour, and less LP is a scent to make the gas detectable. dle of the lamp in the "off" position, hold a the temperature just above a light will be In a full tank it's hardly noticeable, but when lighted match just under the mantle and turn about 240°F. Humphrey recommends a clear­ it settles in a low tank it's hard to miss; it the gas on. You will have to depress the han­ ance of 4 in. between a lamp and any combus­ smells like a dead mouse. dle to release the safety lock. The first time tible material, but I sited the light in my stu­ Now the lamp is ready for its mantle. There you use the light, there may still be some air dio 7 in. below a maple bookshelf, and I are two types of mantles: tie-on and pre­ in the line, so you may need to light several wouldn't get any closer. Allow at least a 4-in. formed. Each requires a different burner nose matches. To extinguish the light, just return clearance on either side of the lamp. on the lamp. The tie-on is cheaper, but it's a the handle to the "off" position. Gaslight Once your light sites are chosen, you can little tricky to attach. The pre-formed mantle maintenance is no real chore: clean the glass have your local LP dealer install the lamps, is easy to attach, but it's more delicate and globe occasionally and replace the mantle piping and LP tank. If you have an LP gas-tank more expensive. I prefer the tie-on, though it when its fabric starts to disintegrate. setup already, he can simply splice into the takes a few tries to get the hang of attaching it I can still remember the first time I lit up a tubing. Be sure to ask if he's had experience to the ceramic burner nose. If you haven't gas lamp. With a muffled pop like uncorked installing gaslights. It's worth asking around done this before, have your gas dealer show champagne, a wave of light bathed the room. to be sure you don't hire a novice. you how. It was remarkably bright, with a warmth un­ If you don't have a gas tank already, the No matter which type of mantle you use, it's matched by electric lights. For a minute a low most popular location for one is behind the necessary to burn off the lacquer coating that growling accompanied the luminous glow as house. Just make sure you'll have access to protects the delicate fabric after it's manufac­ the lamp warmed up. Then the sound ebbed bring in the supply hose or fresh tanks. In tured. The burn-off lasts a couple of minutes, to the faint breeze of gas feeding the flame. It northern climates, avoid sites where the tanks producing a smoky and, I suspect, un healthy reminded me of the sound of a seashell. 0 will be buried in snow. In very cold weather­ cloud that I don't like in the house. What I do below -32°F-liquid propane ceases to va­ is fire up the mantle outside while it's at­ Tim Matson, a freelance writer, lives in Straf­ porize, and the light dims. tached to the burner head. All you need to do ford, Vt. Photos by the author. You can also do the installation yourself. is touch a lighted match to the mantle and Two special tools are required: a pipe cutter wait until the flame goes out after the coating and a flaring tool. Besides these, you'll need a is burned. Then replace the valve cover as­ Gaslight sources screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, and a drill sembly very gently on the wall bracket and Humphrey: Humphrey Co., Kilgore at Sprinkle Rd., with a bit about Yi6 in. larger than the diame­ tighten the screws. (If you don't handle the Box 2008, Kalamazoo, Mich. 49003 (also parts). ter of the tubing. Use malleable copper tubing: mantle tenderly, it will break.) If you choose Sollte: Springer Co., 2101 West Burbank Blvd., Bur­ !4-in. dia. tube for runs of 10 ft. or less; %-in. instead to pre-burn the mantle inside, do it bank, Calif. 91506. Falk gaslights (British) are available thr oughout dia. tube for longer runs and wherever more with the windows open. Canada at Superior Propane Ltd. dealers. For infor­ than one light is served by a single run. When What you have after burn-off is a fragile, in­ mation about local dealers, write Superior Propane, you buy your tubing, make sure it's plugged at candescent chemical ash that will hold the 1865 Leslie St., Don Mills, Ont., Canada M3B 2M4. both ends, and keep it that way until you are lamp's gas-fired flame. It's a bit misshapen,

AprllJMay1983 31 Putting Down a Brick Floor The mason's craft is easier when the bricks are laid on a horizontal surface

by Bob Syvanep Brick floors are experiencing a revival. The 4x8 bricks, you should figure 4Y:! bricks per ones when you're making adjustments be­ material used only for patios or walkways square foot of floor and then add at least 5% tween courses; and that you'll get another 10 years ago is moving inside the house. for waste. inch at each wall to play with because the wall There are good reasons for this. The color, Since a standard brick weighs about 4Y:!lb. finish and baseboards that will be installed texture and pattern that brick brings to a and you're going to need a lot of them, you'll later will cover that much more of the floor. room can't be duplicated with vinyl or wood. want them delivered to a convenient place. Once your dry coursing has been adjusted And brick is a logical choice for a passive-so­ Most yards bring the bricks on pallets to your so that the joints are even, nail Ix or 2x layout lar building, because it increases the thermal job site, and if the delivery truck is equipped boards to the wall studs along each side of the mass while offering a more finished look than with a hydr aulic arm, you're even better off. room so that their tops are even with the top a concrete slab. The arm lifts the wood pallets off the truck of the finished brick floor (drawing, below). Laying a brick floor sounds risky if you're and sets them down anywhere you say. A Mark the leading edge of each course on the not skilled with a trowel and a brick hammer. skilled driver can just about put the bricks in board, and drive a nail into the top of the But after watching master mason John Hilley your back pocket. board at each of these marks for a string line. lay the floor in a house I'm building in Brew­ Use brick tongs for hauling the bricks from After laying a course, move the string forward ster, Mass., I'm convinced that it's not too dif­ the pallets. Brick tongs are simple tubular­ one nail on each side of the room for the next ficult. As with any job, if you know the tricks, steel contraptions that will carry between course. This line represents both the finished the battle is half over. 6 and 10 bricks at a time by holding them in height of the floor and the leading edge of the A brick floor laid with mortar is different compression. At about $16, using tongs beats course, leaving very little for you to ey eball. from a wall or a patio. First, you can ignore weaving around the site with a pile of bricks A layout board can also be cantilevered off plumb and just concentrate on level. Second, stacked up against your forearm. the top of bricks that have already been laid. you don't have to contend with the shifting, This setup works well when an exterior wall subsiding backyard quagmire that is the sub­ Layout-Although there are many patterns takes a jog, making the room narrower, and strate for most patios. A brick floor should be or bonds that bricks can be laid in, the run­ ending a run of layout boards. Course lines laid on a concrete slab, which is flat and solid; ning bond is still the easiest and one of the are marked on the end of the board that pro­ or on a wood floor that has been beefed up to most attractive. The joints between the bricks jects out to the unlaid part of the floor, and take the extra weight of the bricks and stif­ in each course are offset from the joints in ad­ the course string is attached so it rides on the fened so that its flexibility won't crack the jacent courses by a half brick. This means that bottom edge of the board. This maintains the mortar joints. each course begins with either a half brick or same finished floor height as layout boards a whole brick. After sweeping the slab abso­ held flush with the top of the bricks. Brick-If you think that brick is brick, and lutely clean, determine which direction the You should dry-lay a test course along the that your only decision will be how many to brick courses will run. You can then begin the width of the room, too. You will be starting buy, you'll change your mind when you hit rough layout of the floor with a tape measure. • with a half brick or a whole brick on one end, your first masonry-supply yard. Bricks come To avoid having to cut a course of narrow and adjusting the joint width between the in many styles, colors and prices. They run bricks at the end of the room, you may need ends of the bricks to determine the length of anywhere from 30' each to 50' each or more. to adjust the width of the joints. Laying out to the brick on the other end. It won't always If your floor extends out into the weather, use a full course at the end of the room is time work out to half and whole bricks, but the less paver bricks. The surfaces of pavers are well spent. Do your figuring on paper by add­ cutting you have to do, the easier the job will sealed, so the bricks won't spall when it ing an ideal joint width, for example, 14 in., to be. Don't end a course with a very short brick. freezes. If your floor is inside, anything that the width of your brick and dividing the total For anything wider than a closet or a hall­ strikes your fancy will do. length of the room by this sum. Then confirm way, use control bonds to make sure that the Used bricks make a very nice floor but your calculation by dry coursing-laying a full bricks are being spaced uniformly. These are they're getting scarce, and as a result, expen­ row of bricks along the length of the room bricks whose ends are laid to a string as a ref­ sive. You never know exactly how much waste without mortar to test-fit the layout. Pick care­ erence every 6 ft. or so (about 10 bricks) you'll get when you scale the old mortar off fully for representative bricks, since they can within each course. This in effect breaks a used brick, but plan on buying at least 3,000 differ considerably in length and width. Re­ long course up into several small courses. used bricks to get 2,000 usable ones. For new member that thin joints look better than fat The control bonds and end bricks are the

Laying the bricks in the right order. Use control bonds every 10 bricks along a course as a reference for keeping joint lines straight despite minor differences in the length of the bricks and the width of the join ts between them. On floors withmore than one control bond, lav these bricks first and fill in between them, ad justing the jOint width to fit. At the ends of courses, the laving order of the bricks depends on whether a course begins with a whole or a half brick. On a course starting with a whole brick, set it and the control bond, and then fill in. When starting with a half brick, work from the control bond outward; set the half brick last after cutt ing it to fi t.

Control bond

Course string

Layout boards for stringing course lines should be held flush with the top of the brick floor. The course string, wh ich is moved forward for each new course, defines the top, leading edge of the brick. Lavout boards are marked according to the dry coursing done during lavout, and nails are driven on these marks.

' Photos: BobSyvanen; Illustration: Frances Ashforth Aprll/May1983 33 first bricks to be laid in each course. The rest Mortar-The mortar between the bricks in brick, lay the control bond first, and then are filled in to fit. This way, the joints of every your floor makes it permanent, and provides a work from this brick out toward the ends, cut­ other course at the control bond will form a visual relief from the brick itself. In this case, ting the bricks on either end to fit. A little gain straight line, and the cut bricks at the end of it is a mixture of masonry cement, sand and or loss that accrues as a result of the inconsis­ courses, as well as the width of the mortar water. Use a shovel and buckets to proportion tent length of the bricks can be offset by ad­ joints at the ends of the bricks, can be kept the ingredients for the mortar. Mix your mor­ justing the size of the last brick. fairly consistent from course to course. Try to tar with a hoe in a mortar box or a wheelbar­ You cut the last brick in a course with the place control bonds in highly visible spots row. An easier way to mix is with a mechani­ mason's hammer. Hold the brick in your such as stairways and entries, and string them cal cement mixer. Do your mixing outside hand, and hit it sharply once or twice directly just as you did the course lines. where you are free to hose out your mixer at over your palm. This usually does it, but some Stock the floor once you've completed your the end of the day, but keep the fresh mortar bricks need a shot on both sides. Sometimes layout. This way you can stretch strings and out of the hot sun. they break where you want, and other times get to know the peculiarities of the room and The amount you'll need depends on two you end up with a handful of brick shards. the slab you'll be working on before you begin things: how much bedding is required for the You'll get better with practice, but until you littering it with bricks. Using brick tongs, dis­ slab you are working on, and the thickness of do, order enough extra brick so that each tribute the bricks so that they will be within the joints between bricks. If your slab is flat blow isn't critical. If the brick fractures at an easy reach when you begin to work. Keep in and level, the bed of mortar under the bricks angle, set it down on a hard surface and use mind that several layers of bricks on a pallet, will be fairly uniform. A good bed is % in. small, chipping strokes with the hammer to or even the whole thing, can be a very differ­ thick, and no less than 14 in. However, a seri­ straighten out the line of cut. ent color from the rest of the load. Mix these ous hog, or hump, in the floor can double the Another tool for cutting brick that requires colors and tones as you stock them on the amount of mortar, because you will need to a less practiced stroke is the brick set. This floor so that your floor doesn't end up with bring the bricks for the rest of the floor up to wide chisel is placed on the brick where you big patches of only dark or light bricks. this level with a much thicker bedding. want it to fracture, and struck with a hammer The width of the joints between bricks is (for more on breaking brick, see FHB #3, p. Tools-A brick floor is laid with standard the other factor that affects how much maSOIT­ 43). A brick set will cost you about $6. Plan to mason's tools (photo below). In addition to a ry cement and sand to order. Joints look big­ waste a few bricks using this tool as well. 4-ft. level, a tape measure and nylon string, ger than they really are because bricks are You can tell a journeyman from an inexperi­ you'll need a brick hammer to break the brick molded and don't have hard crisp edges. A enced mason just by watching his trowel hand to length at the end of a course. It has a Y4-in. joint after finishing will look % in. wide, as he picks up a load of mortar and places it. square, flat head and a long, flat chisel peen which is a nice size. Figure on one bag of ma­ There is a familiarity with the material that is on the other end, and is made of tempered sonry cement for every 100 bricks if your slab unmistakable. First, using the back of his steel. Brick hammers come in various weights. is uniform and your joints are 14 in. wide. You trowel in the surface of the mortar, he will They have either steel, fiberglass or wooden will need 1 liz cu. ft. to 2 cu. ft. of sand per bag stroke away from his body. This creates a handles, and cost about $15. of masonry cement. mound of mortar in the wheelbarrow. With Brick trowels also cost about $15, and are The consistency of your mortar will have a the face of the trowel he scoops a load of mor­ made with wood or plastic grips. There are lot to do with your success in laying bricks. tar in an upward motion, then drops his trow­ two basic shapes: the London and the Phila­ Mortar should be firm enough to support a el arm abruptly, ridding the trowel of excess delphia. Most brick masons prefer the London brick as bedding, yet soft enough to compress mortar. What remains won't slide off the trow­ pattern, an elongated diamond shape with its easily at the joints. A soupy mix will lay down, el even if it's turned upside down. The tech­ heel farther forward on the trowel than the or self-level, in the wheelbarrow. A mix that's nique is stroke away, scoop up, and settle. Philadelphia. London patterns come with too stiff will support itself even when it's The first trowel of mortar should be placed either a narrow or a wide heel. The narrow stirred into the shape of a breaking wave. A on the floor for bedding. Thrown is more ac­ heel is fine for brick since less mortar needs workable mix is the consistency of whipped curate, though this too takes a bit of practice. to be carried by the trowel than for stone or cream, and the secret to mixing it that way is Then choose a brick. If your bricks are water concrete blocks. adding water to the dry ingredients in small struck on one face, this face should be laid up You'll need a jointer for smoothing and amounts, and lots of practice. because its slightly glossy surface is less po­ shaping the mortar between the bricks. This A good mason mixes only the amount of rous and will wear better. With brick styles tool looks like an elongated steel S, and is mortar that can be made with one bag of ma­ that are water struck on all sides, or not at all, gripped in the middle. Each end of the tool sonry cement at one time. With this amount, just choose the best face. has a different profile. the consistency is easy to control. A batch will With the brick in one hand and the trowel last about three or four hours before setting in the other, pick up a thin line of mortar us­ up. Temper the mortar every 15 minutes by ing the same stroke as before, and wipe it on Tools of the trade. Brick tongs, top, make stocking the floor with bricks much easier. The working it briskly with a hoe or shovel and the edge of the brick. As you get more exper­ trowel, jointer and brick hammer below it are adding a little water if necessary. The books ienced, it will almost look like you're throwing the basic tools used to lay the floor. say not to add water, but all masons do. the mortar on. Unless you overload the brick, Whether the mud is mixed with a mechanical the mortar shouldn't slip off while you are mixer or in a tray with a mortar hoe, it's best handling it. Trial and error will tell you how loaded into a wheelbarrow because it is con­ much mortar to use. Finish buttering the brick venient to move around the work area, and by loading up the end that will butt the pre­ it's easy to scoop out of. viously laid brick. - To set the brick in place correctly, all of its Laying the bricks You are ready to begin joints need to be in compression. This is one laying bricks when the mortar is mixed and of the secrets of good brickwork, and the way the control-bond strings and the first-course to accomplish this is the shove joint. The brick string are stretched. For courses that begin should be held out from its ultimate resting with a full brick, lay the control bonds first, place and square to it. As you begin to bed it the full end brick second, and then fill in be­ down, the brick should sit slightly above the tween, as shown in the drawing on the pre­ string line on the mound of mortar under­ vious page. Start from the control bond and neath it (photos facing page). Using your work outward. If the course starts with a half thumb, push the side of the brick toward the

34 Fine Homebuilding The _hove Joint. Above, mason John Hilley beds a brick in a running bond. It is buttered on one side and one end with mortar, and will sit well above the course string on the bedding mortar until it is pressed and tapped down. This string indicates the top of the floor, and the leading edge of each course. It is moved ahead one nail on the layout boards at each side of the room after a course is completed. The brick is leveled to the string by a gentle tapping with the butt of the trowel (above right), while pressure is applied with the left hand. This compression is the key to a tight, permanent brick floor. The lines of mortar be­ tween bricks are jointed, right, when they reach the consistency of putty, using excess mortar on the surface of the brick. The mortar is fed into the joints and compressed with a jointer. This is done twice on each course to produce smooth and compact mortar joints.

previously laid bricks and use the butt of the (photo above right). Work your way along the has penetrated the mortar smears. The bricks trowel to tap the brick down until its face is course, filling and pressing. Then go back to will look shiny when they are saturated, dull just below the string. If the brick is too low the beginning of the course for a second fill when they are beginning to dry out. Keep the anywhere, lift it out and load the bed with and a final jointing. Jointing not only in­ bricks saturated during the entire process so more mortar. Then press the brick into place creases the strength and durability of the the acid won't burn the mortar. Get a helper again. Also use the trowel handle to tap the mortar joints, but it also gives the floor a to operate the water hose. end of the brick until the width of the joint smoother, more uniform appearance. Do the As soon as you mix the acid solution, test between it and the previously laid brick is final jointing with smooth, level strokes. Use its action in some hidden spot-under the correct. During all of this you should be push­ your whole arm, not just your wrist. stairs or behind the chimney. The joints will ing the side of the brick with your thumb. have a soapy appearance as long as muriatic This pressure keeps the brick from settling Cleanup-Let the mortar set for a week be­ acid is present. It's best to do this job system­ unevenly, and keeps the joints in compres­ fore cleaning. You can wait longer, but the atically and work small areas. Dip the brush sion. Don't worry if the mortar doesn't rise all brick will get harder to clean. First, scrape off into the acid solution and then begin scrub­ the way to the surface in every spot along the heavy spots of mortar with the chisel peen of bing the saturated bricks. As soon as you have joints. The holes will get filled in later. a mason's hammer. To remove any mortar covered a few square feet, hose it down until Scrape away any excess mortar with the smeared on the surface of the bricks, you will all the foaming stops. Then hose it a bit more, edge of your trowel. This mortar can be al­ need to use a 20% solution of muriatic acid. saturate the next area, and move on with the lowed to dry a little and be used for jointing. Mix the acid in a bucket by adding one part bucket and brush. After the entire floor has Try not to smear the mortar on the surface of acid to four parts water. Always add the acid been scrubbed and rinsed, hose it down one the bricks, but if you do, don't worry. It can be to the water, and make sure that you are more time. If any muriatic acid remains, it will washed off later after it sets up. wearing eye protection and heavy-duty, acid­ continue to break down the mortar. resistant rubber gloves. You will also need Brick floors should be sealed, but not until Jointing-The brick joints are ready to be running water from a garden hose close by. all the moisture has left the bricks and the filled and jointed when the mortar between Open as many doors and windows as you can mortar joints. Wait at least a month. If you get the bricks has the consistency of putty. Test it for ventilation. Muriatic acid is nasty stuff­ impatient and seal a brick floor with moisture by pressing the mortar with your finger. You treat it with respect and caution. in it, the sealer won't bond. The best product can use the scrapings on the surface of the The acid will soften the mortar spots, en­ I've used for sealing brick is Hydrozo Water brick to fill the joints if they hold together abling you to scrub them off the surface of the Repellent #7 (Hydrozo Coatings Co, Box when you squeeze them in your hand. They bricks. For this you will need a short, stiff­ 80879, Lincoln, Neb. 68501). Five gallons will shouldn't be soft like fresh mortar, or they bristled brush for hand-scrubbing, and a 9-in. do the average floor and will cost a little over won't compress when jointed. Dried or crum­ stiff-bristled brush on a long handle. Before $80. Put on two coats, letting each one dry for bly mortar shouldn't be used either. you begin, flood the whole -floor with water 24 hours. I follow this with a coating made of The joints should be filled and compressed until the bricks are saturated. This keeps the equal parts of turpentine and Valspar polyure­ in two stages. For the first fill, feed the mortar acid action on the surface where it can be thane varnish (The Valspar Corp., ll OI South into the ·joint and press it with the jointer controlled, and then washed off as soon as it Third, Minneapolis, Minn. 55440). 0

AprlIfMay1983 35 Shelter From the Storm Sometimes it's easier to live in the rain than to build your own house

by Brian Berkey

Oll be,on in the thkk wood, of ,,"uthe," awful vision of cutting for roads until the land rest of it getting the truck unstuck from the New England, on a five-acre piece of ground was clearcut; it was my first taste of panic. axle-deep mud. This rhythm of two steps thatl was given to my wife, Nancy Binns, and When I then thought that a house was forward, one step back was beginning to me, by her father, Ed. It was a part of his supposed to appear up there some day-the seem typical. The oak finally made it to the property, and it was the loveliest gift we'd product of my own labor-my imagination mill to become wide-board flooring. ever received. It meant the difference failed me, along with my confidence. During this time, Nancy and I faced the. between building in these parts and not The road did get built, of course. And twin worries of money and design. Because building at all. civilization followed the bulldozer into the we had no credit record-we'd never bought It was old pasture land, abandoned back to woods; you could drive up there now. anything on time, never taken out loans, hardwood forest, with a thick understory of In the meantime Nancy and I had decided didn't possess any credit cards-we made mountain laurel, wild blueberry and scrub to build a small barn that fall instead of only a couple of trips to banks before we saplings. Stone walls ran through it. The trying to get in a foundation. Although we gave up trying to get a mortgage. With ground was pitched about 5° east to west, planned eventually to use it for animals, we hindsight, I can only wonder by what luck we beneath a small hill to the east whose thought for the time being that it would be were spared the burden of having to answer watershed will run through this story like a useful as storage for tools and materials, and to bankers. Then, however, it was a hard small river, just as it did across the I wanted to practice working in traditional blow: no money, no house. construction site, the driveway, and post-and-beam, before I tried it on the house. We decided to try anyway. We had some occasionally through the house itself. It was We had a raising party on what turned out savings left, enough at least to get past the not very well-drained soil, a fact whose to be the last good day of the fall, and the foundation, and we began to hit up relatives importance I had not yet grasped. frame went up without a hitch before for a private loan. We finally got it (paying an I can't remember exactly when Nancy and I sundown. I still count that day as one of the interest comparable to what it had been decided that we actually were going to try to finest I've had. I can't imagine a better drawing), and figured that if we fell short we build, but I can remember standing there marriage of community and individual than a would find the extra money somewhere. I deep in the woods one spring day, feeling the timber-frame raising. Two days later I started told Nancy I was sure we could build the promise of the land: This is where our house roofing the barn in the first snowfall of the house for $18,000, $20,000 tops. Well, maybe will stand. It was a magic moment. year. Roofing in the snow set a $21,000 or $22,000. She would look at me That summer I started cutting in a road, precedent that clung like mud for skeptically, wanting to believe. I wanted to sneaking time from my job. Our plan was to the next two years. It was like a believe also, and grew more defensive with build a simple unpaved driveway with money sign that the easy part of the each discussion. from our savings, and perhaps get a I' work was over. I had been reading and designing foundation in by the fall. We would seek bank The events of that winter obsessively, trying to come up with the money during the winter. seemed disconnected even perfect plan. I had a basic image of the house Our land had no road frontage, and was in _ as they happened. Never had I wanted to build: a fairly typical, shed-roofed fact about a fifth of a mile back from the town my energies seemed so scattered, so distant passive-solar design, lots of glass on the road. I had already cut one road that turned from their aims. I had a job, but my mind was south face, lots of masonry inside. Keep it out to be useless because of the water flowing always involved with our land, the barn and simple, I told myself. But the more I tried to over it. With much debate, we decided to the house. refine its details, the more complicated it make our drive an extension of my father-in­ I spent all my free time making the half­ grew. I discovered during the design process law's, which ran more than halfway in, past hour drive up to our site, working to finish that I didn't have much of a spatial the worst of the drainage problems. By now it the barn, building and hanging doors, nailing imagination; I had to strain to get glimpses of was late August. I remember the first day of up shiplapped native white pine siding. I was all three dimensions at once. clearing the new roadway, this time trying to also doing more clearing, both for the house I would work -on the plans late into the have it make sense of the terrain. The heat site itself and in one of the old pastures, a night, chain-smoking, and would usually have seemed equatorial; the undergrowth was so two-acre area bordered by stone walls in a sudden revelations of whole new designs. In thick that I was losing my own yellow diamond shape. The house was to be on the the hard light of morning the revelations markers 15 yards away. I got hung up on a north side of it, so part of the clearing was would look stupid, and I would turn back to big maple and stopped the saw, swearing. My necessary for solar access. We also wanted where I started. It seemed endless. When I glasses were fogged with my own heat, and I eventually to restore the old pasture to its began showing the plans to Nancy, I had was coated with a slime of sawdust, sweat, original use. something new to be defensive about; my and dead blackflies. While clearing the land, I accumulated a tolerance for even the most practical For no good reason I became convinced number of decent sawlogs, mostly oak. criticisms disappeared. Gradually my then that I was headed in the wrong Earlier in the fall, I had site-milled about uncertainty became encrusted with layers of direction, that I didn't even know the right 500 bd. ft. of black cherry with a friend who arrogance, a pearl of worry that grew larger direction, that I would end up with a road owned a chainsaw mill. I spent part of one as its cause grew less visible. that looked like a DNA molecule. I had an day skidding logs out of the pasture, and the A subtle transformation had occurred, so

