Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/266

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

242 COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA AllCUITECTUIlE. principle before mentioned, § 306. There are two divisions of privies; one for the females and young children, I; and the other for males, m. The drain, common to both, is connected with three covered cess-pools, w, n, and o ; by which, with the aid of two sluices or plugs, as described in § 16, s, the liquid manure in one tank may be allowed to ferment, while one of the others is being filled, and the third being emptied. Over these cess-pools are two dimg-pits, n n, and one pit for rubbish not convertible into manure, o. 488. Accommodations of each Dwellitifj. The entrance is by a lobby, p, in which there is a sink with a water-cock at one corner, and the other corner may do for the tools, brooms, &c. A. door from this lobby opens into the living-room, q, which is of a com- modious size, nineteen feet six inches by thirteen feet six inches. In this there is a place, r, with a raised hearth for keeping food or water hot over a lamp, a little charcoal, or a fire pail, there being a small flue formed of earthenware pipes, for carrying oflf the smoke. This cooking place, however, is only intended to be made use of in case of family sick- ness. Adjoining, there is a closet cupboard, s ; and at the opposite end of the room there may be corner cupboards, a dresser, or any piece of furniture or kind of fitting up the occupier may prefer or find necessary. There are three bed-rooms, t, u, v, the largest for the master and mistress ; and the centre one, u, having the window down to the floor, paneled below, and to open as a door. This door is to be considered as exclusively for the use of the females. 489. The flues tinder the floors will be six in number, going from the three boilers and the two ovens. We propose that the whole of these flues should be placed under the floors of the living-rooms, and that all of them slioidd go from the drying-room in direct lines to the extreme end of the dwellings, each outgoing flue having a return flue along- side of it. There will thus be six outgoing and six return flues; which, covered with one-foot tiles, will serve as flooring to the whole of the living-rooms. In order to prevent the smoke from rising between the joints, narrow slips of slate must be laid under each ; or, what would make a warmer floor, the whole should be covered with cement, or arti- ficial stone composition. As heat will not be required under any of the floors during the summer season, except that of the drying-room, it is proposed to have all the upright flues in the party wall between the drying-room and the first dwelling, and to have two communications with each of these upright flues, one from the outgoing flue immediately under it, and the other from the return flue of the same outgoing flue. By having a damper in the first, the smoke might be either sent round the horizontal flues, for the purpose of heating the dwellings ; or, when heat was not wanted, allowed to escape through the upright flues. These dampers will thus serve to regulate the heat supplied to the floors of the dwellings ; and, in the end of spring and the beginning of autumn, when only a little heat is wanting, some of the dampers can be drawn out ; while in winter, when a maximum of heat is required, they can all be pushed in. The dampers will aiso be useful when first lighting the fires in the mornings ; because withcb'awing them will create a draught. The number of dwellings, which it is supposed these flues might heat, with no other fuel than what was required for the cooking and washing of the occupants, is here estimated at twelve ; but, if the houses were placed on a slope, the fires at the lower end, and the upright flues at the iqiper end ; the outgoing horizontal flues having no returns, the number would no doubt h& greater. INIucli will depend on the kind of fuel used, and on care being taken to let no air pass into the flues from the furnaces or ovens, that has not entered by the ash-pit doors, and ascended through the fires ; and also, that, when no fires require to be made, the fiu'iiaces, ovens, and ash-pit doors are kept closely shut. The best fuel for heating flues is that which burns the quickest, such as faggot wood, spray, shavings, &e. ; and'^vlien once heated they ought to be closely shut up, to ])revent a draught of air from cooling them. 490. Constriictioyi. We have shown all the outside and party walls as eighteen inches thick, and the partition walls as one foot thick, on the supposition that it would be cheapest to build them in mud or rammed earth : there will thus be no brickwork required, but for the ovens, fireplaces, and flues. The walls may be finished inside according to the taste or means of the party. The roof may be of thatch, or whatever material is cheapest in the given locality ; it ought to project at least three feet on every side, as well for protection of the walls, as to form a covering to the terrace path, which will form the common passage from all the dwellings to the offices ; and also to save the expense of gutters. In the roof of each dwelling there should be an opening of two or three inches s(]uarc over the raised hearth, corresponding with a similar one in the ceiling under it, to admit the escape of smoke