36 Fine Homebuilding gradually that I ignored it at first. A certain tell exactly what will be found beneath the doubts. There were three different wall thought had become part of my waking surface of the earth." We hit a gusher of heights, two extra walls down the middle, attitude, as unnoticed as a pulse rate. It was 100 gallons a minute at 180 ft.; it soaked the walls notched and shelved to create various the conviction that I didn't know what I driller and his assistant before they could bearing surfaces. "What the hell ya want all was doing. jump back. "Got a lot of water up here," said that for?" he said. "Solar house," I answered, the driller in a burst of Yankee hyperbole. trotting out my all-purpose explanation. "You could have a swimming pool." "Oh," he said knowingly. I was one of those. Time was going by with the same Considering their unconventional features, disquieting slipperiness as our money. I had the walls got poured with no problems, and been casually assuring Nancy that we'd be in by then it was the beginning of July and the the house sometime in the fall, maybe late official end of all our savings. I walked fall. Of course the house wouldn't be around the cool grey walls, entranced. God, it "finished," I generously allowed, but we'd looked permanent. Nancy came up to view just "chip away" at it over the winter. Now, the results, and a look of fear crossed her along with money and the design, I had the face. "Sure looks permanent," she said. passage of time to be defensive about too. Everyone had said things would go faster While I resolved not to let this week go by once we got out of the ground, but in the like the last one, it would suddenly be gone meantime I felt buried by details. There was a in a flurry of seemingly petty details. I concrete-block basement entry to be laid up; realized finally that I was stalling, busying the joint between walls and footings had to myself with little things in order not to face be grouted; waterproofing had to be applied the big ones. It was time to get going. to all the walls; and a double chimney had to I staked out the house on the site, and the be laid up out of the basement. I had to apply stakes and strings looked tiny and foolish in 2-in. rigid insulation to all the walls down to I quit my job on the first of May to work the littered topsoil. This was going to be a frost line, then lay a perimeter drain and full-time on the preliminary details-drawing house? The excavation man showed up right crushed stone all around the footings. All this final plans, getting permits, trying to work up on time, in a tracked backhoe so big it before we could even backfill, much less estimates, planning some kind of sequence, seemed prehistoric. Three hours later there begin framing. It went slowly. searching out contractors for the things I was an enormous hole, the backfill heaped in Nancy had by now also quit her job to help couldn't do myself. huge mounds all around it. Now you've done out, and she of course got all the grunt work, With the spring thaw, water began to flow it, I thought. I was very excited. slogging around in the trenches, getting hit across our land, and with it more money. Our We decided to do the footings ourselves. I in the face with roots and clods. We justified new drive eroded badly and needed ordered a pile of native hemlock 2x12s from the unfair job distribution by the lack of time substantial repair. It had not been built another local mill and called up some friends we had; the summer was shooting by, and poorly; we had simply underestimated the for a work party in a few days. The night there was no time to start teaching volume of runoff from the hill above it. But before, I called them back and told them to fundamentals. And now that Nancy had quit much worse was the percolation rate for our be sure to bring rubber boots. her job there was no money coming in, just septic system, which was bad enough that the There was a lot of water in the hole. All money going out. sanitarian deemed an engineered system along the east wall you could see it seeping, Long ago (so it seemed) we had had an necessary. The engineer came back with sometimes in obvious veins. The southeast ideal of working on the house together in a plans for a huge leach field and curtain drain corner was the worst, with what appeared to model of marital communion and good will. as the solution. It was considered the legal be a tiny spring right at the floor level of the Now it seemed the only thing we shared was minimum, and our excavation man said it hole. The soil in that corner began to take on anxiety about time and money, and that was would cost $6,000, in addition to the $400 we the consistency of a thick cream soup. The from different sides of the fence, as had already spent on test holes and the well-driller's comment about the swimming adversaries. In the back of my mind was the engineering fee. pool began to echo unpleasantly. barely acknowledged irony that as we worked It was a stunning blow to our budget, and Convinced that the whole project was on the foundation of our house, the inescapable. I gave up on alternative systems already doomed, I dug a deep sump hole foundation of our marriage was growing when I discovered that a man in a nearby outside the corner of the footing, and shakier. There were days when we spoke town had spent a lot of money and time just pumped it as often as it filled. It worked well only to argue; the rest of the time we worked to get approval for a composting toilet, with enough. After the forms had gotten built in a silence of distance no reduction in leach-field size. We had no (with the help of friends), the building and resentment. choice if we wanted to continue, but decided inspector came and cleared everything, For me the nights to defer the septic system for the time being. including the wet corner. It turned out I was were no better, We'll get the money for it somewhere, I more worried about it than he was. because that was when would say, and that was my way of dealing The pour went smoothly, in spite of my I did my best worrying. with it. No further discussion. fears of burst forms, of the truck getting stuck I had yet to order the By now Nancy and I had a constant, low­ in our small turnaround, of the chute not framing timber, grade argument running about money. Maybe reaching to the far corners. I was beginning because I had yet to figure out how the house we'll just have to borrow more later, I would to see a pattern to my anxiety, that the was to go together. The simple plans and say. The cost of things began to seem in itself anticipation was always worse than the elevations I had done for the building a threat to my competence. reality, but that didn't mean I had any control inspector were sufficient for a permit, but We hired a well-driller around the over it. After everyone was gone I stood and hardly more. I could see that I had to think beginning of June. There were many nervous stared at the new footings, screeded and through every joint before I could even make jokes about how if there was that much water keyed, and realized that I had, no kidding, out the timber order, much less start cutting. on top of the ground there had to be a lot the beginnings of a house. I found myself staring at graph paper for under it. Drilling a well is an expensive We decided to contract out the walls. I hours on end, aware that if I was going to put crapshoot. As the strangely archaic language found a contractor who quoted a decent price up a timber frame at all, it would have to be of the driller's contract says, "It is per yard and was available within the week. without the smallest amount of drying. understood by both parties that neither can When he came to look at the plans he had his But in the meantime I had an even more

Illustrations: E. Marino III April/May1983 37 immediate problem. An integral part of our summer was drifting by, and I was pasture dotted by big stacks of cordwood, solar design involved having a floor in the withdrawing further into my own anxiety. the road and the capped foundation. The downstairs south room that not only had I had yet to deal with decisions about the strain of the last year rushed out all at once, mass but was also capable of carrying air frame, the septic system, the block storage all the built-up pressures of time and money through it as part of a circulation system. wall. I had an awareness that the stakes had and my own ego. My last look was through a Initially I had planned on embedding pipe somehow grown bigger and vaguer than just thick film of tears. I left the next day, with the in a slab on grade in the south part of the building a house, and it seemed I was losing. new thought that houses are made of more house, but discarded that idea when I I called truck rentals all over the state, trying than wood and masonry. realized how much pitch our site had from unsuccessfully to find an 18-ft. flatbed with east to west-I'd have to pour a frost wall the dual rear axles necessary to carry a nine­ only a foot or so shorter than a full basement ton load. wall. Greedy then for more basement space, I Nights at home were taken up with bad thought why not suspend a concrete floor, arguments or bad silences; days up at the and have both? site found me staring for unknown lengths of The foundation had therefore been time at the smallest tasks, paralyzed by the planned and poured to accept a floor of thought of all the big ones. The foundation Flexicore pre-stressed hollow concrete had by now been hastily backfilled-enough planks, a flooring system that is primarily to walk around it-but the concrete planks commercial-industrial but can be ideal for constituted a bottleneck beyond which no solar applications. Along with a hollow more building could take place. I had a vision concrete-block wall, they would comprise the of the big semi parked down at the road house's system of storage and circulation. At while the tracked backhoe trundled up and least, that was my plan. down a fifth of a mile of driveway, swinging I ordered the planks from the regional one plank at a time, my foolishness ratified manufacturer in Rhode Island: 17 of them, by grotesque expense. each 2 ft. wide, 12 ft. long, 6 in. thick, and Right at the low point I ran into a friend, half a ton in weight. They are a small marvel Bob Davis, who operates a small sawmill. of engineering. Although planks for my span Something clicked in my mind: I asked Bob were claimed to take a bearing load of 346 lb. how many rear axles his logging truck had. per sq. ft., they are fragile enough to break of Two, he said, and I felt like a great weight­ About a year had passed when Nancy and their own weight if picked up in the middle. about nine tons-had just been lifted from I decided, by phone and letter, to give They are usually installed by a crane, my shoulders. everything another try. It was very tentative, suspended by a sling attached to each one. I It worked. I had the Flexicore trucked and after I got back to New England we figured I'd hire the same backhoe man who straight to Bob's mill from Rhode Island, and warily agreed to approach both our marriage dug the foundation hole; the entire floor he used his truck-mounted hydraulic log pick and the house a single step at a time. We had would go on in minutes. to shift the load of planks onto his truck. both changed but had no way of knowing if Soon after I ordered the planks, I watched Then we went up to the site, and Bob drove our changes were compatible. We would just an installation in a house being built nearby. right around the foundation, delicately have to wait and see, and be careful. It was a disaster. The crane company had placing plank after plank, the whole floor It was useful advice, I discovered as I sent a behemoth suited for building going on in 30 minutes. It was a triumph, a resumed work on the house. lf ever there skyscrapers, which barely made it up the simple but elegant solution that had fallen was a mute teacher of patience, it is masonry. short but tortuous driveway. It sat there out of the sky, and I was elated. Nancy came When the truck arrived and hydraulically ringing up $75 an hour while the truck with up to look at it, and started crying. unloaded tons of block, chimney block, flue the Flexicore was lost somewhere in the Within the week our marriage finally tile, and bagged cement, I realized it was the countryside. Several hours crept by. The foundered. With it went any plans of finishing last time it would get moved easily. truck, a huge semi, finally arrived. The driver the house. We argued feebly, and gave up. It I started work on the thermal heart of the took one look at the driveway and said no. all collapsed around us; it seemed so house: a chimney with two 8-in. by 12-in. I panicked: our driveway, easily seven or cataclysmic only because we had ignored the flues, and a two-story high block wall (in two eight times longer, made this one look like a signs for so long. sections) that would bisect the 36-ft. length highway. I left to the steady roar of the big There is no need to go into the details of of the main house. rig backing down several miles of country our failing relationship, only to say that it I built the wall by stacking the block three road. I heard later that the planks were could not bear the additional weight of a or four courses at a time and filling alternate driven to the crane yard where another crane house. Cracks that had been there for years cores with concrete. Because we had no had been hired to move them onto another had widened from the strain, until they were utility electricity on the site, I mixed all the truck, which in turn had driven back to the too big to repair. mud by hand, and carried it in drywall­ site for the installation by the first crane. I needed, more than anything else, to get compound buckets. It was brutal physical My other problems faded in the glare of far away. I made plans to move to the West labor that .got worse the higher the wall and this one. I cursed my easy seduction by the Coast, where I had some old friends. I capped chimney rose, but it was a perfect way to high technology of pre-stressed concrete and the rest of the foundation in the next week, burn all the nervous energy I had. heavy equipment, but I couldn't imagine and covered it with plastic and battens. It After about a month and a half it was backing out of the design at this point. I'd was joyless work. What was going to be a finally done, a set of three oddly shaped grey already ordered the stuff. I called the house now looked like a bunker in the middle monoliths rising almost 20 ft. off a platform manufacturer and was told that they had a of the woods, surrounded by the scars and in the middle of the woods. It looked druidic, contract with a company that used 44-ft. long torn roots of recent excavation. We didn't sculptural. Nancy and I decided to take a trailers, not including the tractor. They also know what to do with any of it. We hurriedly week off and go camping up north, giving said that only if I picked up the planks myself decided we'd communicate later about how some time to our relationship, still distinctly at the plant's loading dock could they break to divide up our property. tentative. I looked forward to the rest from their trucking contract. I said I'd get back to I went up one last time and walked along the seven-day work weeks, but I had a them. With what, I wasn't sure. around our land, looking at the barn full of nagging worry. I thought it all might fall over. lt was the final blow to my confidence. The stickered lumber, the partially cleared Before taking down the scaffolding, I had

38 Fine Homebuilding noticed that a light push at the top of the field-fortunately with no tank or tiles in it acorns. The moon was rising, and I felt like I un braced wall was enough to make the whole yet-finally stopping the huge truck inches had stepped out of a Walt Whitman poem, thing move. It was only a small sway of a from the foundation, one wheel sunk almost ready to run off whooping in the woods. couple of inches, but then again it was only a to the hub in the still loose backfill of the The glory faded, of course. The framing light push. I had a vision of the whole thing trench that carried the perimeter drain dragged on as the woods grew bare and thin, blowing over in a high wind, leaving a pile of outflow away from the house. and the weather got colder every day. I grew grey rubble. I decided it was a silly worry and I was mad but swallowed my anger. I didn't more grateful that we had decided not to we left on our camping trip, my head full of want a wet mix or any more damage, and he timber-frame; the staggered levels that I had elaborate bracing schemes. was the one in the truck. The pour itself went designed taxed my poor spatial imagination When we got back from Maine the roads okay, and I was glad to pay him and get him to its limits even with a stick frame. were littered with debris from a late-summer out of there. We screeded the slab and The rest of the septic system went in, plus storm, the northern tail of a hurricane. When floated in lampblack for a dark surface, then even more repair work on the road, this time we got up to the site, we found that a big power-troweled it, an art that none of us was including a major pipe that should have been white pine 40 yards in back of the house had particularly skilled at. I made a mental note there from the beginning. I began to panic snapped at the butt as cleanly as a to check the perimeter-drain outflow where about the weather; I could feel the onset of matchstick, but the walls and chimney were the truck had sunk. all my oid anxieties, the paralyzing pressures still standing, a little cleaner from the rain. I started the framing in the beginning of that I had felt before Nancy and I had There's nothing like averted disaster to September, figuring I would surely have the separated. It snowed then, before I even got produce a little superstition. In my relief I house enclosed by the onset of hard weather. the rafters up. took the broken tree as a sign of something There was a huge pile of lumber waiting, But this time I dealt with it better. Nancy and cut it into three logs, then hand-hewed native hemlock from a mill in Massachusetts, helped; we talked. The house would proceed them into a pair of 6xlO posts and a short planed to true dimensions. at its own rate, and that would have to be 12x12 beam. The tree (and the storm) would I was on my own after a friend helped me good enough; I was doing my best. I was become part of the house. Mortised and get the first wall up: alone in the woods with beginning to learn some patience, which was tenoned, the posts and beam spanned the a house to build. By some luck it was an a good thing, because I didn't have any gap between the two block walls, framing the autumn of one perfect day after another, choice. If I had to work through the bad passage from the south part of the house to crisp and sunny, and as the frame rose wall weather, then that was that; the elements the north. by wall it took on a golden hue in the harshly would teach me acceptance or bust my hump, It was to be the only hand-worked timber­ angled fall light. The house went up as the one or the other. framing in the house; I had let go of my leaves came down, the structures of both the The snow, an early one, melted, and I got a dream of doing the whole thing in big sticks. trees and the house growing more stark in week's more grace. I took one last look at the Besides the usual misgivings about how to the lengthening shadows. house as unadorned frame; never again insulate a timber-frame without burying the I can remember moments when I had the would it have the rhythm and clarity of pure frame, I was just too intimidated. It was too distinct, sure knowledge that there was structure. The next day a work party of unconventional a frame, and the anxiety nothing on earth I would rather be doing. friends got the plywood sheathing on the wasn't worth it. It was a healthy decision, One day I built a section of the west wall that roof. The morning after, it looked like it had one I probably wouldn't have made a year included a rough opening for a big casement rained 8d nails all around the house. before. The house was going to be as good as window. As I built it, flat on the deck, my My resolve to accept the weather and keep I could make it, no better, and that would be movements were punctuated by the sound of working got tested soon. I started shingling good enough. It was a concession to the falling acorns. Twenty feet away along the the roof in the beginning of one of the reality of my own limitations, something I stone wall was a pair of big red oaks that we coldest New England winters in years. That didn't like to admit but which left me feeling had left standing as summer shade for the first week in December I got up one day to greatly relieved. house. They were maybe 75 years old, a quiet find our last two sheep with their throats But before beginning the framing, a few but constant presence. I could hear their torn out by dogs. The next day we awoke to friends came up one day to help pour the acorns whizzing through the remaining leaves the news of John Lennon's murder. I spent slab on top of the Flexicore glanks. The as they gained speed, hitting the ground the day on the roof in 5° weather and a stiff ready-mix truck arrived and the driver got moments later with a loud thunk. They fell wind, nailing down shingles with numb out, looked at the towering concrete walls throughout the windless day, sometimes in fingers, listening to Beatles songs on the sitting on the backfilled foundation and said, twos and threes. Occasionally they would hit radio. It was a day utterly without warmth. "Whataya building, a bomb shelter?" I the plywood deck, booming down in the The shingling took several weeks, dragged mumbled my usual something about a solar basement, playing the whole house like out by my own inexperience and the effects house but he wasn't listening, he was just pebbles on a drumhead. By the end of the of the cold. The thermometer read making chat. He got back in the truck. I day I had finished knocking together the wall consistently under 10°F, and I was physically showed him where I wanted it; it was a long section, and after I tilted it up and stood miserable on a daily basis. Still, I could walk throw, even for a front-discharge truck, but back, I saw that the window in the wall had through rooms now, and the whole thing was he had plenty of chutes. "I can get closer transformed the two oaks forever after into covered by an actual roof. It was all totally than that," he said, and before I could stop part of a view. The trees were now out there; open, of course, but with time I would get it him he went I was in here. It is a day I think I will closed in. I started wrestling on sheets of slewing remember for the rest of my life for its eerie plywood sheathing the week before across the sensation of closure, set to the lunatic Christmas, wondering how I was ever going new fill of Morse code of falling to get them on the second story by the septic myself, even with scaffolding. I took a couple of � _days off for the holiday; on

Aprll/May1983 39 Christmas morning the thermometer read 26° more concrete, the top of which was the mid­ from my chin, I felt the bizarre exhilaration below. I came down with a cold and stayed in bearing point for the whole roof, which that comes with knowing that it can't get any bed for another two days. Except for the trip happened to be carrying a substantial snow­ worse. I even kind of liked it. to Maine, I hadn't been away from the site load. The frost had picked it all up and lifted It got better. It also got more tedious, and for more than a full day in six months. I was it more than a full inch. less exciting. I settled in for the long haul of eager to get back after a four-day hiatus, even Human effort in the face of that seemed repetitive work. The rest of the winter I though it was still bitterly cold. puny, but when I tried to imagine giving up worked inside the house, installing That morning I knew something was wrong until spring I couldn't. There seemed no insulation, sheet vapor barriers, glazing, and as soon as I walked into the house. I looked choice. I temporarily insulated the ceiling of a special furring system behind which I ran in disbelief down at the living-room floor the basement, and made doors to close off its the plumbing and wiring. slab. All along the east wall the slab had two entries, cursing that I hadn't done it By this time it was almost a full year since I cracked in a straight line, and the strip of earlier. I had fortunately put in a basement had done anything but work on the house. floor right next to the wall was a full inch thimble when building the chimneys; I I had never worked so hard in my life, lower. I grabbed a flashlight and ran down borrowed a big stove from a friend, installed 60 hours a week typically, and I was starting into the basement, and as I followed its beam it, and began splitting wood. to reach a threshold. I would get home late, around I started swearing, then crying in Nancy and I moved temporarily up to her spend the evening planning the next day's rage. The house had moved. father's house. I ran the stove full-bore, work, fall asleep thinking about the house, The footings had snapped in several 24 hours a day, trudging up the road every frequently enough then dream about it, and places, and were sitting at visibly strange night with a lantern through snowdrifts for a wake up the next morning thinking about it angles. The basement slab had buckled and midnight stoking. With a good howling wind, again. I was ready for the obsession to end, cracked, giving a new topography to the it felt like the 20th century had never to have it stop being some elaborate proof of floor, like foothills rising out of a plain. At occurred. The weather stayed excruciatingly self, to have it simply be a house. I was tired the end of the basement, where the middle cold. I began to understand "thermal mass" of it all. foundation wall butted into the east wall, was in an intimate way: I would stand in the Although the summer flew by, the work the worst: the middle wall had separated far basement staring at the tons of concrete, itself seemed endless. When I got to the enough from its footing so that I could put wondering how much wood it would take to kitchen cabinetwork, I remembered cutting my fingers under it. I could see clear through move its temperature up by a single degree. down the cherry trees that had yielded this to the other side of the basement. I humped to get the building closed in. We wood, several years before. It seemed like a I walked around it all several times, not hired two friends for a week to help me memory from an earlier lifetime. believing, feeling that backwards sucking of sheath. We didn't have it in the budget (we The building inspector came by for his regret that comes right after an accident: if didn't have a budget now, period), but it final look, and as he was signing the C of 0 only I had, if only it hadn't. Finally I stopped seemed foolish not to get the house more said, "You know, I had my doubts about you walking. The basement was perfectly quiet. protected as soon as possible. The heaved when you started. You guys who build these The silence took on a sinister quality, of middle wall was tied in to the rest of the houses up in the woods like this ..." He forces so far beyond my control I couldn't building only at the rafters and by a single trailed off, and then went on to say that it even imagine them. I had an image of the header joist, so it seemed safe to keep was one of the nicer houses he'd seen, and earth rejecting my house as a foreign body, working. If it came back down it wouldn't he'd seen a few. I thanked him. spitting it right up out of the ground. throw everything out. We moved in late in October. The house I went back upstairs. I saw the header Materials acted strangely in the extreme was not done, of course; it still isn't even above a doorway where the middle tied into cold. Nails bounced off of plywood, now, and it probably won't be for a good long the east wall, bowed down in tension like a construction adhesive froze two minutes time. In a certain sense it never will be. diving board stopped at the bottom of its arc. away from the stove, tarpaper was as brittle Depending on my mood, I can look around It made me cringe; it looked like it could snap as a thin veneer. After the house was and feel an intense pride, or I can see while I watched. sheathed and papered, I started stapling mistakes and bad choices, all the things yet Maybe it was time to give up. For all I knew plastic over the window openings. left to do and the things that already need the whole frame was racked out of kilter now, It was a miserable few weeks, but it worked fixing. But most of the time I look around and was possibly even still moving. What point some small miracles. Nancy and I drew am grateful that it's just a house, a place would there be of adding more to it, only to closer. Ours had always been the kind of where we live. have it move later in the spring? My fussiness marriage in which hardship isolated us and I remember with wonderment the with sixteenths of inches and perfect plumb drove us apart; now by some grace it brought innocence with which we began: reading all seemed suddenly foolish. I wasn't even sure us together. And the house, which had once the owner-builder books, filling up graph exactly what had happened-which walls been a symbol of things that split us up, paper, clearing trees in the woods. It has cost had moved and which had not, or whether it began to unite us. The worries about money twice what I had planned, and took easily had been sinking or heaving that had and time persisted, but now it seemed that twice as long. But we still aren't too badly in caused the motion. someday we might actually live in the house. debt, and as for the time I've spent on the I couldn't stand it anymore, and couldn't The heaved foundation started going down, house, its value can't be measured in money. think of anything to do; I had to leave. I went slowly. I had penciled in register marks True, several years have gone into the home, and told Nancy. The weather where the middle wall joined the east wall, process of what my mother delicately terms remained evilly cold. and every day they grew further apart. The "the throwing away of Over the next few days, we developed a stove was kept roaring day and night. On your education," and I theory of how and why the house had days when I was feeling particularly clear­ have nothing tangible to heaved. It included the temperature, the headed I was able to regard the whole thing show for it except a open basement and the crimped perimeter as a humbling, a lesson in the Greek concept partly finished house outflow drain that I had never bothered to of hubris, as it applies to houses and of indeterminate dig up. The weight involved was stag gering: a concrete foundations. The elements had value. But my mother 10-in. thick, 7-ft. high concrete wall, with one taught me about the frailty of notions like notwithstanding, it is end of a concrete slab bearing on top of it "permanence" and "perfection." And there my conviction that I (the slab had moved, except for the crack at were days on the job, when, bouncing around have actually acquired the east wall, monolithically), bearing then in up on pump jacks in a high wind, fingers an education, and not turn an 18-ft. high block wall half-filled with numb and a beard of frozen snot dripping just in building. 0

40 Fine Homebuilding Treehouse

by Alfred Wells

Most boys stop dreaming of and to prevent swaying in the treated lumber. We placed 2x8 shrunk, and there are now annoy­ building a treehouse at a reason­ wind, we added 2x8 braces be­ joists on the beams, and 2x6 ing gaps. Eventually we shall put able age, but my dreams became tween the tree trunks and the decking went over the joists. insulation panels covered with more grandiose as the years went overhanging beams. The treehouse and the deck brightly colored material between by. By the time I was 60 my fasci­ Friends often worry that the railings were attached to the plat­ the studs to keep out the cold. nation had gotten out of control. I platform and house will rise un­ form, not to any of the trees. The A woodstove, an old gas refrig­ had visions of spending the evenly as the trees grow. My re­ platform itself is as steady as a erator, and running water con­ whole summer way up in a big ply is that if you carve a heart on rock in a storm; the trees sway tribute to the pleasures of lif e treehouse overlooking a lake. a tree 3 ft. above the ground and from the platform up as though aloft. We are now debating how to Miracles do happen. Today my return 50 years later, the heart the platform were the earth. We upgrade the privy, which is treehouse sits comfortably among will still be 3 ft. above the ground. left a generous space between the tucked away behind a clump of several large trees. It's 10 ft. to That's how trees grow. tree house roof and the trees so mountain laurel. 15 ft. above the ground, which Once the three main beams that branches would not bang Obtaining planning permission slopes down to a small lake in the were in place, the rest of the con­ against the roof in the wind. was worrisome. As we expected, Berkshire hills of northwestern struction was fairly conventional, We nailed up the diagonal T&G our application was refused be­ Connecticut. It has a large loft, except that we used pressure- sheathing green. It has since cause "the foundations do not 450 sq. It. of first-floor space, and conform with existing regula­ 300 sq. ft. 01 deck. N tions." We appealed. When my lamily crew and I be­ On a lovely sunny day, the gan building, our first problem � LakeY members of the appeals board was the support system. The de­ Tree drove up the five-mile dirt road sign called lor six trees 10 It. to that rises 1 ,000 ft. to our lake. 20 ft. apart, and we finally settled Sofa/bed They looked at the six healthy on five oaks and one maple, each ---"I trees, climbed up the steps to the about 1 ft. in diameter. Ladder I deck, noted that the house was Bedroom � We spiked together three 40-ft. _ � _ I stable despite a strong wind, and 4x12 beams out of 2x12s, then d Loft aboveL. ;r then drove back down to the vil­ bolted each beam to two trees lage. We won our appeal. We of­ about 20 ft. apart. The house was ten wonder what would have hap­ wo built on these beams, which were o� pened if we had applied for Beam long enough to support nearly planning permission before con­ 10 ft. of deck at each end. struction (as we should have We were afraid of killing the done) and not afterwards. 0 trees, so in each case we notched Floor plan out only 2 in. to 3 in. of wood and Alfred Wells is an architect in inter­ used a single long bolt at each Up national service with the United connection. To distribute the load Nations. Photo by the author.

AprilfMay1983 41 Portable Power Planes How these versatile tools can true framing lumber and clean up trim

by Geoff Alexander

Etable power planes can solve edge of a door or a joist or rafter. many of the problems that come The sidewinder I own is a Rock­ up on the construction site during well (now Porter-Cable) 126 framing and finish carpentry. By Porta-Plane. Of all the power removing a thin layer from a planes I have, this is the one that piece of wood, power planes can I use most. improve the appearance of the All of the other three types of surface by taking out saw marks, power planes have their motor dings and other blemishes. And mounted above the cutterhead, they're good for fitting and scrib­ with a drive belt connecting the ing trim. With repeated passes, motor shaft to the cutterhead ar­ power planes can straighten or bor. This arranagement gets the taper studs, joists, rafters and Ql.otor away from the sole, and beams, as shown in the photo at makes the tool suitable for sur­ right. A lot of this work would be face planing, even in the middle unnecessary if all framing lumber of a wide board or panel. were dimensionally stable and I group the belt-driven power free of twists and bows, if houses planes by size because I use each were built perfectly square, type in a very different way. The plumb and level, and if all car­ smallest and lightest is the Por­ penters, sheetrockers and other ter-Cable 167 Power Block Plane. tradesmen did flawless work. But It's designed for one-handed use. they don't. So my power planes The on/off switch is right at your get steady use. fingertip, just where it ought to In size, shape and function, be. Its light weight and maneu­ power planes resemble hand verability let you work in situa­ planes, but they work like ma­ tions where using a larger plane chine jointers, turned upside would be awkward or impossible. down and held by hand. On a The second type of belt-driven hand plane, the sole is a single power plane is av ailable from flat surface with a slot, or throat, Power planes are the best tools for truing up and trimming framing many manufacturers. I call it the through which the blade pro­ members that have been nailed in place. Here a carpenter levels a standard size. It has a 3-in. cut­ trudes. You adjust the depth of crowned gluelam beam to align it with the second-story floor joists. ting width, and a shoe length of cut by moving the blade up or from 11 in. to 18 in. I use the Ma­ down in relation to the sole of the plane. But and a mechanism for adjusting the depth of kita 1900B, which is on the short end of this the sole of a power plane, like the bed of a cut and for aligning the rear shoe with the range, but others have nice features, too. Por­ jointer, has two separate surfaces, one in front cutting arc of the knives (or knives with the ter-Cable's 653 Versa Plane is also standard of the knives, one behind. The cutting edge of shoe). Most planes have a detachable fence to size. The great virtue of these planes is that the knives is always aligned exactly with the help guide the tool past the work, an especial­ they can perform a very wide range of tasks. plane of the rear shoe, and you change the ly useful feature for trimming or beveling the They are small enough to be highly mobile, depth of cut by raising or lowering the front edge of a door, window or board. yet substantial enough to do fairly precise shoe. When the front and rear shoes are in ex­ The four types differ by size and by the kind work; light enough to hold overhead for a actly the same plane, the knives will just skim of cutterhead-drive system they have. In my short time, yet powerful enough to shave the work surface and make no cut at all. business, we do everything from the rough down protruding framing members. If I had to framing of additions and new construction to get by with only one power plane, I'd prob­ What's on the market-In my view, there finish work and architectural detailing. So I ably choose a standard size. are four types of power planes, with slight de­ own one of each kind of power plane. The fourth type of power plane simply sign variations among manufacturers. The The first type is the direct-drive, or side­ makes possible tasks that otherwise could not planes all have the same basic working parts winder (top photo, p. 45). The motor hangs be done, or that would be so prohibitively dif­ (drawing, facing page)-a motor, a rotary cut­ down below the level of the surface being ficult or expensive to accomplish that I would terhead that holds either fixed or adjustable planed because the cutterhead is mounted di­ not attempt them. I'm talking about the Makita knives, a two-piece shoe, one or two handles rectly to its rotor shaft. The direct-drive mod­ 1805B. It can remove a swath of wood 6111 in. el is designed for edge planing, and its sole is wide and 111in. deep in a single pass. The Geoff Alexander is a carpenter and woodworker only 2 in. wide. The lOW-Slung motor helps 1805B was the first power plane of its size to in Berkeley, Calif stabilize the tool during long passes down the be made available in the United States. Hita-

42 Fine Homebuilding chi's six-incher is now being sold by many Principles of use-Like all other cutting secure it on edge, and make the first pass 6 in. tool suppliers. tools, power planes work remarkably better to 12 in. away from the end from which most The Makita 1805B and other planes like it when they are sharp. Power planes are de­ of the stock will be removed. Back up another are made for heavy-duty surfacing work on signed to work properly when the cutting 12 in. or so for the second pass. Increase the large beams and timbers. If you work often edges align perfectly with the rear shoe. Set length of subsequent passes until your planed with gluelams or heavy framing, you will want the cutters so that they just touch a straight­ surface is parallel to the line, at which point one of these big planes for sure. It also makes edge held against the rear shoe. You will al­ you keep removing wood until you've cut half­ a dandy job-site jointer for one who does a lot ways have to make this adjustment after way through the chalkline. Snapping a line on of finish carpentry. you've sharpened the cutters. Locking the ad­ both sides of the lumber helps guard against Another uniquely Japanese aspect of all the justment in place is easy on all the planes, but planing an out-of-square edge. For greater Makita planes is that the knives themselves Makita has wisely made it more difficult to re­ tapers, rough-cut close to the line with a cir­ are made of laminated steel. The cutting edge install the knives incorrectly than to install cular saw and clean up with the power plane. is a relatively small piece of hard, brittle high­ them the right way, though you must be sure carbon steel, while the body of the knife is a to get the mounting screws very tight. Truing framing members-To straighten softer low-carbon steel. In theory, the harder In most situations, you want to use a power joists, rafters or beams, it's sometimes neces­ edge can take and hold a razor sharpness, but plane to create a smooth, unbroken surface sary to flatten the crown of the bow, which the tough body will still be able to withstand from one end of a board to the other. To do means that the dimensions will remain true at shock and abuse. so, make each cut in one continuous pass both ends of the member. Snap a chalkline on along the full length of the board. Begin by both sides of the lumber te guide the cuts. Cutterheads-There are two basic kinds of entering the cut with firm downward pressure Make the first pass about 8 in. in front of the cutterheads: those with straight knives and on the front shoe. Then as the entire sole center of the crown to produce a straight sur­ those with spiral (helical) knives. Most power comes to bear on the stock, shift your down­ face on the top edge parallel to the line. In­ planes have straight knives, but those on Por­ ward pressure to the rear shoe. Maintain the crease the length of subsequent passes by 6 ter-Cable planes are helical. Planes having pressure on the rear shoe until the cutter has in. to 8 in. until you split the chalkline with an straight knives have fixed rear shoes, so the cleared the end of the work. unbroken pass from one end to the other. knives themselves are adjusted up and down There is a knack to making smooth cuts, for proper alignment of the cut. Helical knives and I usually warm up on scrap stock to check Concave cuts-If you are trimming to a are permanently fixed to the cutterhead, the adjustments and to recapture the rhythm scribed line that is straight, or nearly so, any which means the rear shoe of the plane must of a smooth stroke before starting a new job. of the planes except the big one will do a good be adjustable. It almost always im proves the quality of the job. For irregular or concave cuts, however, I There are advantages to each type of knife. cut if you keep two hands on the plane, one in prefer the Porta Plane. I mis adjust it so that Helical knives have a lower cutting angle than front and one in back. If you have to move the cutters protrude slightly below the rear straight knives, and will cut more smoothly, your feet during the cut, make sure that your shoe. With this setup, you can remove a lot of more quietly, with less power consumption path is clear, and that the cord can't catch on wood in a hurry, so start with the depth of cut and less wear and tear on the machine. Heli­ anything (including your feet) during the cut. adjustment fairly shallo w and experiment to cal knives stay buried in the cut for a longer You don't want to have to stop the cut halfway find the best setting for making concave cuts. part of each revolution than straight knives through and then start up again. Many of the Be sure to return the rear shoe to its proper do, and properly sharpened, will leave behind planers have a device for directing the cord adjustment when you are through. Another a cleaner, less scalloped surface. Helical away from the path of the cut, and these can method that works more slowly, but with less knives have a shear-cutting action, which be useful, but when I'm making a long cut, I risk of error, is to leave the rear shoe adjusted means less chance of tear-out and pecking in almost always carry the cord over my right correctly. Then, with your left hand on the woods with irregular grain. shoulder and across my back. depth-of-cut adjustment knob, lower the cut­ While either style of knives is easy to sharp­ ters as you pass over low spots in the line, en with a grinder, razor sharpness requires Tapering-In some cases you can't get the and raise them to skim over the high spots. honing after grinding, and honing is much desired result by planing from one end With both systems, I usually give the cut a fi­ easier to accomplish on the removable to the other in a continuous pass. nal touch with a hand block plane held slight­ straight knives. To cut a slight taper, snap a ly askew as it runs down the wood. Porter-Cable's 653 Versa Plane chalkline down both has carbide-tipped knives. You sides of each Surfacing large timbers-The plans for a have to send the cutter­ piece of house I built last year called for a 6x14 ex­ head out for sharpening. lumber, posed ridge beam, but I wanted something

Power plane Depth-of-cut and its parts adjustment lever

Illustration: Frances Ashforth April/May1983 43 much more massive, and I found it at a used come up around the rafter beams, I didn't Correcting framing errors-Let's say you building-supply yard-23-ft. redwood 10x16s want to use green lumber, as it would inevita­ are getting ready to hang drywall, and you whose surfaces were so battered that the bly shrink away from the drywall and leave discover that one end of a 4x8 window header dealer sold a pair of these to me for $40. I gaps. New, dry 4x12s are expensive, but used stands proud of the wall by 14 in. The window used the Makita 1805B (photo, bottom) to ones aren't, and the Makita 1805B made quick is in place and the exterior siding is on, so take Y2 in. off the bottom edge and 14 in. off of work of surfacing the ones I found. you can't bash the offending member into each side to reveal unmarred wood. The re­ When you're working with used lumber, place. The sheetrocker would keep right on sult was spectacular. The beams were almost search carefully for broken nails or other de­ hanging rock, but if you're the guy who did totally clear, virgin-growth redwood, so bris lurking at or beneath the surface. Pore the framing and you're also going to hang the straight that I could have milled door stock over the wood from one end to the other. And drywall and trim out the window, it's time to from them. This one job alone justified the do it again. An unseen nail or staple can nick reach for the power plane. The smallest stan­ substantial cost of the 6Ys-in. power plane. It or, in extreme cases, ruin a set of knives. dard size you've got is best here. You need took only eight passes to remove Y2 in. of some power, but you'll be working on a verti­ wood 10 in. wide-about 15 minutes of work. Fitting doors-Here the power plane shines. cal, overhead surface, so light weight is a big Without the big power plane, I wouldn't have Except for prehung doors, almost every door I plus. Be sure to set all the nails at least % in. even considered the job. Not that there aren't hang has to be trimmed to fit, beveled a few below the surface before you begin to make other ways to surface a 1Ox16 beam. I have a degrees on the hinge side, and beveled 40 on repeated passes on the face of the header, us­ friend with a huge 16-in. wide jointer who the latch side. For trimming and beveling the ing a shallow (�2-in.) setting, and entering the would have been happy to give it a try. But edges of a door, I like to lay it flat over two header from the protruding end. who would be crazy enough to try pushing a sawhorses, with its best face down, then make Standard-size power planes are also useful 600-lb. beam down a jointer? all the trim cuts with my Porter-Cable 126 for trimming studs standing proud of a wall, For the rafter beams in the same house, we Porta-Plane (photo facing page, top). With the for evening up stair stringers, and for correct­ used 4x12s. Because the drywall was going to door flat, I can trim all four edges without ing other framing irregularities. having to move anything but the tool. The Porta-Plane adjusts for bevels quickly Exterior siding-In sidewall shingling, if you and accurately, and when I'm edge-planing on are weaving inside or outside corners, the a horizontal surface, the weight of the Porta­ power block plane is a natural for trimming to Plane's direct-drive motor is almost centered fit. If you're siding with plywood or any type over the edge of the cut. In this position, the of rabbeted horizontal siding, you may well plane handles well. I keep my left hand on the have to custom-rabbet some of the joints. The fence, at the front end of the plane. And I use block plane and several of the standard-size both hands to ensure that the shoe and the planes can cut crude rabbets easily, if you fence make snug contact with the work. work carefully and have a steady hand. I use a When I'm planing the top and bottom edge table saw or router for visible joints. of a door, the cut begins and ends on end grain. Cutting the end grain is no problem, but Removing saw marks-In custom finish it can chip out at the end of the cut; so I either work, stock often has to be ripped to width. If stop the cut shy of the end and come back the ripped edge shows, the saw marks must from the other direction, or score the far side be removed. With a power plane, you can of the cut deeply with a utility knife, and plane clean up skillsaw rips effortlessly. All of the right through. planes are good at this job. For freehand work the power block plane is easiest to handle Cleaning up sawn edges with Porter-Cable's (photo left), but the Porta Plane makes a Power Block Plane, left, is easy. Because it's smoother cut. light and compact, this plane is well suited to working overhead, and in tight spaces. Fitting trim-Let's say that the sheetrockers For surfacing large timbers, the Makita 1805B, beat you to that protruding header I men­ shown below, can cut a path 6Yain. wide in a tioned earlier. If you are mitering the joint be­ single pass, and makes recycling used materials tween side casings and head casing, and the an attractive alternative to buying new stock. shoulders of the door frame are not flat in the plane of the wall, then you may well have dif­ ficulty getting the miters to fit. Patience and a sharp power plane can solve the problem. You need to shape the back face of the stock-it's an ordinary scribing problem turned 900, and your scribing line will be on the edge of the board. Mark the edge to fit the wall and then plane the back to your line. If you have to remove a little extra material in the center of the board, drop the cutter slight­ ly below the rear shoe. But be careful. It may also help to back-bevel the miter a few degrees using the Power Block Plane. Work down from the mitered corners, keeping the meeting parts the same thickness. Re­ member that the goal of finish carpentry is to create the illusion of perfection, not perfec­ tion itself. Therefore, if you get the miters to fit tight and flat, quit fiddling. Squirt in some glue, and start nailing. Be sure to get at least one good nail through the miter itself. If the made to hold the entire cutterhead on a man­ cut fast, stay cool, don't require oil, and are wood is going to be oiled or stained, sand the drel that is moved laterally and rotated at the cheaper than oilstones. The jig holds the two glued miters immediately after nailing. I use same time. This compound action is neces­ knives in such a position that if both knives 100-grit garnet paper and sand until there is sary because the knives are helical. The Maki­ are kept in contact with the stone, they will be no glue residue on the surface. Sanding before ta sharpening attachment works in a more honed at the correct angle. If you avoid plan­ the glue dries not only provides a final flatten­ conventional way. It's a hooded grindstone/ ing rough materials and lots of used lumber, ing of the joint, but also removes any excess tool-rest assembly that mounts on the rear of and keep your kniv es free of nicks, you can glue and help fill any remaining gaps in the the plane. The knives are clamped in a bar, keep them sharp by honing, something you joint with a mixture of sawdust and glue. which slides along a track on the tool rest. can do several times before you have to re­ Most of the planes have an optional adjust­ All of the sharpening systems work well, grind the bevels. In most of my work, I use able fence that allows beveling and chamfer­ and all are fairly straightforward to set up and edges right from the grinder. But if I'm doing ing. The Makita 1900B has a groove down the operate. I can disassemble, sharpen and re­ pretty work (as opposed to surfacing used center of the front shoe which makes it easy assemble my Power Block Plane in around 15 timbers), I hone my knives on the stone after to cut a chamfer without a fence. It's fairly minutes. The big Makita takes half an hour. I grinding all of the nicks out of them. easy to plane skillsawn plywood edges clean try to keep two sets of cutters on hand for enough to glue on nosing. I prefer the Porta­ each power plane, and try to sharpen them Safety-Jointers are notorious for eating fin­ Plane for plywood, because it's the easiest for both with one setup. gers, and power planes are portable jointers me to maintain a square edge, and because its The Makita planes also come with a "sharp­ that can be set down on things. A rotary cut­ high rpm and its helical knives handle the ening holder"-a simple but effective jig for terhead can chew away flesh quickly, even mixed grain directions with little tear-out. honing the knives on a Japanese waterstone when it's coasting to a stop. So be careful. Un­ Keep in mind that there's no substitute for a (not included, but an inexpensive accessory). plug it when you're fooling with its knives or sharp block plane-the hand-powered type­ The jig, of course, would also work if you were adjusting the rear shoe. Watch where you put for the final cuts on pieces of trim. You get using an oilstone, but Japanese waterstones it down, and keep it out of the dirt. 0 greater control, and · produce a smoother, more polished surface. Power planes qre fine for most work and gross stock removal, but a hand block plane will refine your results.

A job-site jointer-Makita makes a planer­ stand accessory for each of its power planes. The planer stand is designed to hold the plane securely upside-down for use as a joint­ er. These have some merit even for the stan­ dard-size planes, and when the big Makita is mounted on its stand, it becomes a very rea­ sonable 6-in. jointer (photo below right) that can be carried to almost any job site comfort­ ably by one person in one trip. This has proved so useful as an on-site jointer that I have built a support table on which the planer stand is permanently mounted, and which doubles as a carrying case for the planer stand and other accessories. To improve the plane's capability as a jointer, I have added an auxiliary wooden fence to the stock fence. The new fence contacts the shoe of the plane to prevent the cutterguard from jamming under the fence. I have also painted markings with fingernail polish on the underside of the ad­ justment knob to make it easier to set the depth of cut while the plane is on its stand.

Sbarpening-Porter-Cable and Makita, as well as some of the other manufacturers, sell sharpening kits for their power planes. The sharpening kits that I know about use the plane motor as a power source for a small grinding wheel, and use the plane's body for mounting a jig that holds the knives. Having the sharpening kits on the job is best if you use your power plane on a regular basis. The Porter-Cable sharpening device is

The Porter-Cable model 126 Porta-Plane, above right, is designed for trimming the edges of doors, sash and framing lumber.

The Makita 18058, shown at right, can be in­ verted and mounted on a stand to become a job-site jointer that is good for truing and fit­ ting trim. Photo: Geoff Alexander. Log-Cabin Legacy Dog-trots, saddlebags and single pens are dismantled and reassembled by two Tennessee restorationists using a mix of mountain craft and modern construction

by Richard Woodward

here is a kind of magic in reusing building terials arrive at the new site neatly stacked on thropology and fine arts to skills in stone ma­ materials from the past. It's almost as if the a truck only if you stacked them there after sonry, blacksmithing, woodcarving, tradition­ history they have accumula ted becomes a labeling and slowly dismantling the old struc­ al Appalachian logbuilding, and carpentry. part of the new structure. When an entire ture during previous weeks. Yet 100 to 200- house can be dismantled and used again, the year old wood has a quality that's hard to Early log construction-A typical one-room magic is powerful indeed. Vic Hood and Kip match with modern materials. Dismantling a log cabin in Tennessee was called a crib or Reel of Leatherwood Folk Arts in Leipers log cabin and finding a 12x18 all-heart poplar single pen. Cribs range in size from 18 ft. Fork, Tenn., just outside Nashville, know the log 23 ft. long or a wall paneled with quarter­ square to 20 ft. by 25 ft. With sleeping lofts, feeling well. They salvage existing log struc­ sawn chestnut makes all the work worthwhile. cribs were about a story-and-a-half high. Two tures, either reconstructing the original build­ Along with their crew, Hood and Reel have common variations on these single-r oom ing in a different location, or using the logs to tackled a museum-supervised replication for structures came about through later additions build new homes that retain the character of the state of Tennessee, grist-mill restorations, to the original building (drawing, facing the originals. and archeological digs on historic home sites, page). In the dog-trot, two pens flank a central Reconstructing log buildi ngs is hard work, as well as reconstructing log homes on a regu­ breezeway. In the saddlebag, the two pens are with none of the tidiness of new construction. lar basis. They draw on a wealth of experience divided by a massive fireplace. In either case, Plans exist only in the mind. Construction ma- and training, from academic degrees in an- they were usually small, dark and drafty

48 Fine Homebuilding buildings, with low ceilings and few windows. through the countryside pointing out cabin They had sloping floors, leaning walls and Traditional Appalachian log houses after cabin-20 or 30 in a typical day­ twisted roofs-features that are inevitable in masked by modern renovations. The biggest structures made with green unmilled wood. clue is shape and size. Since logs are only so Early log homes were built entirely by hand long, homes built with them are fairly consis­ with whatever trees were growing near the tent in dimensions. Window placement was site. Ash and poplar were the most common, pretty standard, too. Even pioneer builders but walnut, chestnut, beech, oak and hack­ seem to have conformed closely to the popu­ berry also found their way in, often all at once lar styles of the day, which were probably in a kind of crazy quilt of logs. Once felled, the born of the hard realities of economy and trees had to be reduced to a standard thick­ weather. Story-and-a-half construction, which ness. The logs were sometimes split with leaves a windowless wall above the front­ gluts, or wedges, inserted at intervals, riving porch roof, is also typical. Often, sleeper logs the wood in half. More commonly, they were can be spotted over a porch. These log cor­ scored with a poleax and hewn with a broadax bels sit on the top of each wall, cantilevered (see FHB #13, p. 56). to support the top plate and the rafters of the Log cabins weren't built with continuous rake overhang. Out-of-plumb walls, stone footings or foundations. Instead, stones were chimneys, deep door and window jambs and laid up in piers with a mortarjclay mixture the absence of cornice work are all clues to similar to that used for chinking. Floor joists the experienced eye. (puncheons), made from round logs faced on Crib or single-pen one side, were notched into the oversized sill Dismantling-Taking down a log house re­ logs that spanned the stone piers. The vast quires as much care, ingenuity and persever­ majority of these early homes had flooring of ance as does reassembly. Often the house is tongue-and-groove planks laid directly on the abandoned and nearly inaccessible. Stripping puncheons. These planks were either pitsawn, years of accumulated siding off the logs will a hand-sawing process involving two workers; occasionally reveal a nest of snakes, or a poi­ or sash-sawn, an early machine-driven recip­ son-ivy vine as thick as a tree limb that has rocating-saw method. wound its way up to the roof. The log walls were stacked a round at a Once the building has been stripped of time, with a variety of notches, including the porches and siding, Hood and Reel do a scale V-notch, the inverted saddle, and the square drawing of each elevation before dismantling notch; but the most common in Tennessee anything else. This drawing serves as a map was the half-dovetail. The doors and windows for reassembly. The scale is large enough to were typically very small, since it was hard to show all necessary information about the logs, seal these openings. Because glass was hard which are numbered on the drawing to identi­ to come by in the mountains, shutters were fy them. The dimensions of the building are often used instead. Insulation of any kind was face-measured and recorded, and defects that unheard of. will have to be dealt with later are noted. Ceiling joists notched into the wall sup­ Hood and Reel leave little to memory, since ported a sleeping loft accessible by a ladder, reassembly can take place months, even years which was sometimes outside the cabin. The after the original house comes apart. joists were usually sawn lumber, occasionally The logs themselves are marked to corre­ hand-beaded. Rafters were poles, or more spond to the drawing. Using durable but re­ commonly, sawn lumber, and were generally movable numbers like cow tags or metal tape half-lapped and pegged together at the peak fastened with duplex nails is better than without a ridgepole. In many cases the origi­ scratching or painting on the logs. nal builders carved Roman numerals into the Leatherwood's cardinal principle in the dis­ rafters to identify the pairs. The rafters were mantling stage is to save everything. Even if tied together with sawn purlins, usually 1 in. material is going to be replaced later, the thick and at least 14 in. wide. In some cases, Dog-trot original is a handy reference. Salvaged items purlins were riven; these seldom exceeded also provide a sense of authenticity that is im­ 4 in. in width. Purlins were covered with possible to achieve with new material. Bricks shakes of white or red oak. and stonework can be used in new chimneys Log walls were chinked with a mixture of and foundations, nails are recycled or dupli­ hydrated mason's lime, clay, sand or sandy cated at the forge, and rafters can find new life soil, and animal hair, which helped bind the as porch railings. Old glass is always needed mixture together and limit the shrinkage of to reg laze leaded windows. the clay. The logs themselves require the most atten­ tion. A log building has to be taken apart Finding the old-time cabins-It is a popular piece by piece, by hand, not just pulled over misconception that original log buildings are in a heap. As a rule, logs should not be few and far between. You just have to know dropped from any height because they can what to look for. The casual visitor to the break under their own weight. A crane is use­ Leatherwood shop would undoubtedly miss ful but expensive. Instead, a crew of four can such a house within sight of the shop's front dismantle a log building using the same tech­ door (photo right). The problem is that they Old log cabins like the ones in the plan draw­ niques, in reverse, that were used to erect it in ings, top, are often concealed by later addi­ have been covered with siding, concealing tions of siding and porches. The house that sits the first place. their most identifiable feature-the logs. across the street from Leatherwood's shop, One of those methods is log-rolling. The log A practiced observer, Hood can drive above, is actually a 1 V2-story single-pen. is simply lowered by ropes looped around its

April/May1983 47 Moving the log•. Stepping over a stack of skid poles, left, the Leatherwood crew uses sweet williams to bring a log into position for raising. These old timbers are often awesome in their size and quality. At the top of the facing page, a log is nestled into place on a saddlebag re­ construction. The flat boards, or standards, that flank the openings keep the logs aligned temporarily. On the front wall, new joists show behind the unfinished stone veneer.

old. It is laid up out of 8x 12x16 concrete block, which is later veneered with salvaged stone. The sill log, which is usually larger than the rest, sits 18 in. to 24 in. above the ground on top of the block, and is anchored to a continuous bond beam (drawing and photo, facing page, bottom). The sill log is held in place with bolts dropped through predrilled holes. The nuts are tightened after the con­ crete has set. The sill log usually overhangs the foundation on the exterior, and is sup­ ported by scrap lumber until the stone veneer can be applied. Floor joists rest on a 2x4 sill set behind the 8-in. bond-beam blocks on the foundation. girth at several spots along its length. One rated in a house, since early log cabins sel­ The joists are 2xlOs, 16 in. o.c. They intersect end of each rope is anchored firmly to a sta­ dom exceeded 650 sq. ft. a central girder set on piers that runs along tionary object, and the other end played out Framed additions help meet the need for the long axis of the house. The irregularity of by workers on top of the wall. The friction of space, and make it easier to run plumbing and the sill log can pose a problem. Both the joist the log against the side of the building keeps electrical services. It is not impossible to ends and the subfloor have to be scribed to it from falling freely to the ground. Another plumb a log home, but hiding the pipes is a the curvature of the log. Hood and Reel prefer method is to use skid poles about 5 in. in di­ problem. The easiest way is to put the kitchen to install a %-in. tongue-and-groove plywood ameter set against the side of the house. The and bathroom in an addition where conven­ subfloor, even though poplar or oak boards logs can slide down the poles, restrained by tional stud-wall framing accommodates them laid diagonally are easier to fit against the sill ropes from above. Once the topmost logs are nicely. Electricity is less troublesome because log since only a short distance must be removed, the rest can be unstacked by work­ wiring can run out of sight through floors and scribed and cut at the end of each piece. But ers standing on the ground. ceilings, along door casings or behind mold­ plywood is less expensive and more rigid. Hood recalls one exception to the rule of ings within the log portion of a house. A care­ Hardwood flooring is laid on top of the ply­ not dropping logs to the ground from the top fully placed closet can house heating ducts wood or board subfloor, but doesn't require of the wall. He was faced with the task of tak­ between floors. fitting if baseboard is used. Beneath the floor ing down a house with very little help. His so­ Maintaining the historical integrity of the is 6 in. of fiberglass insulation. lution was to place a thick pile of cedar homes they build is im portant to Hood and boughs and an old bedspring from the house Reel. But of equal importance is giving a Reassembling-Building a log home is phys­ at the base of the wall. He pushed the logs house more space, comfort and energy effi­ ically demanding. While the walls may go up onto the cushion, which kept them all from ciency. Their use of insulation, drywall and quickly, perhaps in a day's time, those in­ getting broken. double-glazed windows is a break with tradi­ volved must expect to wrestle with materials One of the biggest problems Hood and Reel tion, but a necessary one in the 20th century. that weigh hundreds of pounds. A team of at find in building with logs other people have The Leatherwood crew takes pride in making least four people works best. The first stage of salvaged is that the logs often have not been plank doors and hand-forged hardware for the operation is to marreuver the logs into stored properly. Logs that have survived for each house, as a link with its past. place. With the sill log fixed, stacking begins. 100 years in a cabin wall can get infested with Some structural improvements are vital to As the walls rise, they are held up temporarily termites and begin to rot in less than a year if the survival of reconstructed log houses. Vic by standards, flat boards nailed to the logs they are stacked directly on the damp ground. Hood figures that only 10% of the log houses vertically. As the walls get higher, the work The best way to store logs is to cross-stack built in Tennessee still survive. Modern con­ gets harder. There are no rules about lifting a them on blocks 18 in. above the ground and struction techniques and improved footings, huge log 12 ft. in the air. The Leatherwood cover them on top with sheet metal or some foundations, bracing and weatherproofing will crew has occasionally rigged elaborate block­ other rigid material. Plastic sheeting isn't help keep these survivors from becoming vic­ and-tackle systems for the purpose, but they good because it tears and blows away easily. tims in the near future. have found that skid poles usually work best. If it's wrapped tightly around the pile, it Using ropes secured to the log and looped doesn't allow air to circulate freely, and New foundations and Doors-At the new over the wall being constructed, the workers causes condensation, which results in bacte­ site, footings come first. It's critical to remem­ can drag the log up the incline by pulling on rial decay. ber that the tremendous weight of a log home the lines from below (photo, p. 50). Workers rests on its corners. If one corner settles, the are stationed at the top of the wall to make A new form for the old-Hood and Reel en­ whole structure will shift, causing a chain re­ sure that the log drops into place in the courage clients to rebuild a house as it was action that throws all the interlocked logs out notches of the cross-logs on each end. For rather than alter its original form drastically. of alignment and cracks the chinking. Hood particularly stubborn logs or great heights, Rebuilding a house is also easier, since the and Reel pour a footing 24 in. wide and 12 in. the rope can be attached to a pickup truck. logs don't have to be re-notched. This saves , to 14 in. deep, and reinforce the corners with The skidding surface of the poles can also be the client money. Often, however, more than 2-in. steel rod. liberally greased with bar soap. one original log building needs to be incorpo- The foundation is also a hybrid of new and Stacking old logs on top of each other may

48 Fine Homebuilding Sill log t Joist ends may need scribing to sill log. II Termite shield .--��":"";��;p,J

2x4 plate 2x10 joist

Salvaged­ Bond-beam block stone facing

12 in. 8x 12x16 to 14 in. ·"i concrete block �.. 24-in. footing Supporting a I J reassembled log house '"

A new fo andation of concrete block is capped with a bond beam and faced with salvaged stone. A 24-in. wide concrete footing, 12 in. to 14 in. high, supports it all. The bottom, or sill log, is anchored to the bond beam with bolts while the new joists of sawn lumber rest on a 2x4 plate behind it. The ends of the joist have been scribed to the sill log. A termite shield protects the logs at the top of the masonry.

April/May Illustrations: Frances Ashlorth 1983 49 Skid pole. are a crude but safe and effective way to raise logs high on a wall. Two people inside the structure haul on ropes that have been thrown over the wall being built and tied off to the log. Two more strong backs are needed to push the log up the poles, which are greased with bar soap.

look easy, but it isn't. They seldom line up the original, the top log, or wall plate, was skip-row pattern, 6 in. apart. The staggered plumb and square when reassembled, and generally more square than rectangular, and purlin courses lap each other over a rafter ev­ they often need to be coaxed. However, ad­ roughly hewn to accommodate the rafters' ery 10 ft. or so. Shakes or five-channel galva­ justing one point usually affects another. Get­ bird's mouths. Over time these plates twisted nized steel is used for the finished roof. ting the completed walls plumb is a matter of and shrank. In some cases, rot and in sects They're both durable and traditional. Once subtlety and intuition. took an even greater toll. Original plates sel­ the roof is dried in, 6-in. fiberglass-batt insu­ Kip Reel, with 12 years of experience in dom provide a consistently level surface for lation is added between the rafters. racking old walls, is reluctant to talk about the rafters. The solution is to add a 2x6 or 2x8 how he approaches the problem, for fear of plate along the top log, shimmed where nec­ Chinking-Chinking the horizontal spaces sounding like a mystic who communes with essary and caulked, to receive the new 2x1O between the logs in the walls completes the wood. But the tools he uses to get the re­ rafters (drawing, facing page). Rafter layout job of making the house weathertight, and sults-a good eye and a sledgehammer­ can then be calculated to ensure a tight fit at here a mixture of old and new ways seems to aren't mystical. The experienced eye can usu­ the top of the wall and at the ridgepole. work best. First, the logs are cleaned thor­ ally locate the log that's causing the immedi­ On top of the new wall plate, 2x4 blocks are oughly to remove years of accumulated grime ate trouble, leaving only the problem of shift­ nailed flat between the rafters to provide nail­ or traces of whitewash. A portable steam unit ing thousands of pounds of wood back into ing for the snow blocks. The connections be­ works well for this, and can produce remark­ line. The solution is to bump the logs into tween the roof and the walls, like the corner able results on even the worst-looking logs. place. Using a 16-lb. sledge and a breaker notching below, are fit with precision to help Following tradition, small pieces of wood board to avoid hitting the wood directly, Reel seal the house against heat loss. Along with should be wedged tightly between the logs pounds on the offending joint. Often, he has to floor and roof insulation, double-insulated (photo facing page, center). Any remaining follow the subsequent shifts around the windows and careful chinking, these houses holes should be stuffed loosely with newspa­ house, swinging the sledge as he goes, until reflect a concern for energy conservation that per or fiberglass. the walls stand straight and true. Some of was never considered by the original builders. Leatherwood's chinking mixture is sand, these problems can also be avoided during To provide resistance to racking in the roof, masonry cement, hydrated mason's lime, and the dismantling stage, by noting the logs that a diagonal brace is let in to the top edges of clay in a 10 -2-1-1 ratio. Sand was originally are inaccurately notched and doing a little ju­ the rafters on each side of the roof. These used in chinking as a tempering agent to re­ dicious trimming. braces are run to opposite corners so that if duce shrinkage of the clay. The modern-day you were to look straight through the open formula calls for even more sand, and the ad­ Roofs-The vast majority of old log homes rafters, the diagonal braces would appear to dition of masonry cement for body. The ma­ have roofs that don't meet structural codes, so cross in the center. Purlins of lx6 poplar are sonry cement also takes the place of some of new materials are used during reassembly. In then nailed perpendicular to the rafters in a the clay as a bonding agent with less shrink-

50 Fine Homebuilding age and greater adhesion. Animal hair, a sta­ ple of the original formula, is no longer need­ Framing a tight roof ed to help bind the mixture. on old logs The ingredients are mixed in a large bucket and applied by hand or trowel, first to the Skip-sheathed outside, and then to the inside. The top edge -H+H---::;::;--1 x6 purlins of each exterior chinking crack should be re­ cessed slightly, and the bottom set flush with the log underneath so water will run off. For the same reason, a tooled finish is best on the exterior, since the slick surface promotes drainage. The interior surfaces can be Snow brushed once the chinking mixture has set. block Once completed, a restored log home 2x4 doesn't have the problems common to new :::.� A,.,.."",...v-. nailer for log construction. Old wood is naturally sea­ ��j�I�[�snow blocks soned, so radical movement and a lot of shrinking are unlikely. Once a house has been joined snugly, it will probably stay that way Original 2x6 or 2xB plate rough-hewn with a little care. The logs should be coated is shimmed where wall plate with a preservative for protection. Hood and necessary and caulked. �� ...... � �- (top log) Reel don't use preservatives cont aining pen­ tachlorophenol because they feel that their toxicity outweighs their benefits, and makes them particularly dangerous to apply, and possibly to live with later. Instead, they prefer a blend of mineral spirits, paraffin and linseed oil-a mixture that won't change the color of the logs and calls for no special safety precau­ tions when applied. The only other mainte­ nance that's required is a periodic touchup of the chinking.

Finish wor k-If a framed addition adjoins the old log structure, a variety of wall finishes can be used. Wood salvaged from demolition jobs can cover one wall while drywall can be painted or papered over on another. Hood and Reel prefer not to use drywa ll in the log portion of a house, applying it instead to rafters and stud wall framing. Jambs of I-in. thick poplar can be nailed to the log ends in the door and window openings as soon as the log walls are plumb and square. The irregularities of log construction cause real problems with hanging tight-fitting doors and windows. Log walls can be plumb and square at their corners yet bow in or out along their length. It's common for openings to be framed by logs that don't rest squarely on top 01 each other. The rough jamb has to account for these deviations by covering the ends of the logs at their innermost and outermost points. A lO-in. wide jamb may be needed to cover logs that are hewn to only 6 in. Two 8-in. long spiral-cut nails are driven through the jambs into the end 01 each log to attach them. Insulation is stuffed into the cracks, which will later be covered by casing. If the original openings haven't been ex­ panded, custom-made window and doors will have to be ordered to fit them. This often gives the Leatherwood artisans an opportuni­ ty to exercise their creativity, resulting in fan­ cifully carved doors and stained-glass win­ dows that complement the traditional exterior 01 the buildings. 0 A reconstructed log home stands ready for chinking in the photo, center. The scraps of wood between the logs are filler. Poplar door jambs are fastened with two 8-in. screw nails in each log. Richard Woodward is a writer and woodworker This same reconstruction is near completion in the photo, above. The log house, framed addition in Cookeville, Tenn. Photos by the author. and the porch are covered by five-channel galvanized steel roofing.

April/May1983 51 Log-Building to Last With proper siting, roof overhangs, notching, chinking and ventilation, a log home should last 200 years

by Alasdair G.B. Wallace

All things deteriorate over time, and log (larch), spruce and balsam fir all make excel­ homes are no exception. Some begin to de­ lent building logs. Cedar is the most durable, grade almost as soon as the walls are raised, but also the most expensive. and have trouble surviving their creators. But Unfortunately, woods like balsam, poplar if a log house is built thoughtfully, it can have and oak are usually ignored because of mis­ a useful lifespan of 200 years. And it will look leading information published about their du­ no different to the casual eye than one that rability. It's true that these species won't last will rot seriously during its first decade. as long as some others under similar condi­ The worst culprit in the demise of log tions, but the many well-preserved 100-year­ homes is moisture. Keep this in mind as you old houses made with these logs are a strong plan each detail of your structure, including argument for using available species, and pro­ siting, foundation and bottom-log detailing; viding adequate protection. notching and chinking; and landscaping and - interior finish. Choice of notch The best notches shed moisture rather than trap it. Wherever pos­ Site location-Site selection is too important sible, remove wood from the bottom side of to be determined only by the proximity of the log only. The rounded surface on the top schools and shopping centers. You'll naturally of the log will shed water naturally. If wood be looking for a southern exposure and good must be removed from the top, as in the case natural drainage, but keep in mind that fre­ of a common lap joint, slope the top of the flat quent assaults by wind-driven rain or sleet surface slightly to the outside of the building. can cut in half the useful lifespan of a log The round notch and lateral groove (see building. Wind sheltering can also greatly re­ FHB #2, pp. 38-41) is a popular moisture-re­ duce the amount of snow you'll have to sh(:lV­ Cedar logs in a cabin built between 1820 and pelling, self-draining notch. The saddle notch, el, and will save money on energy bills by cut­ 1830 show extensive weathering but remark­ square notch, and sheep's head notch are oth­ ting down the wind-chill factor. ably little rot. The precise dovetail notching on er round-log notches that shed water effi­ these logs directs any water that falls on them However, living on the lee side of a hill or in ciently. For hewn-log construction, the dove­ toward the outside of the building and down. a hollow can sometimes eliminate a beautiful tail notch is best for keeping the joints dry. view, contribute to dampness, or reduce the The end grain absorbs water more easily natural sunlight available to the building. A The bottom log-In many early pioneer than the rest of the log, and this can cause the row of maples or a cedar hedge can provide dwellings, the bottom round of logs was set joint to decay if the log ends aren't extended an equally effective windbreak. [n a pinch, a directly on the soil. The floor itself was far enough beyond the corners. [n the round­ snow fence or 6-ft. slat fence gives you instant packed earth. A surprising number of these log building that [ do, [ like log ends to extend protection at a minimal cost. buildings are still standing. They are typically at least 15 in. beyond the notch. Wind sheltering should not be confused homes with cedar bottom logs laid on well­ with eliminating the movement of air around a drained, sandy soil. If you're building new, the Overhangs-Most of the water that shortens house. Air circulation is vital. Don't succumb best way to keep your bottom log dry is to the life of log buildings comes as rain, sleet to the rustic appeal of ivy or other vines grow­ keep it 20 in. above grade. [t can be set either and snow. It's the job of the overhangs at the ing up the walls of a log home. These plants on piers or on a perimeter foundation. Using gable ends and the eaves to protect the walls also produce moisture, reduce air circulation piers makes for a colder floor, but encourages and foundation. The overhang is measured as and feed on your wood. Landscaping should air circulation. The crawl space formed by a the horizontal distance from the fascia board be kept at least 3 ft. from the exterior of the continuous concrete foundation requires of the eave to the exterior surface of the wall. foundation, even if the foundation is poured screened venting to the outside. [n either in­ Overhang widths are nearly always compro­ concrete and the bottom log is well off the stance, sandwich a vapor barrier or damp mises, taking into account the direction of the ground. This moves the plants out from the course of polyethylene or heavy tarpaper be­ prevailing wind, windbreaks, door and win­ overhang, allowing them to be watered by tween the logs and the concrete. The pier top dow placement, the distance of the bottom log rainfall, and eliminates the possibility of get­ or foundation wall should also be formed or from the ground, roof pitch, and aesthetics. ting the logs wet with spray from a sprinkler tooled with a slight pitch so it sheds water. An effective overhang will keep rain blowing or garden hose. [n older homes, where the in at an angle of less than 15° off vertical from bottom logs are usually much closer to the Choice of logs-Log builders of the 1980s striking the foundation or the logs above it. ground, you can install a sheet-metal splash prefer to use evergreens. These logs are gen­ For an 8-ft. wall, this means about a 21 -in. guard if the logs are getting soaked. Replacing erally less expensive than hardwood. They overhang. If the gable-end wall of the same trees and shrubs right next to the house with are also straighter and less tapered, much house measured 16 ft., then the overhang a well-drained gravel pathway is an even bet­ lighter, and more easily worked. Western red should be 42 in. at the ends of the house. ter solution. or eastern cedar, Douglas fir, pine, tamarack Substantial overhangs not only protect the

52 Fine HomebUilding logs from direct weather, but also shade them treated with a plastic finish or walled over to them contain pentachlorophenol, a highly in the summer, and direct water run-off away provide a surface that can be wiped. toxic chemical that is currently being investi­ from the foundation and bottom log even if All the spaces inside a log home should be gated as a possible carcinogen (see FHB #13 , you haven't installed eave gutters. It's tempt­ well ventilated. Cupboards, closets and the p. 14). The penta content of these wood-pre­ ing to stack firewood, hang canoes and store spaces behind counters require particular at­ serving liquids is usually 5%. They should be tools in such a convenient, dry location, but tention. Set cabinets and their countertops used only on the exterior and applied with a this will discourage air from circulating freely about 2 in. out from the surface of the log brush. Other clear penetrating finishes con­ over the walls, and leave the area damp. walls, and drill a series of holes in the kick­ tain chromated copper arsenate (CCA) rather plates to allow the natural convection loop than penta. This chemical is effective, but will Mortar-Perhaps the most obvious sign of a from floor to ceiling to circulate beneath and stain the logs a grey-green. log building's deterioration is cracked and behind the counters. Creosote is the same stuff that is used on missing mortar; Correctly applied and main­ telephone poles. It is a highly effective water tained mortar chinking will act as an effective Finishes-Most of the log buildings that repellent that emits a strong, characteristic, barrier to any moisture that gets onto the log have survived from the last century have done tar-like odor for a long time. It colors logs walls, as well as a seal against the wind. How­ so without the benefit of modern preserva­ dark brown or black. ever, even a chinking job that looks well done tives. But many contemporary log-builders Varnishes seal the logs and help preserve to the untrained eye can actually trap mois­ use a preservative of one kind or another, and them, but you have to reapply them as soon ture in the logs and lead to early degradation the relative merits of each are hotly debated. as ultraviolet light begins to break down the of the building. Used correctly, all of them will help preserve film. If applied incorrectly or when the logs The larger the spaces between the logs, the the logs. The choice depends in part on the are green or the air is humid, the film is likely harder the chinking job. Making mortar hold kind of logs you're using, and on the harsh­ to peel right off. Some varnishes bleach out between round logs is much more dif ficult ness of the weather in your area. and crystallize with exposure. Resin-base var­ than between logs that have been sawn or Most clear liquid preservatives impart nei­ nishes are likely to blacken some species of hewn. There are many ways to persuade the ther color nor visible finish, and are quickly wood, notably cedar. mortar to remain. The most common is to absorbed by the logs. They are usually quite Boiled linseed-oil and turpentine mix.If ap­ drive nails partway into the logs as a rein­ effective if applied every few years. Many of plied hot-the oil is heated first, then re­ forcement for the chinking. Other reinforce­ moved from the flame before the highly vola­ ments-chicken netting, expanded metal lath, tile turpentine is added-the 30% oil/70% staples and wire-have their advocates; none, turpentine mixture penetrates well and pre­ however, eliminates the expansion and con­ serves effectively. Some builders recommend traction of the logs with the seasons. The best that candle wax be added to the mix. This way to deal with the movement of the wood is I mixture can darken logs under moist condi­ to use a mortar that is more pliable than the LaterallV grOoved tions. It will blacken cedar. conventional clay mixture. I like a combina­ round-log cons· truction Paint has been used for centuries to pre­ . requires no tion of three parts mason's lime, one part phinking and is serve wood. When correctly applied and white portland cement and twelve parts fine, self-dra ining. • maintained, it is effective, but most contempo­ clean sand. rary log builders choose not to obscure the Chinking for square or round logs should be natural color of their logs. inset from the log faces. Flat ledges tend to The natural log. Perhaps the most aestheti­ retain water, and reve rse slopes carry water cally pleasing buildings are those which have into the logs and hold onto it. With round acquired time's own inimitable coloring and ' logs, tooling the mortar so that it's concave or texture. Given adequate shelter, drainage, air steeply angled is best (drawing, below right), circulation and a species known for longevity, since thin feathered edges will break off in the the logs will attain the characteristic grey, long run. stratified appearance of glaciated rock.

The interior-It's easy to become preoccu­ Maintenance-Keeping the logs dry and pied with the outside of the logs, and neglect promoting good air circulation around them the equally vulnerable interior surface. Since are the priorities of maintaining a log house. logs will expand and contract with seasonal Make sure that gutters and downspouts are fluctuations in ambient humidity, it's best to clear, and that they don't leak. Trees and keep the conditions equal on both sides of a shrubs near the house should be pruned regu­ wall. If you are planning to oil the outside of larly. Screening over foundation vents may be your logs, you should oil them on the inside, necessary to prevent animals from moving in. too, to avoid subjecting the logs to unequal Mortar chinking will require occasional re­ stresses, which can promote checking. pair, and checks in the logs will need to be Any log home that is going to be heated in caulked. If you're using a wood preservative, the winter also needs a humidifier. A plate or regular applications will be necessary. drum-type humidifier can be attached to the The resurgent interest in log building is furnace, but a kettle of water on top of the finding expression throughout North America. stove works fine too in a small house. Use a The caliber of workmanship and design speak humidistat to detect very dry or very wet air. to the concern of this new generation to pro­ Be especially careful planning rooms con­ duce buildings of integrity, strength and beau­ taining bathtubs, washbasins, showers and ty. Given today's technical expertise, effective toilets. Exhaust fans will reduce the humidity design and rea sonable maintenance, these in these areas, but exposed logs in these houses will long remain as tributes to the in­ rooms will need a polyurethane finish. Some dustry of their builders. 0 builders sidestep the problem by covering the logs with a stud wall faced with ceramic tile or Alasdair Wallace is a log-builder in Lakefield, vinyl wallpaper. Kitchen areas can also be Ontario. Photo by the aut�or.

Illustration; Frances Ashforth AprlljMay1983 53 Designing a Functional Kitchen Planning around your family's lifestyle and work habits will get you beyond standard solutions

by Sam Clark

he key to kitchen design is movement­ on how pleasant and functional the kitchen pot-scrubbers and sponges you use for wash­ how people move through the house; how will be than any decorating you might do. If ing dishes are kept here. A set of drawers or supplies, tools and foods are moved in the your funds are short, spend first on the lay­ wire bins for potatoes, onions and other non­ kitchen itself; and how people use their arms, out, and be stingy with the cabinets, appli­ refrigerated produce is nice if there's room. legs, eyes and hands as they prepare meals ances and fixtures. You can always upgrade Though tableware is often stored in a sepa­ and clean up afterwards. A small, simple the equipment later. rate serving center, dishes you use every day kitchen designed in harmony with this move­ Three principles regulate the internal de­ really belong near the sink. The chore of put­ ment will be a more inviting and efficient sign of the kitchen work area, or indeed any ting clean dishes and pots away in cupboards place to work in than the most lavishly work place: storage at the point of first use, and drawers all over the kitchen is archaic equipped showplace laid out with standard grouping counter space and equipment into and unnecessary. If you have a dishwasher, formulas and stock cabinets. work centers, and ordering these centers ac­ build racks or shelves for clean dishes within cording to work sequences. arm's reach. If you wash by hand, a draining Siting-Begin with how the cooking area will dishrack built above or to one side of the sink fit into the house. Siting the kitchen in the Storage-Most people store things by cate­ can be designed to hold most of the daily house is as important as siting a house on the gory. The beans are stored with the flour be­ dishes and basic bowls and saucepans. This land. No interior design can compensate for a cause both go in canisters. Corned-beef hash will give you a place to put rinsed dishes away lack of light and air; so the first step is often and chicken noodle soup go together in a lar­ wet, eliminating the need to dry or drain them to take down walls, add windows or move the der because they come in cans. [n an efficient first. Given this arrangement, washing dishes kitchen to a brighter part of the house. plan, though, foods and equipment should be by hand will take about the same effort as Remodeling a kitchen often means reorga­ stored where they will be used first. You rinse loading and unloading the dishwasher, so you nizing the house plan (drawing facing page, dried beans and dilute canned soup, so both may decide to do without a dishwasher and bottom). Consider the chief activities of your should be stored near the sink. Flour is usual­ use its space beneath for storage. home, such as cooking, eating, visiting, enter­ ly scooped dry right into a large mixing bowl, The mix center (8) is the place where ingre­ taining, sleeping, studying, playing, listening so it should be kept near the bowls. The dients are combined. Think of the mix center to music, cleaning, reading, coming in and go­ canned hash goes straight into a skillet-store as your main work surface. [t should be ing out. Your kitchen design to a large extent it at the stove. Think the same way about roughly 3 ft. to 5 ft. long. Bowls, whips and will determine how these activities mesh. utensils. Saucepans are usually filled with wa­ whisks, electric mixers and blenders, measur­ [n some cases the best relationship between ter first, so they might well be stored at the ing tools, baking dishes, spices, shortening, two activities or spaces is the same for most sink. Griddles belong near the stove. oil, baking powder and grains are among the households. A kitchen entry near the garage, Many items, such as knives, can openers, items properly stored here. for example, is always ideal. Indoors, the din­ mixing bowls, cooking oil, and salt and pep­ The cooking center ( C) is the third major ing table should be near the cooking area. per, are used at two or three different sta­ work area. It encompasses the stove, and at­ But on many questions, family needs will tions. [t makes sense to store them in several tendent utensils-griddles, skillets, spatulas, differ. The dining area is a good example. If small stashes rather than in one central spot. hot pads. The cooking center also needs a your entertaining tends to be informal, you work surface and a heatproof area to set down might want the dining table to be in the kitch­ Work center s-Since different kinds of hot dishes. It's the place to store oil, some en or open to it. Guests can help cook, and' the kitchen work call for different tools, supplies spices and the foods that go straight onto the cleanup crew need not be excluded from after­ and work surfaces, the kitchen should be di­ burners or into the oven. You will probably dinner conversation. On the other hand, you vided into distinct work centers, set up to need additional counter space here, either all may prefer a separate and more formal dining make the basic jobs as convenient as possible. on one side of the stove or in sections on each room. It isolates the cook, but it also isolates Though the centers have been defined many side. Often the cooking center is expanded to kitchen mess. The same considerations apply ways, [ find it most useful to picture three ba­ create a second large work area for preparing when you decide whether to include a conver­ sic centers: the cleanup center at the sink, the big meals and to make space for a second sational sitting area in the kitchen. mix center, and the cooking center at the stove. cook to work. [ like a large butcher block here, Decorating magazines often recommend a The cleanup center (A) is for dishwashing and perhaps a compost drawer (photo p. 57, kitchen play area for families with small chil­ and for cooking tasks that require water. Its top) for easy cleanup. dren, but segregating the play area would be focus is the sink, which should have about Sometimes a large counter between the sink much better for many families. Similarly, the 2 ft. of counter on the dirty-dish side (a good and stove, equipped with portable trivets and stereo, the laundry, a homework and hobby place for this is an inside corner where two cutting boards, can serve as a combined mix area, or a TV might either fit well in your counters meet) and at least 20 in. of counter and cooking center. This is an excellent plan kitchen or disrupt it. In general, a more open on the clean-dish side. It also needs either a for one orderly cook or for tight layouts, as and inclusive layout works best when the fam­ built-in dishwasher (24 in. wide and 34Y2 in. long as a kitchen table or sink counter can be ily is small or relatively well disciplined, and high) under the counter, or a large dish drain­ requisitioned when you need extra space. when there is a quiet den to retreat to. er, which can be built in above the sink. A Many books and magazine articles assign Siting and layout have a more telling effect trash can should be nearby. All the soaps, the refrigerator to the mix center. This gives

54 Flne Homebuilding Three work centers. The cleanup center (A) is at the sink. It in· cludes either a dish­ washer or a large dish drainer over the sink, PI-oH as shown. Foods and P�INER tools used first at the sink are stored in the cleanup center. The mix center (8) is a counter where reclpes are usually put togeth­ er. Often It Is next to the refrigerator. Mixing utensils and staple In­ gredients belong here. Open shelving makes It easy to locate what you need. The mainstay of the cooking center (C) is the stove. Frying pans are kept here, ------4 A along with the food that goes directly Into them. In the photo be­ low, the pots and pans hang from an overhead rack. All of the kitchen centers have accessible 'OOIJIILS ON 1)l'5HI

&---II\?AKI� n----2 PANS

COOKING CeNTER.

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� ••ORI61NA L f NEW ��":_.� PLPN ��'--:'( ' PLAN , .... u DINlriG ROOM

Remodeling a kitchen may mean moving It to a more convenient, brighter part of the house, out of the main traffic flow, yet close to the living and dining areas. In the original plan, left, the kitchen Is far from the dining room, In a dark, cramped corridor between the entry and the rest of the house. In the new plan, right, a well-lit kitchen with ample counters is open to the dining and living spaces; and a new entry simplifies the path In and out.

Photos: Wendy Page; Illustrations: Barbara Smolover April/May1983 55 the kitchen layout a nice symmetry: three chair in a corner of your current kitchen, and ample, trying to achieve a standard U or L centers, each with its own major appliance. watch what happens. Observe who does could force you to move walls, stairs, door­ But functionally, the refrigerator-along with which jobs. Identify which tasks seem simple ways or plumbing that could just as well stay a I2-in. or I8-in. counter on its handle side to and straightforward, and which clumsy and in place. make loading and unloading convenient-can time-consuming. Notice when people rub Beware also of the well-known triangle rule. be separate as long as it is not too far from the their backs in pain, when they reach comfort­ The work triangle was developed around 1950 work stations. Treating the refrigerator as a ably, where collisions occur. Determine which at the University of lllinois as a test for lay­ fourth layout component gives you much jobs now require extra steps, and which can outs in tract housing. According to the studies greater flexibility because it multiplies the be completed with just a few. Kitchen re­ done there, the distances between the three possible configurations. searchers used to compare layouts by listing major appliances If space allows, two small additional centers or photographing every reach, bend, search (the sink, stove may be useful. A serving center, located on the and step. Without going to the lengths they and refrigerator) table side of the stove, can hold servingbowls did, you can use careful observation to evolve should be within and spoons, napkins, tablecloths, or place­ your new or improved kitchen. the limits shown mats, trivets and the like. Heatproof counters Based on these observations and your other at left. If they are are handy here. Mounted on casters, a serving ideas, write a program-a list of your design longer, the cook center can double as a serving cart. A planning goals. It should include the ways you want will take unneces­ center with a desk, cookbooks, a phone, a your new kitchen to be different from your sary steps. If they message board, pencils and mail slots is also present one. Here's an example. are shorter, the nice to have if a small spot at the edge of the Cooking area: more storage; space for two kitchen will be congested, and the work areas work area is available. cooks at once; space for freezer; direct access too small. Many people base their kitchen lay­ You'll also need spaces at the work centers to yard and car. out entirely on this idea. I think that intelli­ for small appliances, bread, snacks, a radio, Desired special features: very sunny; spa­ gent storage and well-thought-out work cen­ coffee and tea, and liq uor. Sometimes subca­ cious feeling; family encouraged to help out; ters are much more important. tegories of this kind are elaborated into addi­ guest and cooks not isolated-guests help out. Although standard design conventions are tional centers such as a bar, a hobby center, a Activities to be included in kitchen: phone; helpful rules of thumb, they shouldn't be fol­ canning center, a recycling center, a snack meal planning; laundry; canning; desk. lowed slavishly. Draw your possible layouts center and so on, making the kitchen need­ Th ings to be excluded:street noise; TVnoise; as freely, playfully and loosely as you can. lessly large and destroying its efficiency. I formal visiting (separate parlor desired); old­ think it's best to keep things simple. Stick er children's noisy play. Evaluating layouts-Evaluate your plans by with the basic centers, and use special draw­ Dining: all meals in kitchen; seating for five comparing each with your design program ers, shelves or racks as subcenters. daily, up to ten maximum with guests; dine on and with the notes you made during observa­ south wall, overlooking garden; no view of tion. Fasten push-pins at the main stations of Work sequences-When possible, arrange street from table. your plans, then wind yarn from point to point the work centers to correspond to logical Cost: money, $6,500 max.; time, ten week­ as you imagine performing various cooking work sequences. The drawings below show ends at ten hours of work each, or 10 0 hours. and cleanup sequences. The length of yarn the travel path for preparing a cooked vegeta­ Disruption: No more than a month of living you use gives you a scaled measurement of ble in two different layouts. In the one on the in dust, but up to three months with some de­ the hypothetical distances traveled, so you left, the path is short and logical from the tails incomplete. can check the efficiency of each design for a back door to the table. In the one on the right, Next, begin drawing possible layouts, locat­ given task. it is not. No sequence will work perfectly for ing the kitchen within the home, and the work all types of kitchen work, but a good order to centers within the kitchen. Include all areas Designing work centers-Design the work strive for might go thus: from back door to re­ inside and out that may be involved or related centers by making a series of elevation draw­ frigerator to sink center to mix center to cook­ to the design. Beware of the standard U, L, ings in the same scale you used for the plans. ing center to table. galley, island, and peninsular layouts you see Refer again to your initial program and to the in all the kitchen books and decorating maga­ notes you made during your observations. Layout methods-Many books and articles zines. These conventions were devised over This is where the principle of storage at the on kitchen planning suggest arriving at a de­ 30 years ago as guidelines for evaluating point of first use comes into play. The design sign by collecting "kitchen ideas" the way kitchens in mass-produced housing. They of the centers should reflect the specific ways kids collect baseball cards; eventually you usually result in decent, general-purpose de­ in which each will be used. First plan the have a complete set. I like a di fferent ap­ signs, and you can learn from them. Just don't work surface itself. Most kitchen designs force proach. Get a notebook, put a comfortable be bound by them. In remodeling, for ex- us to work standing up, assembly-line style. If there's room, plan one or two places where a tired or meditative cook can work sitting down. An old-fashioned kitchen table, for ex­ ample, isn't just a spot for informal meals. It also lets two or three people work sitting down and facing each other instead of staring at the wall. In each area, find the counter height that leaves your back straight and your arms com­ fortable while you work. Have someone mea­ sure from your elbow to the floor while you stand straight with your upper arm vertical and forearm horizontal. For most people, a counter two or three inches below this point will be just about right for washing dishes, making sandwiches, and for most cooking ac­ Pltmnln, for efficiency. Both of these layouts look fine until you trace the travel paths for a tivities. For kneading bread, rolling out typical kitchen task. Then the superiority of the arrange ment on the left becomes evident. dough, mixing heavy batters, or working with

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Sensible counters and cabinets are built for convenience. Storage is designed for specific con­ tents, counter height is tailored to the task, and drawers make it easy to retrieve things. Most of the storage space in standard cabinets is hard to reach. All counters are the same height, and there are no special accessories like the compostlng drawer and the knife slot in the photos at left. long-handled tools, the counter should prob­ thing above 20 in. and below 60 in. (roughly Kitchen, the most advanced and also the most ably be 6 in. to 7 in. below the elbow, espe­ between the knees and the shoulders) can be ignored of the 1950s research kitchens. cially if you bake regularly. This will leave the reached comfortably. The drainer, the knife Locate the most used items first. Then find stove and sink counters a few inches higher rack, open shelves at or a little below eye lev­ storage for the items used regularly but not than the mix-center counter. el, and other racks just above counter height constantly. Finally, deal with the turkey pan, Consider your counter surfaces carefully. are one-motion locations. The bottom shelves waffle iron and other infrequently used items. Raw or oiled wood is good for chopping vege­ of enclosed overhead cabinets and the top A good test of the designs you draw in ele­ tables, but not for chopping raw meats (be­ one or two drawers below the counter are al­ vation is to imagine performing work se­ cause of potential bacterial contamination). most as handy. Y{)U have to open something, quences, movement by movement. Picture Tile will resist heat at the stove. Plastic lami­ but there's no bending or stretching. Lower each reach, step or grasp, each opening or nate, polyurethaned wood and other non-po­ drawers and higher shelves are accessible, closing of a door or drawer. Think where your rous surfaces are convenient at the mix and but you have to stoop or reach to get at them. hand will be at the exact moment you need a sink centers. Remember that you can always The top shelf and bottom drawers, which are tool-this is the ideal storage location. These use trivets or cutting boards on top of a coun­ outside the 20-in. to 60-in. field, are quite in­ imaginary movies are analogous to the string ter that won't stand up to heat or chopping. convenient. The worst spot of all is on fixed diagrams you performed on your layouts. Just make sure that the sink counter won't be sh�lves behind doors in base cabinets, be­ A kitchen designed in this way does not just damaged by water. cause finding something there inevitably re­ save time; it changes what it feels like to work Next, plan storage. If the first rule of work­ quires a lot of shifting of the stored items and in the kitchen. Your movements as you cook center design is storage at the point of first fumbling in the dark. become more economical, deft and sure. Work use, the second is to give prime locations to The drawing above contrasts standard and bounces and jerks less, and flows more. Be­ items used most often. While it's nice to have functional kitchen storage. In conventional cause cooking becomes more artful and grace­ all your bowls handy, it is essential to have kitchens, the best storage spot-the back of ful, the work becomes a pleasure in itself. your favorite one or two immediately at hand. the counter-is the one place no storage is The kitchen you design this way may look Arrange things so that these everyday items provided. Overhead cabinets usually start odd. It will probably have fewer doors than can be put away and retrieved without wasted about 54 in. above the floor, which is at the other kitchens, and more drawers. It will have movement. Items you use constantly should top of the area easily reached by the average more racks, bins, and other special storage be available with a single motion if possible. person. A typical base cabinet has one good setups. The various counter heights may give A knife slot at the back of the counter storage spot, the top drawer. Most of its con­ it a less streamlined look. However, it will (photo above left) is a good example of one­ tents are buried in the deep fixed shelves. cost less, because it will have been designed motion storage. The reach is short, there are A more functional model might look some­ for function, not show. Perhaps most impor­ no doors or drawers to open, and the knives, thing like the one-motion cabinet in the draw­ tant, it will have been designed for the way at hand height, are acces sible without your ing above. It would have narrow open shelves people move through your house, and the way having to stoop or stretch. The rack is fully at the back of the counter, perhaps up to head you and your family cook and clean up, so it visible, and selection is easy. The knives are height, or racks designed for specific con­ will work better for you. 0 handle up, so that you can grasp th� one you tents. Almost everything below counter height want with the grip required for its use. would be in drawers, on rolling shelves, or on Sam Clark is a carpenter and author. His book, Remember that all storage isn't equal. Some racks mounted to the inside of cabinet doors. Rethinking the Kitchen, will be published in the spots are harder to get at than others. Any- This was the model developed by the Cornell fa ll of 1983 by Houghton Mifflin.

AprUJMay 198357 Floor Sanding Follow a pattern with powerful machines for best results

by Don Bollinger

Sanding a floor is nasty work. It's noisy and to be 14 in. shy of the total thickness of the hold it in one place, it is inclined to eat its dusty, and it takes a fair amount of practice to subfloor and the flooring. way through the floor and into the basement. do it right. It's one of the most frequently You'll need a dust mask while you're sand­ It's not a machine to be taken lightly. subbed-out jobs. But a lot of people are willing ing. You may want to wear some ear protec­ But it's the only tool for the job, and with to take it on for the first time, as owners of tion, too. Wear shoes that don't have crevices some practice, an operator can develop the tool-rental shops will readily attest. Here are in the soles that can pick up grit. Sneakers or required light touch. The first-time user some tips, and a few precautions. running shoes are good, but avoid the ones should practice on a section of floor that with black soles-they can leave scuff marks won't be in direct view. Try a bedroom floor Preparation-Take everything that isn't that are hard to remove. or part of a room that will be covered with a nailed down out of the room. Cover the built­ rug. And sand only with the grain. ins with plastic sheeting, and tack sheets of The tools-It takes two basic kinds of sand­ As in any sanding job, you start with coarse­ plastic across any doorways. Rolled-up towels ers to finish (or refinish) a floor: a drum sand­ grit paper and work up to the fine grit. It takes laid against the bottom of the far side of doors er and a power edger. Both are available at quite a few sheets of at least three different in rooms being sanded will also help to con­ tool-rental shops, and both require some grits to do an entire floor. Sheets are sold at tain the dust. muscle and practice to use correctly. the rental shops, and you can generally return Sweep the floor clean and set any protrud­ The drum sander, or floor sander, is used to the ones you don't use. Take plenty. ing nails at least VI6 in. below the surface. Re­ sand most of the floor (photo facing page, If you are refi nishing a floor that's covered pair loose boards or squeaks with nails driven top). It is a formidable machine. Even the with paint, begin sanding with a very coarse into joists. If there's room under the floor, I smaller versions weigh about 125 lb., and they paper-12 to 20 grit. For a new floor, start like to fix squeaks by driving screws through look like a cross between a lawn mower and a with 24 to 40 grit. the subfloor to draw the hardwood tight steamroller. They need their own IS-amp cir­ The drum sander is designed to make a against the underlayment. These screws have cuit to operate an 8-in. drum that rotates at slightly deeper cut on the left side of the drum about 5,000 rpm. When this drum is fitted (drawing facing page, top). This delicate angle Don Bollinger owns Oak Floors of Greenbank in with coarse-grit paper and lowered onto the allows you to feather the edge of the cut on Seattle, Wash. floor, it wants to take off like a dragster. If you the right side. To benefit from this feature, you should start sanding on the right side of the room, and work toward the left. Begin about a third of the way up the floor (drawing facing page, center), and gradually lower the drum to the floor by letting up on the handle. It's important that you walk for­ ward as you do this so the drum won't dig in in one spot. The weight of the machine will do the cutting. You want to make sure that the drum smoothly engages and disengages with the floor. As you near the wall (about 1 ft. away), be­ gin lifting up the drum, and then lower it again as you back up over the same path. You're towing the sander now, and this is when it does its best cutting. Move to the left in 2-in. to 4-in. increments, making a forward and a backward pass over each section. When you've covered two-thirds of the floor, go to the left wall, turn around and sand the remaining third in the same manner. Take care to feather the slight ridge where you changed direction. Sometimes a floor will be so uneven that it has to be sanded diagonally to the strips. Do this very carefully, and only with the coarsest paper. Start in one corner and move from right to left until two-thirds of the floor is cov­ ered. Go to the opposite corner, reverse di­ rection and finish the remai ning third. Then sand the entire floor in the direction of the grain with the coarsest paper. Drum sander in Since the drum sander can't reach in close section to walls, corners and other tight areas, you'll have to sand these surfaces with an edger (photo bottom right). This powerful disc sander has grips for both hands built into the body. When it's tilted back on its wheels, the disc is lifted off the floor. When allowed to tilt forward, the machine begins its work. Like the drum sander, it is a difficult tool to use cor­ rectly without some practice. Try it out where you can't do too much damage. The edger has a light mounted on the front of its chassis that helps you see what you're doing. If you're renting one, check to see that the bulb works-frequently they don't.

Unlike the drum sander, the edger makes Drum feathers on its its deepest cut on the right-hand side (at right side, smoothing out about one o'clock), and should be moved the deeper cut as it moves left. across the floor from left to right. A standard pattern for moving the tool is the semicircular path shown in the drawing, bottom right. Left wall There are other ways to operate an edger, too. " Do whatever works best for you. Sand the areas missed by the drum sander with the same or a slightly finer grit. When the entire floor has been sanded with coarse-grit paper, fill any holes in the floor. I use a lacquer-base filler blended to match the species of wood that I'm finishing, and I spot­ fill nail holes and cracks between boards with a putty knife. If it's a top-nailed floor with a lot • of nail holes or a parquet floor with numerous gaps, I trowel on the filler with a concrete trowel and wipe away the excess with a burlap rag. When the filler has dried, the floor can be

sanded with medium (40 to 60-grit) paper. Third pass When you've finished with the drum sander Second pass and edger, check for shiners-nailheads turned silvery from being sanded. Set them, Right wall First pass and refill the holes. The dram sander, top left, is heavy and unwieldy. Using one takes some getting used to, so if Final sanding should be done very carefully you'll be doing your own floor, practice in an area that will be out of sight. When you're ready, with 80 to 120-grit paper. Feathering is most begin sanding a third of the distance up the floor,as shown in the drawing, above. Push and pull important now because any ridges will show the sander over the same area before advancing 2 in. to 4 in. for the next pass. When you've done in the finished floor. two-thirds of the floor, reverse direction and sand the rest of the floor in the same manner. When the floor has been completely drum­ sanded with the last paper, clean up the cor­ ners. For this task, the professionals I know use a common paint scraper, sharpened to a razor edge with a file or stone. Most of the time you should pull the scraper with the grain, but for hard-to-reach crannies you may have to work it at a 45° angle. This is accept­ able practice, but never pull across the grain. When the scraping is done, hand-feather the perimeter with a sanding block wrapped with the final grit.

Cleanup-Sweep the ceiling, walls and floor as clean as you can with a good broom. Next, lightly dampen a medium-sized towel with paint thinner, lacquer thinner or alcohol, wrap it around the broomhead, and go over the entire floor with it. This is called tacking Power edger in plan the floor, and it will collect most of the fine dust that still remains. Thoroughly vacuum h the edges and corners using a crevice attach­ The power edger sands the spots you can't reach with the drum sander. Its heavy metal guard ment, and you're ready to apply stai ns, keeps the disc from touching the baseboard. A looping, semicircular motion, as shown at right, will sealers and finishes. D keep the edger moving in the correct direction and prevent it from gouging the floor.

Illustrations: Frances Ashforth April/May 1983 59 Porch Ornamentation A sampling from the well-preselVed 19th-century seaside resort town of Cape May . :�' I

Although Cape May, N.J., had been a busy architect who designed more than 40 houses balustrades, in brackets and pierced panels; resort since the advent of the steamboat, it in Cape May from 1863 to 1893. Details from flat lattice strips were also used to good effect really made a bid for popularity in 18 52, three of these are shown at far left. At top is a by varying their orientation. The two double­ when construction began on the 3,000-room detail from a cottage on Stockton Place, a row tiered buildings at top (left and right) are Mount Vernon Hotel, billed as "the largest in developed from 1871 to 1872. The scrollsawn typical of the rebuilding that was done after the world." Two years in the building, the spandrels (embellishments between columns) the 1878 fire, in the style of the 60s and 70s grand hotel was destroyed in 1856, in one of are typical of this period. Carved spandrels but on a more intimate scale. The cottage at the many fires in the town. But this imposing were used on the John B. McCreary residence center, by an unknown architect, was built in symmetrical structure, with its delicate (1869), below right, a Victorian Gothic 1881, based perhaps on Sloan's Model porches and balconies, set a standard for the atypical of Button's work. The acroterion Architect, a popular pattern book of this time. residential expansion that followed the (peak ornament), below left, was also in favor. The delicate vergeboard gives it a modest opening of the Cape May railroad in 1863. Most often these were of wood, elaborately distinction. For more on Cape May, see The simple, lightly ornamented rectangular scrollsawn, but cast iron sometimes served. Cape May, Queen of the Seaside Resorts, buildings of 1850 to 1860 were elaborated on, The scrollsaw allowed for an endless by G. Thomas and C. Doebley (Associated notably by Stephen D. Button, a Philadelphia variety of patterns of dark and light on University Presses, 1976). -Betsy Levine

April/May Photos: Roger Barnes 1983 61 Keeping ItSi mple Local materials, straightforward design, self-taught masonry skills and family labor create a comfortable home

by Kirby White

We had very little money to spend on a house, but we did have a rare choice of build­ ing sites on my parents' land-lOO acres of hilly pasture and woods in upstate New York. In 1973, after a springtime of contemplating secluded streamside sites a quarter-mile from the road and some equally remote hilltops with spectacular views of the Taconic and Green Mountains, we settled on a piece of land sloping southward from a town road, within 100 ft. of power lines and about the same distance from a spring known to flow generously through the driest summers. Here our meager savings wouldn't be spent on an access road, power lines and a well. From the beginning we assumed that we­ my wife Nola, our two teenage daughters and myself-would do all of the work ourselves and that, lacking money, we would do much of it in labor-intensive ways. Since our building experience was limited, we also knew the house would be rough in many respects. This didn't bother us, since we wanted to use local­ ly available materials-fieldstone, peeled poles, salvaged and roughsawn green lum­ ber-both because they would cost little and because they appealed to us. Not many people were talking about an en­ ergy crisis at the beginning of 1973, but we knew we wanted a house that could be heated comfortably with wood. We also wanted some elbow room. Our first plan was two stories, with the lower one built of stone and set into our south-facing hillside. A large stone chim­ ney and an open stairway at the center of the house would help to distribute heat. An open floor plan with few partitions and no interior doors would help even more, and would also save us some money. We sketched a lot of other layouts, but this is the one we always returned to.

Excavation and footings-In the summer of 1973, as we were still debating the details of our design, we dug a level trench into our hill­ side-5 ft. wide and 7 ft. at its deepest point­ where the lower story would go. We did this work by hand, a little at a time, and it was a pleasant way to get acquainted with the site. With the excavated material, we built a drive­ Single-form .tone masonry. Top, 2-ft. by 8-ft. forms built of plywood and 2x4s are braced plumb way so that we would be able to haul in field­ from inside the house, temporarily nailed to each other and to the 4x8 frames of doors and win­ stone in the fall. No puddles formed in our dows. Above, White dumps a bucket of concrete behind a course of stone, working against the plywood face of the form that defines the inside face of the wall. The vertical 2x4 nailers positioned gravelly trench all summer, so we were confi- against the inside face of the forms will />e embedded in the finished masonry wall. Protruding nails in the vertical 2x4s will anchor wood to concrete. Kirby Wh ite lives and works in Cambridge, N. Y

62 Fine Homebuilding Photos this page: Nola White dent that a below-grade living space would stay dry. The following June we hired friends with a backhoe to complete the excavation, dig foot­ ing trenches, and put in a water line and a septic tank. The footing trenches were a little over 2 ft. wide. On the downhill side, where the stone walls would begin at grade level, they were 3 ft. deep. At the time it seemed easier to fill the considerable volume of these trenches with concrete and stone, rather than simply beginning the walls below grade. The footing beneath the double walls of our green­ house was even more massive, and required more than a cubic yard of concrete and stone for every linear yard of wall. Looking back, I'd have to say that there was a good deal of wasted material and effort in those footings. After the house was done, we built a woodshed into the same gravelly hill­ side, filling the footing trenches with leftover stone, which was piled in dry and capped with concrete. The walls we laid up on this base haven't cracked or shifted, and I would use this faster, less expensive method today on The l,400-sq. ft. house cost less than $6,000 to build in 1975. Set into a south-facing slope, its lower any well-drained site. level has a small greenhouse that is shaded from the summer sun by the second-floor overhang. We laid drainage tile around the outside of the footings and then backfilled by hand as we built up the concrete walls, using gravelly the face stones themselves took the place of stone and stiff concrete is slight compared to subsoil to about 18 in. from the finished the outer form, and in placing them he had what must be contained by the forms for a grade, and then clayey topsoil. the great advantage of seeing the entire wall conventional poured wall. Our forms did tend surface he was creating. He could also trowel to wedge out at the bottom by as much as Form-based stone masonry-We had read the joints if he wished, or leave them com­ 14 in. As a result, the inside of the finished Scott and Helen Nearing's Living the Good Life pletely untooled. Either way, there was no wall has a slightly shingled surface in some ($5 from the Social Science Institute, Harbor­ need to chip, clean or point. places, but this is not a problem for us. side, Maine 04642), and were impressed by Warren said anyone could do it. We weren't Like Warren and the Nearings, we made our their method of laying up walls of fieldstone so sure, but we decided to try his method for concrete with bed run gravel, which we shov­ and concrete between movable forms, but we the visible sections of our walls. For the be­ eled from a local pit into our pickup truck. We had some doubts about using the method our­ low-grade portions of the wall, we decided to mixed one part portland cement to seven selves. The Nearings set the faces of the use double forms since we wanted a flat, un­ parts gravel. For single forms, we added just stones against the outer form; then they broken concrete surface on the outside as enough water to give the mixture a slightly packed concrete around the stones and well as on the inside so we could brush on shiny, wet look, but very little slump. For dou­ against the inner form, while filling as much asphalt waterproofing. ble forms, we added more water to get a finer­ interior space as possible with smaller stones. We made our forms with Y2-in. plyscore, grained outer-wall surface that could be more When the forms were removed, they finished nailed to 2x4 frames and coated with used easily waterproofed. the outer surface of the wall by chipping away motor oil. All the form sections were 2 ft. When we filled the double forms, we used whatever concrete had oozed between form high. Most were 8 ft. long, but we also made as much stone as we could fit in without al­ and stone, cleaning the stone faces, and point­ shorter sections to fit the odd spaces created lowing any of it to touch the forms. This part ing the joints with fine mortar. For the Near­ by the door and windows. Though we drilled of the job was just hard, uncomplicated work ings, the result was a handsome, even-sur­ holes in the 2x4 frames so that sections could with shovel and wheel barrow. Laying up faced wall, but our attempts with this be bolted together, we eventually found our­ stone against the single forms was a lot more technique weren't so successful. We found it selves nailing one section to another. interesting. Basically Warren was right-any­ difficult to position our irregularly faced, In use, as the forms were moved upward, one can do it, at least after a few novice ten­ round-shouldered stones between the forms. each new tier would overlap the finished wall dencies have been corrected. The single-form What we produced looked less like a stone below by several inches, so with each new technique works best with a fairly thick wall, wall and more like a concrete wall with stones setting of the forms, we would typically raise and the most common mistake is to let the scattered through it. We were also discour­ the wall 18 or 20 in. walls become narrower than you intend. Our aged by the amount of time the chipping, Below grade, where we used double forms, walls were 14 in. at the base and 12 in. at the cleaning and pointing took. we pulled their sides tight against the top of top. A narrower wall would have slowed us Fortunately, we knew of the rough but at­ the existing wall with twisted form wire, then down by forcing us to look for smaller, more tractive stonework done by our friend Warren nailed spacers across their tops. With the conveniently shaped stones. Rodman. Warren built stone walls as he did forms positioned this way, only a little exter­ We often found that our round-shouldered everything else, in his own independently nal bracing was needed to hold them plumb. stones formed a poor base for the following sensible, uncomplicated way. He used forms The single forms had to be held in place en­ course. The natural tendency is to let the next only on the inside of the wall, shoveling con­ tirely by braces nailed to stakes in the stone creep back into a more stable position, crete against the form before setting his ground-usually with large rocks wedged be­ but instead, you have to make sure that the stones in it with their faces a standard dis­ hind the stakes (photo facing page, top). face of each stone is at least the prescribed tance from the form. Then he filled between As the forms were moved upward it became distance from the form. We found that stones the form and the face stones in the same way increasingly difficult to brace them securely. with rounded or irregular faces would some­ that the Nearings did. With Warren's method But fortunately the force exerted by 20 in. of times have to protrude beyond this nominal

April/May1983 63 distance at some points in order to provide an concrete. But flexible caulking has no doubt we planned to use as joists for the second adequate base for stones above. made this an unnecessary precaution. floor, spanning the 2S-ft. 8-in. width of the Large stones, the kind I could barely lift, When the walls reached the top of the win­ house and supported at the center by an 8xlO were always a temptation to me. Not only was dows, we built forms against the top of each girder. In October we dressed the poles with a it challenging to wrestle them into place, but frame and poured concrete lintels. Each lintel chainsaw, making a flat surface along the en­ using them seemed like a fast way to create was reinforced with several lengths of rebar. tire length of each pole to hold the ceiling several square feet of wall at once. In practice, We also reinforced all corners with one length boards. Then we trimmed their ends and we soon found that these megaliths actually of vertical rebar in each 20-in. tier of wall. notched their centers to a uniform thickness slowed down the work, because fitting stones Following the Nearings' advice, we bedded where they would rest on the girder and sills. around them was fussy and time-consuming. vertical lx3 nailers flush with the interior We bolted a 2xlO sill to the top of the mason­ Corners and openings in the wall required a concrete surface. We creosoted them first, ry wall, then installed the girder and joists. certain amount of care. To prepare for a win­ then tacked the lx 3s to the inner face of the The roughsawn spruce boards that we used dow in the masonry wall, we first had to bring form with 8d nails. Each nail was driven just for the lower floor's ceiling also served as the a fairly level course of stone to sill height. To far enough in to hold the wood strips against subfloor for the upstairs. We covered the make the sill itself, we leveled a wetter mix­ the form, leaving its head and shank to be em­ floorboards with tarpaper to keep the weather ture of concrete on these stones and troweled bedded in the concrete of the wall. When the out until we could start building the second it hard for a more water-resistant surface. concrete had set, the forms were pulled away, story in the spring. Our window and door frames were made leaving the lx3s embedded in the walls. The last step in closing in the lower story from locally sawn 4x8 spruce stock that we al­ These lx3s served as nailers for a horizontal was to build and install the win dows for the lowed to season (or at least weather) on site. set of lx3s, which in turn hold the finished l6-ft. long greenhouse in the dining room. For The frames were made with lap joints for the interior wall. In practice, though, we discov­ the most part, this glassed-in space, which corners and dad os for the mullions. They ered that it was really about as easy to attach took a good deal of extra work, has been suc­ were massive enough to act as their own the second set of nailers directly to the con­ cessful. It's one of the nicest features of the forms, and their scale and solidity go well crete with masonry nails. lower story, and we are able to grow winter with the rugged look of the stone. It took us most of the summer to complete greens in it. The glass is protected from most Each frame was positioned on its sill with footings and walls. Nola and I worked at it al­ rain and snow by the second-story overhang, its inside face 2 in. beyond the inside con­ most every day, with occasional help from which also shades it effectively from the hot crete, to allow for the thickness of the finished friends, but many of those days were not full summer sun. interior wall. Then we temporarily nailed wall days. With more forms, we could have gone a In at least one respect, though, the green­ forms to either side of the frame and braced bit faster, though I'm not sure we would have house was poorly designed. We glazed the the entire assembly. Spikes were driven wanted to. You don't expect stonework to sash conventionally, using putty. Since the partway into the outside of the frame so that move fast, and those summer days, welllubri­ glass is tilted inward, water collects behind they would be anchored in the concrete as the cated with sweat, slid along comfortably. But the putty, and sooner or later the seal leaks. wall went up around the window. by September, the approach of cold weather We had originally intended to install another In some places, we used the Nearings' tech­ encouraged us to quicken our pace, and we layer of glass on the inside of the sash, but the nique of sawing a kerf around the outside of were very glad to finish when we did. leaks made us change our plans and screw the frame and inserting a spline of aluminum - sheets of Plexiglas to the outside of the wood flashing, so that it would be bedded in the Closing in the first story Earlier in the frame. This arrangement sheds water nicely, concrete and would seal the crack that would year we had cut and peeled 30 spruce and fir but if we were starting over, we'd design slop­ develop when the wood shrank away from the poles that averaged 7 in. in diameter. These ing windows without horizontal putty joints.

64 Fine Homebuilding permanently mounted aluminum screens, and CI Site-made Double Study the 8�-in. by 34Y2-in. vents are large enough Bedroom insulated 2x4 header to help cool the house in summer. windows Aluminum with an flashing integral More stonework-After finishing the roof Aluminum Bed vent screen and installing the windows we experienced Woodstove Beveled one of those false dawns when the house Ve nts drip cap seemed almost finished. Then we went back swing open and Living room to stone and concrete, and spent the better closed, and are ,.""-.-_% x 5 frame held In place bV part of two months completing two chimneys, wood pegs in some stone steps, a small stone porch, and a CI sides of ja mb. concrete floor. The large central chimney was Second-floor plan Beveled especially time-consuming, but we do,...'t re­ First-floor plan Fixed exterior double panes batten gret the hours we spent laying up its stone. It --H-'''-Ildll Root is the core of the house, touched daily by all X cellar % 2V2 of us as we go up and down the stairs. In the center piece ml./""",-- winter, the warmth of those stones against the %x% wood strips palm means that we can let the stove go out at night and know that the temperature won't drop below 60°F by morning. o The exterior chimney is less successful. We Dining Kitchen 0 Glass is seated have a wood range in the kitchen, with a in caulk run stovepipe running horizontally through the against battens. bathroom to this second chim ney. We do use the range in the spring and fall-and its 7/e x % strip ---.-..- Outer Peeled-log ceiling joists, a poured concrete sill strip is stovepipe does warm the bathroom nicely­ floor (photo, facing page) and site-made win­ parallelogram­ but we can't use it in the winter. Two stoves dows (drawing, right) saved the Whites money Trim shaped ----iltE'3l burning steadily downstairs would bake us. and give the house its rustic charm. And as long as the central chimney is warm, its draft tends to create a downdraft in the Second year, second story-In the spring sets early in the spring. Once the walls were cold outside chimney (already prone to of 1975 we had reached a stage of construc­ up we assembled the trusses, one on top of downdrafts), so that lighting a fire in the tion where we would have to pay for most of the other on the second-story deck, gluing range is likely to fill the house with smoke. our material, so we shopped hard in what and nailing all the gussets. I think that our Adding some height to the outside chimney was, luckily, a buyer's market. At the time, site-built trusses saved us little money over might help, but basically it seems we have good western framing lumber was consider­ the store-bought kind, but the process did al­ succeeded too well in building a one- stove ably cheaper than local roughsawn material, low us to create the off-center gable that the house. The large chimney does have a second so that was what we used. When we resumed hillside orientation seemed to call for. With flue that serves a small upstairs stove, which work in May, both the character of our materi­ the rest of the roof we economized: Y2-in. we use several times a year when we want fast als and the speed of construction changed plyscore deck and 90-lb. roll roofing. heat in the living room. much more than we had expected. I had built the ten upstairs windows during Both chimneys were laid up around flue The second story seemed to soar into place. the winter. Though some were installed in tiles, which during construction served the After the previous year's stone-by-stone pro­ clusters, each unit is identical, with a very same purpose as our inside wall forms. Since gress, it was exhilarating to see it suddenly simple fixed-pane, double-glazed design, the masonry around the tiles is only 8 in. sketched against the sky in fine, straight lines. shown in the drawing, above. We installed the thick, we had to select the stones carefully. It was also a little worrisome. We had ac­ glass between 14 -in. by �-in. strips ripped We also used a finer grade of gravel (when quired something of a stonemason's perspec­ from clear pine. Both panes were seated in a you dig your gravel from a pit by hand you tive, and the wood frame just didn't look very bead of caulk run against inner and outer can be fairly selective). Above the roof, we substantial-especially since we were cutting strips. The �-in. space between panes was pointed the joints with fine mortar and ap­ corners to save money. We used no sheathing. vented through small holes at the base of plied several coats of epoxy sealer. Instead, we let lx4 diagonal braces into the each lite. After we had completed the stonework, we studs at the corners, and nailed 2x4 blocking We applied a preservative-sealer to the spent the late summer and a long autumn do­ ' between the studs halfway from the shoe to frames before glazing; nonetheless, a hot sun ing all those routine tasks inside the house the top plate. Then we stapled 15-lb. asphalt following wet weather will cook moisture out that always seem to cost more and take longer felt to the outside of the frame and nailed up of the wood, which then condenses on the than you expect: plumbing, wiring, insulating, rough pine board-and-batten siding. glass when the sun leaves the window. We drywalling and painting. The coarse concrete between our stones is scarcely notice it any more. Another minor When we moved in in December, the house about as waterproof as old burlap, so on the problem is that insects occasionally crawl in was far from finished, and seven years later, east and west ends of the house, where there through the vent holes and trap themselves there are still jobs that need doing. But we are is exposed stone wall directly below the sid­ between panes. Someday we may remove the very much at home, and the house does for us ing, we installed an angled wooden skirt to outer panes, clean out the little dead bodies, most of the things we had hoped it would. We carry the water away from the stone. During plug the holes, and re-install the glass with heat it with 3 to 3Y2 cords of wood. It venti­ the winter of 1974, when the lower story was felt strips for ventilation. lates well and, in spite of being unshaded, re­ protected only by the flat tarpapered deck, This window design saved us a lot of money mains comfortable in hot weather. For a rela­ water had flowed from the tarpaper onto the over the cost of manufactured units. Building tively small house, it feels spacious and stones and soaked through the joints in gen­ operable windows from scratch would have unconfining. In fact, there are a number of erous quantities. But with the skirt (and roof) taken more time than we wanted to spend. ways in which it has increased our sense of in place, we have had no such problem. Still, you can't have all glass and no ventila­ freedom-and not the least of these is the fact Our roof was built with homemade trusses. tion, so each unit has a vent on top. Twin that the whole project cost only about $5,500 We had cut all the chords and plywood gus- horizontal shutters swing open or shut against and was paid for when we moved in. 0

Illustrations: Frances Ashforth April/May1983 65

Lloyd Wright 's Sowden House Bizarre shapes from custom-cast concrete block

by John Beach

Casual passers-by have mistaken it for a power station, a museum of Aztec art or the temple of one of those obscure cults that seem to flourish in the benign Los Angeles cli­ mate. The confusion is understandable. From the street, the Sowden house looks like the head of a prehistoric beast caught between a pair of giant pink stucco blocks (photo facing page). Designed in 1926 by Frank Lloyd Wright's eldest son, Lloyd, the Sowden house is startling-even for southern California.

Searching for an image-Both Lloyd Wright and his father had been interested in the idea that a new architecture for southern California should have a kinship with the desert, and that it should have visual and psychological overtones of the Southwest and pre-Colum­ bian America, but without imitating any spe­ cific styles or individual buildings. The tool they used to achieve this goal is a small-scale concrete block with a surface molded into a series of abstract designs. These blocks, as­ sembled into a wall or a dense ornamental cluster, created a dramatic surface that came alive in the sharply contrasting sun and shad­ ow of pre-smog Los Angeles. Lloyd Wright believed the California house should be protected from visual intrusion and actual trespass, yet open to an interior court or garden where the sunshine and the Califor­ nia lifestyle could be enjoyed in private. He wanted the California house to accommodate the two distinct concerns of privacy and free­ dom. With the Sowden house commission, Wright got his chance to explore these ideas. This courtyard house is a bold statement of an idealized outdoor lifestyle expressed in hand­ made concrete block, yet the entrance is dark­ ly private, imposing, even forbidding. John Sowden was Lloyd Wright's friend, a retired gentleman of some means who valued his privacy with a passion. He was a painter and photographer, and he spent many years designing furniture. He also ran with the Hol­ lywood movie crowd, and he wanted a house where he could throw lavish parties for his glittery friends. Sowden asked Lloyd Wright to design a showplace that would be different. Wright accepted- the commission. Up the stairs The house is poised near the base of a gentle hill, and the rise puts the en­ The entry to the Sowden house lies below an outcropping of sculpted concrete blocks. In the center try (photo right) one floor below the level of of the formation, facing page, a multi-lite window opens onto a small deck. Above, lacy patterns of the house proper. Above it hang what look water and leaves are bound into the wrought-iron and copper entry gate.

Aprll/May 1983 67 Floor plan and axonometric

Reinforced concrete frame • Entry

In the axonometric drawing, the entrance to the Sowden house is at the left. Roofs and roof sections .are shaded yellow. The reinforced frame supports Wright's textile blocks, which are laid up in patterned cascades, as shown in the photo of the south end of the courtyard, at the top of the facing page. The top section drawing is taken through the whole width of the house, and the lower one is taken through the east wing. like pleated strands of concrete block, which all the other ceilings in the house are flat, in Furnishings-Along with planning the form a rocky and protective outcropping. The these two rooms the ceilings follow the slope house, Wright got the chance most architects isolation from the outside world begins here. of their gabled roofs. These rooms form a dream about but seldom get-to design the The entryway is guarded by a pair of wrought­ comfortable alliance. At the north end of the hardware and furniture that went inside it. No iron gates designed by Wright. Their heavy courtyard, the studio is a fine trap for the win­ doubt he and Sowden collaborated extensive­ iron bars sandwich strings of copper leaves ter sun. At the south end, the living room is ly on some of the pieces. that hang like willow branches, making the sheltered from direct sunlight, and provides Early photographs of the interior show it to gates look deceptively light. Until recently, cave-like protection from summer heat. have been almost oppressively opulent. The the entry was flanked by full-grown eucalyp­ The five bedrooms and three bathrooms in bedroom furniture was particularly ornate and tus trees, whose grey-green leaves harmo­ the east wing open onto a corridor that bor­ bizarre. Sowden's nickname for his wife was nized with the oxidized copper gates. ders the courtyard. This corridor becomes an Queen Bee, and the furniture in her bedroom Sowden's visitors had to ring a bell, and open-air porch when a series of wood and was designed to have the look of a honey­ then identify themselves over an intercom be­ glass screens are slid open. Similar doors comb and hive. The bed and dresser were fore the gates were unlocked. Beyond the open the bedrooms to the corridor, making covered with hundreds of small, gold-leaf fac­ gates, a dark tunnel leads to a concrete stair them into sheltered sleeping porches. ets, which reflected light in diamond and hex­ that winds up to the main floor. Footsteps Wright used masonry in spots throughout agonal patterns. In Sowden's own room, a echo with brittle clarity in this stucco tunnel, the interior of the building. The bedroom cor­ shiny art-deco bed carved from red gum and the climb to the front door seems to take ridor and part of the dining room are paved (Lloyd Wright's favorite wood) could be a long time. with the same blocks used in the patio and for wrapped inside a drawstring cocoon (photo Inside the front door, a low-ceilinged hall­ the studio steps. The living-room walls and facing page, bottom left). way leads to the living room. To the north, the lower portion of its ceiling are built with The beds and the living-room sofa were set past 12-ft. high mUlti-paned pocket doors, the same blocks that compose the courtyard on platforms that resembled tiny stages. The stretches the rectangular courtyard (photo columns and cornices. This mingling of mate­ library sofa (photo facing page, bottom cen­ facing page, top). Along its length, the court­ rials blurs the transition from room to room ter), which in photographs appears to be the yard is flanked by deeply corbeled, textured and helps break down the distinction between size of a small boat, had a geometrical metal cornices. At opposite ends of the courtyard, indoors and outdoors. frame and a marble ledge along the back and gabled block clusters face one another like The west wing contains the library and din­ sides to hold goblets and ashtrays. two peaks over a box canyon. At the north ing room, the servants' quarters, the kitchen Among the few pieces of furniture that still end, steps descend into a reflecting pool. The and garage. The library is directly off the liv­ survive are the dining table and chairs (photo effect is one of the most unexpected and mys­ ing room, through a low, wide opening bor­ facing page, bottom right). The dining table is terious images in American architecture. dered by rows of patterned blocks (photo fac­ a simple slab at its base and top, with a band ing page, center). This room has a massive of spheres and rectangles along the edges. The plan-The house is a rectangular strip of fireplace, moodily lit by the skylight above it. The pedestal is ornamented with bands of rooms around the central courtyard (drawing, The built-in shelves and cabinets are pat­ copper, pierced with holes and molded into above). The major rooms-the studio and the terned with geometric motifs like those used geometric patterns. The chairs, half-cylinders living room-are at opposite ends, and while in the courtyard doors and screens. of laminated wood perched on spherical feet,

68 Fine Homebuilding Black and white photos: Terry Ogden Courtesy of Eric Lloyd Wright & Associates A luxariOIlB Interior. The living room, right, shows several of Lloyd Wright's favorite architec­ tural devices at work. The cathe­ dral ceiling descends to meet the lower ceiling over the library, while the block columns in the corner converge to narrow the passageway_ Past the couch, the library ceiling opens up to a sky­ light above the fireplace, and it bathes the blocks in raking light. Each of the east-wing bedrooms had custom furnishings designed by Lloyd Wright and John Sow­ den. A polished bed made from red gum, below left, matches foot­ wide header moldings that nearly reach the ceiling. A massive sofa, below center, used to sit in front of the library fireplace. The dining table and chairs, below right, are trimmed in copper, decorated in the same circular patterns as the entry gate. Like most of the house, the dining room receives its natu­ ral light from the courtyard and the skylight. Electric lights in the skylight well can be turned on to mimic the sunlight at night. are trimmed with the same patterned copper and shoot pool far into the night. Others pleated wall stiffens and stabilizes what is ac­ bands as the table. A molded wood bench is would sit on the studio steps and contemplate tually a very thin structural membrane. mounted inside the half-cylinder. This combi­ the mysterious and powerful cou rtyard walls Three basic block types were used to build nation of the technological with the ornamen­ and the ancient-looking twin sentinels. the Sowden house (drawings, facing page). tal, the austere with the luxurious, is Lloyd One, a plain block 16 in. square, is used only Wright's enduring legacy. Concrete pioneers-Since architect Irving for paving (in some spots the corners were No detail was too small to escape inclusion Gill's experiments around 19 10, there have chamfered to create a more interesting pat­ in the overall composition. The little pillows been repeated efforts in Southern California to tern). Wall sections are assembled from three­ that sat on the sofas were covered with a ma­ domesticate concrete. Such designers of the faced, partial-cube blocks 8 in. on each side, terial printed to match the tilted-square motif. 1920s as the Wrights, R. M. Schindler and and from L-shaped blocks, 8 in. by 8 in. by The bathroom towels were embroidered with Richard Neutra all tried to take advantage of 16 in. Each type is 3 in. thick at the edge, but the same pattern, and even the metal banding concrete's plastic qualities, and provide in­ the backs are coffered so that the center of of the burglar-alarm circuits was folded to fol­ herent ornament at the same time. They tilted each face is actually thinner. low the fancy mullions. it, slip-formed it and stacked it in small incre­ At the thickened outer edge is a recessed ments. Even the Greene brothers, better channel that runs around all sides to receive a Living in the house-Sowden's daughter, known for their intricate wood houses in the reinforcing bar. Thus each block is reinforced Donna Woods, has vivid recollections of Craftsman style, also built with Gunnite, a both vertically and horizontally. This inter­ growing up in the house dubbed Nuestro method of spraying concrete now used pri­ weaving of block and rebar was the reason Pueblo by the Los Angeles Times. "The court­ marily for making swimming pools. that Frank Lloyd Wright called this construc­ yard was one of my favorite playgrounds," she Frank Lloyd Wright's concrete-block build­ tion method the textile-block system. He had recalls. "The neighborhood kids would come ings in Los Angeles were exorbitantly expen­ used a similar system earlier, in his 1923 Mil­ over, and we'd swim in the pool and jump into sive. During this period, the elder Wright was lard house, but had used only vertical rein­ it from the trees." The "trees" were the two not known for reconciling the finite reality of forcing, 4 ft. apart. It was Lloyd Wright who concrete-block pylons that flanked the pool. budgets with the infinite possibilities of ideas. first saw the increased sculptural possibilities Their tops incorporated blue tile, to link them He was the Architect, and his inspiration had of a stacked-block system that would allow with the sky. to be realized down to the slightest detail. The overhangs and cantilevers, in addition to ver­ Her favorite place inside the house was the budget was the client's problem. tical stacks. These possibilities were never boat-like sofa in front of the library fireplace. Lloyd Wright usually saw things differently. more thoroughly exploited than in the enor­ It was covered with dark green velvet, and In the Sowden house, the expensive hand­ mous, poised masses of the cantilevered gable had light green satin pillows. When partytime made concrete blocks aren't used for the en­ ends of the Sowden house. drew near, she would take up a position on tire structure. Instead, they are concentrated Lloyd Wright built five houses in Los Ange­ the sofa because from there she had a clear at certain points for maximum visual impact. les in the 1920s using textile blocks; his father view of the front door. And soon, deposited They contrast with large, uninterrupted pastel built three, not counting the Millard house. In by chauffeurs, the mink-trimmed starlets and planes of stucco, beneath which is every all but the Sowden house, a single motif uni­ their tuxedoed escorts would make their en­ builder's friend, the ordinary stud wall. fies the surface of each building. In the Sow­ trances. The living room would slowly fill up, den house, five symbolic patterns were in ter­ and everyone would take a turn at playing the Textile blocks-Structurally, the Sowden woven. Several variations bring the total to grand piano. house is divided into three contiguous strips. eight actual patterns, six of which were cast If party provi sions ran low, a phone call The outer two are of conventional wood­ into the L-shaped blocks. The other two ap­ would correct the situation. In a little while, a frame construction, with shallow gables and a pear on the three-faced corner blocks. These voice on the intercom would announce, "The stucco skin. The middle strip, consisting of patterns move up the walls of the building in a decorator is here," and the gates would swing the living room, the studio, and the courtyard series of horizontal bands, with some scat­ open. The local bootlegger had arrived, and and its colonnades, are of specially patterned tered at random into neighboring rows. he stashed his goods behind a sliding book­ concrete block. The living room and studio The imagery of the block patterns was in­ case. After Prohibition was repealed, the slid­ have a reinforced-concrete frame to which the spired by related forms in Chinese art, one of ing bookcase was taken out. Parties would in­ blocks are attached, but the columns that line John Sowden's consuming interests. At the evitably flow into the courtyard, and finally two sides of the court are hollow, supporting base of the walls and columns is a swirl figure into the studio, where some of the guests themselves and a heavy lintel. The blocks are that symbolizes the waters of the planet; next would gather around Sowden's billiard table laid out in a zigzag pattern; the resultant is an earth symbol, an abstract crystalline

Lloyd Wright: In the shadow of a famous fa ther In an effortto establish a professional or psychological distance occasionally to extend even to the owners of the building. I was once between himself and his overpowering father, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. shown the door by the irate owner of a fine Lloyd Wright house who changed his name to plain Lloyd Wright. It was an inadequate gesture. refused to believe me when I told him that his house had been designed Although he was a resourceful and frequently brilliant designer, he by the son. The real-estate agent had assured him that he was buying a never achieved a public Identity separate from his father's. Working for genuine Frank Lloyd Wright. him during the crucial early years of his career didn't help matters. Despite this failure to establish his own public identity, Lloyd Wright Lloyd Wright did many of the drawings in the Wasmuth monograph, the created a remarkable body of work. But it was clear to clients, 1914 publication that first presented Frank Lloyd Wright's ideas In a contractors and admirers that Lloyd was bitter that his work had never comprehensive way to the world at large. Lloyd was also involved with received wider acknowledgement or patronage. He sometimes became his father's California works, and functioned as draftsman, landscape impatient with clients who failed to understand his ideas, and often designer and construction supervisor on many of his father's concrete­ displayed a violent temper. But Lloyd's emotional outbursts were not block houses in the 1920s. In fact, the ornamental-block system, for merely childish tantrums. He was a visionary whose frustration which the elder Wright has always received credit, seems to have been overflowed in the face of the world's Inability to keep pace. His series of conceived by Lloyd, whose first block buildings predate his father's. inventive solutions to specific architectural problems-from concrete When Lloyd Wright's work was published (an infrequent occurrence), blocks to the Hollywood Bowl-form a legacy without which American it was sometimes attributed to his father, and confusion seemed architecture would be much the poorer. -J ohn Beach

70 Fine Homebuilding extile blocks The three basic blocks

the thickness of the block, with lengths of half-round molding nailed to them to create the channel that would receive the reinforcing rod. The back panel was a thick board with chamfered edges to produce thick edges. Once the relief plate and the sides were bolted together, the moistened concrete mix was hand­ packed into the form and L-shaped field block the back piece bolted in (8x8x16) place. A gap between the sides and the back allowed room for final tamping along the edges of the block. The form pieces Fonning a were joined to allow the square-panel relief panel to be removed block after the concrete had begun to set up (about 45 minutes) without Back panel disturbing the rest of the form. This procedure allowed a single relief panel, the most expensive he Wrights saw the like Thomas Edison and element in the form box, textile-block system as a Henry Ford. to be used for other block way to capitalize on the Another architect types, with other sets of advantages of concrete, member of the Wright side and back pieces. and to minimize its family, Lloyd's brother The L-shaped blocks are disadvantages. Taken John, did achieve a certain by far the most common individually, the small popular success with blocks in the Sowden block units wouldn't weigh another structural system, house, and making them very much, making it easy albeit a miniature one. He took longer and required for one person to handle invented Lincoln Logs. If more complicated forms them. And their small scale the textile-block system than their flat Fonning L-shaped would offer a builder much had had the same counterparts. The form blocks more design flexibility and advertising, manufacturing components, shown in the a great variety of and distribution network drawing, bottom right, geometric shapes. that the toys did, more of were basically the same as Both Lloyd Wright and us might be living in for the flat textile blocks, his father hoped that the concrete-block houses. but the connections were blocks would be mass­ more complex. produced commercially, Makin, the "'oclu­ In addition, the L-blocks and stocked at local Even though the principles needed special attention building-supply yards. used to make the while they were setting up. Then builders could patterned textile blocks are To reduce the chances of simply buy them as simple, the actual process warping or cracking while needed, the same as 2x4s was time-consuming and the concrete dried, each

or tarpaper. Any builders hard on the back. The block had to be propped Side piece who wanted to use custom square blocks used as up with its legs at 45° to blocks would be able to pavers and occasionally in horizontal. This not only rent the basic forms and the walls of the Sowden added an extra step to the Half-round channel molding make their own house were no doubt the manufacturing sequence, individualized patterns. easiest to form. A dry mix but also made it risky, if This vision was probably of cement and sifted not impossible, to remove due in equal parts to the subsoil taken from the site the relief plate before the Wrights' Midwestern itself was packed into a block was completely set populist ideals and to demountable form-box, up. So the number of their considerable shown in the drawing, blocks that could be made entrepreneurial instincts. center right. The box was at one time was dependent Both Wrights were composed of a relief panel, on the number of relief motivated by a desire to four nearly identical side plates-an expensive bring architecture to the pieces and a coffered back proposition for a design Blocks tamped masses, and to integrate panel. A negative version that would be used on only through panel -:--,----.:.....111W their vision into everyday of the block pattern was one house. This limitation gaps American life. They were sculpted in plaster of paris must have been a also well aware of the vast on the inside face of the significant problem in the fortunes reaped by the relief panel. The side construction of the Sowden great American inventors, pieces were board stock, house. -J. B. Drying position

AprilfMay Lloyd Wright's preliminary drawing courtesy of Eric Lloyd Wright & Associates 1983 71 Textile-block cornice

Building with textile block required a lot of reinforcement. In the Sow· den house, rebar was bent to conform to the zigzag paths created by the channels in adjacent blocks, and looped over horizontal rebar in the lin­ tel, as shown in the drawing. In the east and west wings, cornices of can­ tilevered textile block (above) overhang the doors. The joints in the tex­ tile blocks were aligned vertically rather than staggered. At the southwest corner (left), scaffolding holds the first row of cornice blocks in place. Rebar protruding from the channels between the blocks will be bent into the next course. On the left, a concrete column rises to meet the living room's concrete gable. Next to it, a stepped stud wall awaits plaster and stucco. Below, the back of the studio before the start of blockwork shows the mass of rebar needed to anchor the blocks. The living-room gable, in the distance, was constructed the same way.

72 Fine Homebuilding Black and white photos: Terry Ogden Courtesy of Eric Lloyd Wright & Associates form. This interaction of water and earth boos. Burying wooden roof members in con­ block patterns are still crisp, and only the spawns vegetation that grows luxuriantly up crete and looping rebar in and out of a con­ south-facing blocks show even the slightest the walls and columns. The lintels of the col­ crete beam aren't approved techniques. But signs of erosion. onnade display a horizontal motif, symboliz­ there's no evidence of rot, rust or spalling. The greatest visible damage to the house is ing the sky. Above, in the living-room and stu­ The procedure for placing blocks at the liv­ in the conventionally constructed portions, dio gables, rise massive clusters of rounded ing room and studio gables was probably and it's the result of a conventional problem. blocks that represent rain clouds. This par­ similar. Stepped scaffolding was erected to The house was vacant for some years, and the ticular bit of symbology was made even more hold the blocks in place while the grout set. gutters and downspouts became clogged by explicit by the two pylons in the courtyard The only probable difference between the two leaves and twigs. This caused extensive pIas­ (photo below) from which water poured into situations is that the blocks at the gable end ter damage to the studio, and staining in other the reflecting pool. are tied into a poured concrete frame, shown areas. Fortunately, the current owners, Mau­ in photographs bristling like a porcupine with rice and Suzie Mazur, are committed to restor­ Construction-The details of how the con­ rebar quills (photo facing page, bottom right). ing and maintaining the house. crete blocks went together aren't totally ex­ The most significant recent changes in the plained by the working drawings. Comparing As it enters the 19 80s-Well on its way to house concern light. Both Lloyd Wright and them with the actual building makes it clear its 60th birthday, the house is in good condi­ his father were fond of contrasting elements that the construction process was not without tion, even for a conventional building of its to create memorable spacial sequences-high improvisation. Photos show that the poured age. For an experimental building, one for and low ceilings, narrow and wide openings concrete frames of the living room and studio which there was little precedent and no tradi­ and light and dark transitions. This approach were built at the same time as the stud-wall tion of time-tested methods and details, it is to architectural manipulation was combined portions of the building. The concrete blocks in remarkable condition. Its durability has in the Sowden house with another concern: were laid up next, followed by the concrete been tested. Donna Woods remembers sitting the complete exc lusion of the world at large. lintels of the courtyard colonnade. in the courtyard when the big Long Beach Rooms received natural light from the court­ The lintel may have been an afterthought­ earthquake of 19 33 hit the area. Paintings yard or skylights, or they didn't receive it at it isn't included in tht; original working draw­ swayed on the walls, books fell off their all. Openings in the outside walls were small, ings. Lloyd Wright apparently thought that shelves and the water in the pool sloshed few and well up the wall. grout and rebar were adequate to support the over the edge. But the house didn't suffer. The idea didn't work everywhere, especially colonnade cornice. Either the licensing agen­ Years later, the pylons by the pool started at the entrance. Here, Lloyd Wright wanted to cy, a consulting engineer or Lloyd Wright to lean ominously. They were on inadequate create a sense of anticipation and mystery himself decided more reinforced concrete was footings, independent of the house, and had with a low, darkened space ill uminated by a good idea. One of the construction photos to be taken down before they fell. Otherwise, light from an unseen source. But the skylight (facing page, bottom left) shows the begin­ the concrete segments of the house show only in the stairwell is too small to light the long ning of the lintel-forming process. The col­ minor cracking in the colonnade lintels. The tunnel and winding stairway. As a result, the umns are in place, the lowest lin- hallway isn't mysterious, it is tel course (the bottom layer of simply dim. Windows in the bed­ the sky-symbol blocks) is sup­ rooms and library have been en­ ported by scaffolding, and rebar larged with good results. The new pokes up through the first course. windows follow the patterns of Although there is a gap in the the original, and the rooms are construction photos at this point, measurably brighter. the process can be deduced from the results. Stair-stepped sup­ An odd house?-When John ports were necessary to hold the Sowden asked his friend to de­ successive block courses while sign him something different, he the %-in. rebar was bent into got his money's worth-about place and grout poured into the $80,000, pre-Crash. But the house vertical and horizontal channels. is probably more unusual now Once the grout had set, %-in. re­ than it was then. Donna Woods bar was placed in the area to be recalls the neighbors' reactions. occupied by the lintel. A vertical "People weren't too excited," she wooden form was butted against says. "Hollywood was immersed the bottom course, and one rebar in the unusual then. Movie fanta­ was looped around the bottom sies were everywhere, Grauman's form-board to tie back into the Egyptian Theater hired a man to column (drawing, facing page). walk around the lobby dressed as Concrete was then poured into a sheik, and people were used to the trough formed by the blocks restaurants that looked like hot and the vertical form. dogs and hats." When the lintel was poured, the But today, a look at the house's concrete was unceremoniously working drawings reveals a resi­ packed up around the wooden dence on the edge of the fantas­ rafters. Since it can be seen only tic. Construction notes such as from the attic, no attempt was "bronze head to be furnished by made to make it precise. It looks owner," "marble detail (typical)" as if the concrete had been casu­ and "pylon not included in this ally thrown in by workers stand­ contract" attest to that. 0 ing a few feet away. This detail A weightypresence. Mrs. Sowden and her father pose in the courtyard. John Beach is an architect and an seems to have been worked out Behind them, the concrete-block pylons tower above the reflecting pool. during the construction process, Built on inadequate footings, the pylons had to be dismantled-one of architectural historian in the San and it's fraught with structural ta- the few structural problems in this strange but enduring house. Francisco Bay area.

AprilfMay1983 73 VENEERS

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April/May1983 7S REVIEWS

Renovation, A Complete Guide by Michael as basic framing. But Litchfield clearly float-ball mechanism in a toilet) that would W. Litchfield. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. , 605 realizes that what's behind the plaster usually otherwise take lots of writing. The layout of Third Avenue, New Yo rk, N. Y 10158, 1982. doesn't look like what's in the pristine the book is a bit of a patchwork quilt, with $34.95, hardcover; 571 pp. drawing in the textbook. The only approach some page spreads showing lots of white to renovation that really works is: If plan X space between text and images, and others Despite the number of books written about doesn't work for reason B, then try plan Y. very little. Illustrations and photos don't residential construction, I always find myself Renovation reflects this. Litchfield offers always appear near enough to the text they hedging when I have to recommend one that alternative solutions for many problems, and support to be as effective as they could be. will really help when it's time to do the work. discusses disagreements between The photos are particularly effective when The choice is doubly difficult when the professionals about the effectiveness of a they are grouped to show a process step-by­ subject is narrowed to renovation. Repairing material or technique. He lets the reader step. Most of the photos of products are houses almost defies textbook coverage decide how to proceed in his or her promotional shots from manufacturers, but in because of the enormous diversity of particular situation. some process sequences, real people are building types and all the different skills that Although the book is intended largely for shown with hands and tools that have seen a are required. What any remodeler, novice builders, I found it useful for filling in lot of use, working on believable job sites. professional or amateur, needs on the job site gaps in my knowledge of trades like plumbing This authenticity is nice. is a ghostly consortium of plumbers, and electrical, which I don't know as well as Any book as ambitious in scope as this one electricians and carpenters who would carpentry. Novice builders will learn as much requires thoughtful organizing and careful materialize long enough to be consulted for about materials as they will about technique. editing. Renovation would have benefitted advice. Renovation: A Complete Guide can This is important. Professionals have favorite from a stronger guiding hand. Some of the help fill this need for practical advice and kinds of caulking and know what nail to buy first chapters, which show how to approach reliable approaches to remodeling problems. for a given job. They have a sense of what renovation, have a mushy quality, as if they The book contains an extraordinary size floor joist to use that is nearly as reliable were written as an afterthought to create an amount of information about rebuilding as the span charts. But most novices are artificial continuity. The organization of the houses. Much of it and many of the over insecure in these areas, and the book book seems almost contrived at times. For 2,000 photos and ill ustrations in the book contains excellent summaries and charts that instance, Chapter 4, "Tools for Renovation," come first-hand from the builders and will go a long way toward relieving doubts presents an odd combination of equipment tradespeople who do the work. The job about whether all that work was done with that isn't included in the tool sections of situations and methods haven't been the wrong glue, or if your siding nails will technical chapters. This produces strange sanitized by image-conscious trade begin to rust after the first year. Most of the groupings-hammers, screwdrivers, caulking organizations, cautious lawyers, or construction processes are well documented guns and pneumatic nailers are treated in the classroom-textbook editors. with photos, and this offers another kind of same breath as "attachment tools." Yet using In fact, one of the best things about this reassurance if you're trying something for caulking guns, for example, is discussed in text is that it often doesn't read or look like the first time. Chapter 8, "Weatherproofing," and in one. The writing is down to earth, and the The book begins with five chapters meant Chapter 13, "Conserving Energy." approach is straightforward-problems are to help you size up a renovation project, This weakness is in real contrast to the identified, a choice of materials is offered, develop a plan, and understand the tools and organization of each chapter, which and a detailed description of how to do the materials that will be required. Chapter 6 is a demonstrates a good understanding of work is given. case history that details how a specific materials, tools and procedures. This is the Most books that cover this ground are full project was approached, including a materials real meat of the book. of generalizations and once-over-lightly list and construction costs. The remaining The most puzzling parts of the book are the treatments. This book is not always the chapters-the great bulk of the book-deal appendices. The glossary and bibliography exception, particularly in its coverage of with individual areas of construction: roofing, are adequat{l, if uninspired, but many others standard new-construction techniques such plumbing, electrical, structural carpentry and appear to be afterthoughts. The instructions so on. Most of these are introduced with a for cutting a simple set of stairs, for example, discussion of appropriate tools. is good information, but would have worked The book's nine appendices include a better as part of the book's text. The last glossary of building terms, an annotated appendix is a list of manufacturers and bibliography, tracts on dealing with service companies. The book's preface says architects and contractors, financing, framing, these firms were chosen for their willingness and instructions for building stairs, decks to help the reader, but the list doesn't tell and porches. you the products or services each can Litchfield writes in his preface that you supply. On the whole, it feels like thinly should read the book's chapters in order, disguised advertising. since they follow the typical renovation These criticisms aside, Litchfield has sequence. The teaching the book does is produced a valuable resource for anyone intended to be cumulative. Terms and with a house that needs work. Many of the concepts presented in the early chapters are basic lessons and techniques he outlines used without explanation later on. However, apply to new construction as well as reading this book straight through like a remodeling. Subjects like wallpapering and novel is a pretty large order, even for the laying carpet, which are seldom covered in most determined renovator. It's much more builderly textbooks, are well detailed here. likely that readers will look to specific Litchfield, who was founding editor of Fine chapters to review a technique, or look for Homebuilding, describes his book as "a truly solutions to problems that need immediate national compendium of renovation and attention. Unlike many construction texts, restoration methods." Although it falls well this book has a good index, and works well short of that mark, it does contain a great as a ready reference. deal of useful information on how houses are The illustrations are spare-line drawings put back together. Considering the number of with just enough detail to convey the texts you could do without if armed with this information that is required of them. They one, the cover price is very reasonable. are used liberally to introduce materials and -Paul Spring, associate editor of Fine identify parts of assemblies (such as the Homebuilding magazine.

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AprllfMay1983 77 CALENDAR

Calendar gives the dates of workshops, lectures, shows Summer courses-patternmaking (hardware de­ Early American trades workshops-ornamental and conferences of direct interest to builders and ren­ sign), June 5-10; casting and metalwork, June 12- graining and marbelizing, June 9-10; architectural ovators. Deadline for the June/July issue is April 1; 17; joinerwork and decking, July 31 to Aug. 12. and ornamental stonecutting, June 20-23; slate for the August/September issue, June 1. Wooden Boat School, Box 78H, Brookl in, Maine roofing and repair, June 25; timber framing, July 046 16; (207) 359-4 651. 11-13; moldings, July 14-15; window preser vation, Arizona July 25-27; paneling, July 28-29; fireplace and oven Earthen building-materials conference-April Massachusetts building, Sept. 12-16. Eastfield Village, Box 145 9-10, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson. Contact EBM III, Building courses-energy-efficient design and R.D., East Nassau, N.Y. 12 062; (518) 766-2422. 1717 E. Speedway, Continuing Education, Suite construction, June 5-24, June 26 to July 15, July 17 1201, Tucson, Ariz. 85719; (602)-626-1232. to Aug. 5, Aug. 7-26, Aug. 28 to Sept. 16; cabinet­ Ohio making, May 16-20, May 23-27; remodeling, May 30 Timber-frame building course-June 13-18. Con­ Colorado to June 3, Sept. 19-23; earth-sheltered building, tact Anita and Roy Tiede, American Restoration Building classes-house building, Tues. and June 25. Heartwood Owner-Builder School, John­ Trades, Box 255, Danville, Ohio 43014; (6 14) 599- Thurs. eves., beginning first week of April, in Love­ son Rd., Washington, Mass. 01 235; (413) 623-6677. 7959, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. land and Boulder; remodeling, Mon. and Wed. eves., beginning first week in April, in Boulder. Energy conservation in buildings- seminar, Solar seminar-April 8-9, Archbold. Contact Jor­ Seminars: acting as your own contractor, April 9; April 11-12, WPI Campus, Worcester; May 23-24, dan College, Two-Day Seminar, 360 W. Pine St., Ce­ estimating costs, April 16; financing, April 23; de­ The Hilton, Natick. Contact Ginny Bazarian, Office dar Springs, Mich. 49319; (616) 696-1 180. sign and drafting, May 7. Hands-on workshops: of Continuing Education, Higgins House, Worcester concrete: April 30-May 1; framing, May 14 -15; ado­ Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass. 01609; Timber-framing workshop-Aug. 22-28, Lyons. be, May 28-30. Colorado Owner-Builder Center, Box (617) 793-5517. Contact Riverbend Timber Framing, Inc., Box 26, 1206 1, Boulder, Colo. 80303; (303) 449-6126. - Blissfield, Mich. 49228; (517) 486-4566. Earth-sheltered architecture conference, June Connecticut 10, Cape Cod Community College, near Hyannis. OreRon Passive-solar greenhouse tour-April 16. Con­ Write Solar/Earth Shelter, Box 1149, Brewster, Log-lmllding courses-for beginners, April 10-22, tact the Connecticut Audubon Society, 2325 Burr Mass. 02631. June 5-17, Aug. 7-19, Oct. 2-14; roof structures, St., Fairfield, Conn. 06430; (203) 259-5606. April 25-29, June 20-24; Aug. 22-26; Oct. 17-21. Leg­ Michigan endary Log Home School, Box 1150, Sisters, Ore. District of Columbia Solar seminars-April 1-2, Cedar Springs; April 8- 97759; (503) 549-7191. Architectural photography of historic struc­ 9, Flint; April 15-16, Tustin; May 20-21, Kalamazoo. tures-seminar, May 16-18. Contact the National Contact Jordan College, 360 W. Pine St., Cedar Pennsylvania Building Museum, 440 G. St. N.w., Washington, D.C. Springs, Mich. 49319; (616) 696- 1180. Rehabilitation workshop-moldings, masonry, 20001; (202) 783-0690. window repair, paint, finishes; also financial and Timber-framing workshops-June 19 -26, White­ historical aspects of renovating old buildings. April Computers/graphics in the building process­ hall; July 4-10, Blissfield. Riverbend Timber Fram­ 22-24, Reading. Contact Ruth Littlejohn, Continuing international congress, April 4-8, Washington, D.C. ing, Box 26, Blissfield, Mich. 49228; (5 17) 486-4566. Education, Berks Campus, Penn State University, Convention Center. Contact National Computer Box 2150, Reading, Pa. 19608; (215) 375-42 11. Graphics Association, Inc., 2033 M St. N.w., Suite Minnesota 333, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 775-9556. Solar-technologies conference-June 1-3, Min­ Rhode Is land neapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis. Contact Conference-Case studies in Rhode Island histor­ Florida Barbara Bradley, American Solar Energy Society, ic preservation, June 12-17, Providence. Contact Conference-Low-energy building design in hu­ 205B McDowell Hall, University of Delaware, New­ Continuing Education Division, Rhode Island mid, warm climates, April 4-7, Cape Canaveral. Con­ ark, Del. 19711; (302) 738-11 53. School of Design, Two College St., Providence, R.l. tact Shay Southwick, Florida Solar Energy Center, 02903; (401) 331-3511, ext. 283. Cape Canaveral 32920; (305) 783-0300. Superinsulation conference and exposition­ April 28-30, Rochester. Contact Jeanne Brownback, Vermont Georgia Room 311, Rochester AVTI, 1926 Second St., Roch­ Infrared scanning course-application of in­ Kitchenfbath industry conference-April 11-13, ester, Minn. 55901; (507) 285-8645. frared scanning devices to detect building energy Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta. Industry losses and roof moisture, and to inspect electrical show, April 10-12. Contact Conference Registrar, Missouri and mechanical systems, April 26-29. Contact Paul National Kitchen & Bath Association, 124 Main St., Wind and solar-energy technology-April 4-5, Grover, The Infraspection Institute, Hullcrest Drive, Hackettstown, N.J. 07840; (201) 852-0033. Kansas City. Contact G. H. Stickney, College of Engi­ Shelburne, Vt. 05482; (802) 985-2500. neering, University of Missouri-Columbia, Colum­ Aluminum extrusion technology seminar­ bia, Mo. 65211; (314) 882-3655. Overseas April 24-26, Omni Hotel, Atlanta. Contact the Alu­ Energy tours-to Australia and the Far East, Aug. minum Association, 818 Connecticut Ave. N.w., Nevada 9-19, Aug. 10-21, Aug. 11-28, Aug. 12 -20. Contact Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 862-5161. Energy auditing for buildings and industry­ Danette Bailey, Jordan College, 360 W. Pine St., Ce­ seminar, May 19-20, Las Vegas. Contact AEE Energy dar Springs, Mich. 493 19; (616) 696- 1180. Solar courses-greenhouses and sunspaces, April Seminars, 4025 Pleasantdale Rd., Suite 340, Atlanta, 9-10; passive-solar design, April 18-20; advanced Ga. 30340; (404) 447-5083. Energy-efficient earth-sheltered buildings-in­ solar design, April 21; Atlanta. Contact Susan Davis, ternational conference, Aug. 1-10, Sydney, Austra­ Georgia Solar Coalition, Box 5506, Atlanta, Ga. New York lia. Contact Walter T. Grondzik, Architectural Exten­ 30307; (404) 525-7657. Workshops-Japanese woodwo rking, June 10-12; sion, Oklahoma State University, 120 Architecture post-and-beam design and construction, July 18-29 Bldg., Stillwater, Okla. 74078; (405) 624-6266. Illinois and Aug. 1-12. The Wendell Castle Workshop, 18 ­ Chicago Architects Design-a century of archi­ Maple St., Scottsville, N.Y. 14546; (716 ) 889-2378. Passive and low-energy architecture-interna tectural drawings from The Art Institute of Chicago, tional conference, June 28 to July 5, Crete. Contact to April 10. The Art Institute of Chicago, Michigan Rochester walking tours-forges, factories and PLEA 83, Architectural Association Graduate Ave . at Adams St., Chicago. waterfalls, April 24 and May 1; east side/west side: School, 36 Bedford Sq., London WCIB 3ES, U. K. commercial, religious and industrial architecture, Louisiana May 8, May 15. Also, course in 19 th-century wall Architecture and garden tour of Japan-study Annual convention-American Institute of Archi­ stenciling, Wednesdays, April 13 to May 4, and Sat­ tour for architects and allied professionals, April 6- tects, May 22-25, New Orleans. Contact AlA, Public urdays, April 23 to May 14. Contact The Landmark 27. Contact Kenneth Masao Nishimoto, AlA, 30 N. Relations, 1735 New York Ave. N.w., Washington, Society of Western New York, 13 0 Spring St., Roch­ Raymond Ave., Pasadena, Calif. 91 102. D.C. 20006; (202) 626-7460. ester, N.Y. 14 608; (716) 546-7029. National Trust study tours-Indonesia, April 4- Ma ine Weekend workshops-low-cost underground, 24; Paris and the chateaux country, May 13-19; Ire­ Building course-designing and building an ener­ May 20-23; cordwood masonry, May 27-30; wind land, May 27-June 10; Iberian coastal villages, June gy-efficient home, April 4-22, May 8-26, June 6-24. energy, July 8- 11; design, July 15-18. Contact Rob­ 18 to July I. Write Special Programs, National Trust Shelter Institute, 38 Center St., Bath, Maine 04530; ert L. Roy, Earthwood Building School, RR 1, Box for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Ave. (207) 442-7938. 105, West Chazy, N.Y. 12992; (518) 493-7744. N.w., Washington, D.C. 20036.

78 Fine Homebuilding DPftIS8 YCXJRSIIJ'... $aruC� Cr5tea tooIC'ALLY. EASY-lO-ASSEMBLE KIT ONLY FOB. CEPyer (anUrn5 $425 Broomall' For 3' 6" diam. Other diems. from 4 to 7' at comporable savings. All " di ams. adjust to floor-to-floor his. of 8 '1'/2 to 9'6 ".

Now! Showroom & Warehouse �I-MII \ locations in: Whenyou build Pomona, CA a RockY Mountain (714) 598·5766 Log Home , you... made alogioe1 Sarasota, FL choice that'. solid, adepteble to any (813) 923·1479 envi ronment, eoonomi oe1 and Houston, TX eMl'QY efficient. Our plans, which (713) 789·0648 feature logs 18" in from 7 to © The Iron Shop 1977, '82 diameter, can be eu11y modif ied to incorpora te your ownideas, whether People who've looked everywhere tell us there for a vacation cabin or isn't another spiral sta ir around that touches primary our combination of price and quality of mate­ residence. Find out more by rials and workmanship. We believe it! investing $S in our 6O-pa

April/May1983 79 Rudolf Bass, Inc. proudly announces their 1983 Woodworking Exhibition in Jersey City, NJ on: April 14 1-9 p.m. April 15 '1 -9 p.m. April 16 9-5 p.m. or Rockwellinfl , Timesavers, Whirlwind, Porter-Cable, plus many others. All under power with trained factory personnel. Free admission, refreshments 1580 served . For info. call 201-433-3800. Var. Speed Orbital NOW AVAILABLE Action

Rudolf Bass In c. presents The Most Complete two dynamic woodworking Catalog seminars: ever compiled Location: Holiday Inn, Jersey City. N.J. for the OLD NO. 90150 GS10LUR When: Thurs., Apr 318 " Var. . 24. 9 AM-12 Woodworker. NEW NO. 1604 Fri , Apr 15 , 9 AM-12 1-2/3 H.P. & Rev. Price: $25 each Router Heavy Duty Send for your catalog Thursday Seminar I now. Thomas Mortimer, SCMI Corp., Atlanta, Ga "Trees to Furni­ ture" -learn the ABC-Zs of woodworking with power tools. $55 90900 804510 Seminar II Friday 650°-900° F Heavy Duty Theodore Grieco, Rudolf Bass Heavy-Duty Block Sander Inc., Jersey City, N.J. "Power Heat Gun Tools-what to buy, how to buy and why" -new vs. used, multI­ purpose tools, durability vs. versatility.

For registration information call BOO-526-3003. in New Jersey: 800-742-2807 •••• •••• IPAII. ...If...... ull •••

CLASSIFIED AN EXCITING NEW CONCEPT IN SOLAR CONSTRUCTION The CLASSIFIED rate is $2.00 per word, minimum ad15 words. Paym ent must accompany order. Send to Fine Homebuilding, Advertising Dept., Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470. Deadline for the JunejJuly issue is March 25; for the AugustjSeptember is­ sue, May 25.

RESTORED MACHINERY-Finest woodworking machines ever made. Oliver, Yates, No'rthfield. Bandsaws, table saws, wood lathes, etc. Puget Sound Machinery. (206) 627-0802.

Port Orford CEDAR LUMBER for sale. All grades and dimen­ Summer 1983 - 3-Week Resident sions. East Fork Lumber Sales, Box 149B Sitkum Rt., Myrtle HOUSEBUILDING COURSES Pt., OR 97458. (503) 572-5894. SOLAR ENVELOPE HOMES use the structure For the 6th year Heartwood will be offering 3-week "MR. SLATE'''· -Since 1974 we have been providing quality itself Sol id wood wall s, pressure resident courses in the design and construction of salvaged roofing slate for repair work, restorations and new energy-efficient homes. These in tensive courses include treated with sal t - as the heat storage construction. A wide variety of colors and sizes is available. both classroom sessions and hands-on training, pro­ medium. No tanks, drums, tubes, or pan els Our slate is protecting buildings from Maine to California. viding an invaluable guide for those who wish to are necessary . And the Salt-t reatment means For free literature write Mr. Slate, Smid Inc., Sudbury, do their own building vr the structure will last several lifetimes . 05733 or enclose $5.00 to receive a set of sample slates. Dates: 6/5·24, 6/26·7/15, 7/17·8/5, 8/7·26, 8/28·9/16 with no pa inting or maintenance . "Mill-type" Tuition: $475 per person, $800 per couple. heavy tiJJtlercons truction means Fire codes VERMONT COBBLE SLATE'· -Beautiful antique Vermont Other programs include workshops in: slate in rich natural colors. Perfect for flooring, hearths, and Flame-spread reQu irements are met 1983 chimneys, solar walls, countertops and custom bathrooms without dampers or gypsum coverin gs. Heat REMODELING 5/30·6/3 9/19·23 and kitchens. For color brochure and slate sample send $2 storage is distrib uted even ly throughout the to Vermont Cobble Slate, Sudbury, vr 05733. structure for even radiation to the CABINETMAKING 5/16·20 5/23·27 interior . 750 HOME PLANS. Solar, underground, envelope and more! EARTH-SHELTERED HOUSEBUILDING Blueprints available. Free information or $19.50 for the 10- with Malcolm Wells, June 25 volume collection. Garlinghouse, PO Box 299, Dept. 30016, Enve lope Homes by M. Sykes, Jr . � E. Topeka, KS 66601. covers basic principles, deSign, and con­ struction. S� le floorplans are shown, Please write or call How to Build a Masonry Wo od Stove. Complete book of de­ along with costs for our Pre-cut and Num­ for free brochure. tailed instructions. Tested designs. Course drawings show­ bered packages containing all Sa lt-treated ing position of each brick. Written in collaboration with wall and structural parts. Send SID .OO for Northwest's premier Russian fireplace builders, Dietmeyer, Ward Stroud. $13.95 plus $1.50 shipping. NBS West, PO your copy (Postpaid, First-Class) to: & Box 1039-F, Vashon, WA 98070. OWNER-BUILDER SCHOOL BRC TIMBERHDMES Johnson Road, Washington, Mass. 01235 VINTAGE BUILDERS' MAN UALS-"Slate Roofing", "Tile Rt. 1 Box 67 Wake Forest. NC 27587 (413) 623-6677 Roofing", "Steam Heating", "Coal Furnaces", "Old-house Weatherproofing". $2.50 each, 2/$4. Phoenix Reprints, 2500T Observatory, Cincinnati, OH 45208.

80 Fine Homebuilding BUILDER'S MART

TIMBER FRAMES MADE WITH HEMLOCK, PINE, AND OAK A Variety of British and French BUILD$1 IT YD6,0UIISElF00 AND SAVE!SOLAR SAL TSOX 11405Q ft two b!droom upandable home T ANKLESS WATER HEATERS paSSive solar plus super lnsutallon cuts eneriY costs by 75t. These gas-fired water • COIIII'lETE CONSTIII£TlOII PlANS $20 postpaid. heaters save fuel and • SOLAIt SnlTU HOlliE CATALOG $2 can't run out of hot water. (Homes you can bUild lor under $20,000) HOMESTEAD DESIGN po. 80, 430F . Langley. WA 98260 SALES & SERVICE ENVIRONMENTAL • Household RESEARCH ASSOCIATES • Camps O@@CQJ=@CQJ Box 53 1 Vineyard Haven • RV's Our Massachusetts 02568 (617) 693-4402 • Boats () () NEW r ..., :Jl� 0 List of ()Z " () en Z c::0 3: r :c :c ." t'l C'l 0 BCDKS 0 Z :Jl ..., z c:: C'l ...,:c arid ..., t'l ..Ii � Z :Jl t;; t'l:c ..Ii Prints :c :c > n.� 0 :c IS n.� Yours for FREE Old·Fashloned Cut Nalls. The TremontNail Co. makes 20 varieties of cut nails using the old patter ns, including Just send rose·head, oval bung, and wrought·head. Sample kit con· Features:• a stamped 48 hours per load Houses· Ice taining one of each of the 20 patterns, a history of nails in • seIf- Summer Houses . l .&More BTU per hour nteriors America, and a price list is ppd. Tremont Nail Co., • 120,000 . . $3.75 Cooking and hot water addres� · 0 Dept. Box lIl, Wareham, Mass. 02571. • F}I-53 Elm St., • Separate fireplace envel0pe7An tlqulty l'I.epnnts Ten form variations tooay Bax370 HF,RockviIIeCentre.NY.,11571 ™ Designed by Registered GIEEN ILIVEIL TILADING CD. Heating Eng. and Architect GREENHOUSES·BUILO YOUR OWN MANUFACTURERS OF QUALITY TIMElESS PROOUCTS INC. SAVE THOUSANDSI Use our low·cost FactoryDirect Double· LOG HOMES Insulated Glass. 40% TAX CREOITI QUANTITY DISCOUNTS. Send $5 for Complete Catalog - 20'I,x38'/, - $7.95 BOSTON CORNERS ROAD 20'I,x84 $13.95 76 - MlllERT�� �::mRJ( 12546 ACT TODAYI (404) 691-1960 � 3 Southeutlm EnerGY Control. Dept. G P.O. Box 44066 . Allanta, GA 30336 CLASSIFIED SOUTH COUNTY DRYWALL $18 EastlakeI!Wx !(). .!7l Div. of KINGSTOWN TOOL CORP. $18 Italianate VIRGIN HEART·PINE FLOORING, paneling and custom 22W )( n-24-27l woodwork. Reclaimed from early colonial America. A very HomeCraftsman Po rtfolio Makita Drywall Gun #6800-DBV List $133 for durable and rare wood, almost extinct until now. Osprey, Plans for furniture, playhouse, $78 birdhouses, arden & utility sheds, 3115 Fennel St., Sav annah, 31404. (912) 354-8493. $20�' g 0-2500 Vari-able GA i!' �� kennel, gazebos, garages, stables, Summer Gazebo conages, houses& solarbay_ RESIDENTIAL SPECIFICATION SHEETS. Complete specifica· DRYWALL SCREWS WinterlOx I() Shed V.rIous .. Endless Option. tion sheets covering all phases of construction. Helps esti· Styles 1" 1000 per box $ 9.00 mate costs -raises profits! $10.50. Fisher General Contract· Order designs shown or 1 y." 1000 per box 1 0.00 send $5 for portfolio and ing, Shelbyville, IL 62565. FREE CALENDAR 1 'Is" 500 per box 7 .00 2" 500 per box 11 .00 $15 SOLAR CARD evaluates solar shading on house or building BUILDING CONSERVATION 2Y2" 250 per box 9.00 Playhousel IL h0204 site. $12.95. Designworks, Inc., Box 489-FC, North Amherst, 8xHorHxh Shl'd Box 89B Evanston 3" 250 per box 15.00 MA 01059. 3%" 1 00 per box 12.00 # 2 Drywall Bits 35< each TIMBER FRAME 28 by 36 for I "·story house available for Add $4.00 per order for shipping. immediate erection. Oak by master N.H. woodworker at sub· stantial discount. Call (617) 897-7868. Route 4, No. Kingstown, R.I. 02852 8-ft. STEPLADDER. Innovative design. Lumberyard materi· 401-295-5472 als. Complete plans, $1. Satisfaction guaranteed. Ladder·TP, Box 1723, Front Royal, VA 22630. In a unique environment designed by Paolo Soleri, integrating living, learning and doing the following 5 OWNER BUILDERS use our oak kits for passive solar earth· week workshops are offered: sheltered homes. Plan book, $5. Survival Consultants, PO CONSTRUCTION OR AGRICULTURE:April 4, May 2, Box 21, Rapidan, VA 22733. June 6, July II, Aug 15, Sept 12, Oct 10, Nov 7. WOODWORKING:Sept 12, Oct 21 VICTORIAN CROWN MOULDING, hardwood veneers, ceiling Focus is on s kills development from plan reading to medallions, decorative cane. Free price list. Direct Special· finish work with hands on experience. ties, Box 6621, Huntington Beach, CA 92615. For further information contact: Cosanti Foundation Dept. A, 6433 Doubletree Rd., Scottsdale, AZ. 86333 (602) 948-6145 (10) PACIFIC NORTHWEST HOME DESIGNS showing blue· Now turn low cost rough EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL lumber into valuable finished prints available from Jerry Gropp Architect AlA, 11041 Main FOLLOWING WORKSHOPS stock for grandfather clocks, St., Bellevue, WA 98004. Portfolio, $5 (applies to plan pur· furniture, house·trim, picture chase). frames ... sell to others. Molds all popular patterns & custom designs. 617-449-4756 Planes and joints without change·over. MAKITA TOOLS. We beat all advertised prices. Price quotes ()� � l. ,,<>� Comes complete ... ready to use. call (707) 964-6661, person/person collect for Timothy. Mass. 02194 FA EE • RYOBI R-150 Y L r INFORMATION KIT We'll return call. Write AES, Box 1790, Ft. Bragg, CA 95437. �C harleS5t. _____ 1 H P Plunge Router � :� !:2!. !�!.��CAll TOll·FREE�:! ! 1(800) 824-7888, Oper. 642 I Needham,24,000 RPM 6.5 AMP •00 In Calif. 1-800-852-7777, Oper. 642 I LOG BUILDER-Material sales (old/new, various styles), ex· 88 ..r-, -.. OR WRITE TO: I e.0Q . pert log crafting from single log replacement to complete � YOUR CHOICE INC. I • WOOOMASTER TOOLS, home construction. Ed Miller, Log Homes, Inc., Rt. 2 Tama· RYOSI L.1200 �! . I 3518 Planer � I 2649 Terrace. Oept. PPE5. Kansas City, MO 64106 I rack Trail, Canton, GA 3011 4. (404) 475-6299. 15,000 RPM VISA MC AMEX ON MAIL ORDER � L ______�

April/May 1983 81 GREAT MOMENTS IN BUILDING HISTORY

located treated poles from a telephone long enough for us to spend days removing company. Our biggest concern was that with boulders and sharp rocks from our access winter temperatures of 55° below zero, frost along the gravel bar, allowing us to complete action might heave the pilings out of position. a reasonably smooth four-wheel drive route For days I labored to ensure that this for bringing in materials. The dam held long wouldn't happen. I dug and chopped enough for us to get a running start on the 15 holes, each 3 ft. in diameter, down framing, and we began to think we might through 5 or 6 ft. of hard clay to the well­ even get the house built without banging the drained gravel of the river terrace. By night, truck to pieces on the rocks. It continued to nightmares of a frost-buckled foundation hold while two hikers chose what seemed alternated with restless dreams of posthole like a good spot near the river to pitch a tent digging. By day, sweating freely in the 95°F and crawl off to sleep. heat, I reminded myself that any slight Then, late that calm evening, it held no suffering in the here and now would be time more. The valley's small population awoke to well spent if our deck and house remained a roar that would have allowed a freight train level at temperatures 150°F colder. to pass unheard. It was the sound of an For transporting gravel backfill across the entire lake emptying headlong down a %-mile uneven ground, I constructed a narrow-gauge wide bar, flooding it almost bank to bank. plank road for the wheelbarrow. Every 2xIO The hikers, new to the area and to the we had was laid out, ends overlapping toward concept of glacial potholes, found themselves the building site, in a path that wound on an island of steadily shrinking through the trees to our gravel mine. Dips dimensions. Receding waters the following along the way required simple, small-scale day rejoined them with the mainland-dazed trestles. Down this wooden right-of-way but still dry-and revealed that our road had rolled load after load of gravel-IS tons reverted to its natural axle-wrenching, tire­ before we had finished-beginning early each puncturing state. morning and continuing into the late daylight Mortise-and-tenon work on the exposed hours of the summer evenings. second-floor beams was one of the project's At one point along the route, where most enjoyable jobs. These 5xlOs were then balancing the 250-lb. loads was especially set into beam pockets in the wall framing and tricky, lived an underground nest of easily bolted in place. After flooring was laid on the excited wasps. Each time one entangled itself beams, we turned to the rafters and the task in my hair, I had to shoo it with one hand of closing out the weather. while struggling to control a careening Roof framing, when hroken down into a wheelbarrow with the other. The only thing sequence, is nothing but a logical that saved that nest from being entombed progression. Pull the generator cord, cut a beneath a mound of gravel was that I rafter, nail it in place. Viewed as a whole, dreaded the thought of having to haul one though, it's something far greater than the extra load. sum of its parts. Silho uetted against the sky, Porcupines, we discovered while framing the geometry of ridge and rafters, valleys and the walls, love to eat plywood. When they jack rafters, outriggers and fascia is almost as found a scrap lying about or, worse yet, a full pleasing visually as structurally. Framing the sheet, they'd chew their way down the edges roof is one of those quantum lea s in the like a router gone wild. Leave a bundle within transformation from lumber pile pto home. their reach and they'd gnaw away any vestige Working atop the peak one day in late of a factory edge. When the plywood menu September, I paused between nails to admir e grew dull, they'd waddle under the floor and, the view. The house was now virtually closed working insidiously from below, reduce any in from the weather. The descending uncovered fiberglass insulation to tatters. snowline on the mountains, the autumn chill Northern plights The black bears that visited were more in the air-these things no longer triggered Our land is in the Wrangell Mountains of entertaining than troublesome. One climbed feelings of anxiety and urgency. A light interior Alaska. Here, on 40 acres of sparse inside our newly completed outhouse and left breeze rustled through the aspens, sending a aspen and spruce forest, Lisa and I set out to deep dental impressions in every roll of few more luminous orange leaves fluttering build our home in a setting of riverine bluffs, toilet paper. The wolves, for their part, were earthward. The river, in full view now glaciers and perennially snowy peaks. A lack elusive. On several mornings our workday through thinning foliage, led my eye of locally available large timber had began with their hauntingly beautiful howls. upstream along spruce-covered bluffs to convinced us to revise our plan of building We would often find their fresh tracks in the where the glacier's broad avenue of ice with logs. Instead, we decided on a story­ river sand. ascends toward the high peaks. It was hard and-a-half frame house, for which all Our encounters with Nature were not to imagine more inspiring surroundings. And materials-kiln-dried lumber, roughsawn limited to wildlife. A glacier, too, joined in the for all the headaches of hauling building beams, clapboard siding, cedar-shake series of events that would make this house­ materials long distances over rough roads­ roofing-would have to be hauled in. We raising memorable. Ordinarily, claiming that the 12 flat tires incurred this summer and the were 70 miles from the nearest year-round a glacier was interfering with your building lumber trailer still hopelessly disabled along gravel road, 100 miles from pavement, five project might invite wisecracks about your the route with a broken frame-who could hours from the nearest lumber store. working pace, but in this case it was not the imagine a more satisfying or worthwhile Transporting materials the final half-mile to ice itself that caught up to us. The glacier's labor than building one's own home? our land involved bouncing over the boulders leading edge remained four miles up the -Kirk Olsen, Homer, Alaska of a glacial river bar in four-wheel drive, an valley. Ten miles beyond, however, was a experience that would make riding a brahma sizable lake that owed its existence to a We buy readers ' accounts of their building bull seem dull. Still, we felt fortunate to temporary ice dam at the glacier's margin. experiences-humorous, embarrassing or have some semblance of road access during This pothole, as it is known locally, collects otherwise noteworthy. Send your storyto the summer. spring and summer runoff each year for as Great Moments, Fine Homebuilding, For our piling foundation, Lisa and I long as the ice dam holds. This year it held Box 355, Newtown, Conn. 064 70.

82 Fine Homebuilding Takes Tomorrow'S Rest Ye sterday:'s== = = ::ii;:;;;!;=:;I#f

Nothing is more demanding of the craftsman's skill than the restoration of a 19th century home. Every piece of elaborately carved wood, every plank of hardwood flooring, every bannister spindle must be carefully con­ stl'lJcted to match the existing pieces. Such exacting work-demands precisely engineered tools. And nothing . .."'...... '*' UK wqtld can give you the precision and accuracy of Hitachi PowerToOl s. Known the world over for their state-of­ the-art desl",", Hitachi incorporates space age technology to give you exactly the performance you demand. Experience a new dimension in craftsmanship ... visit your Hitachi Power lbols distributor and see the full line of these exceptional tools. only) ",. f �Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A.Ltd. 4- East: 4487-F Park DUite, Norcross, 30093 925-1774 .(714)� 1I,�,·.·!'t Tl"'H. ..•�: ''' ...1)� l>:"tI::: ....':'1'.t<.. .., 10...... ,;., )':,'<.\N1; ..

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As Hollywood drew attention to herself in the Roaring 20s, some of her wealthy denizens chose to dwell in exotic homes. In the floor plan and elevation above, architect Lloyd Wright began the design sequence that led to the Sowden house, which is today a Hollywood landmark. Al­ though the finishedhouse is different from this plan, its enclosed courtyard remains the focus. There John Sowden enjoyed the balmy climate, safely behind the massive entry gates shown in the drawing at top. For more on the house and its designer, see pages 66-73. -Charles Miller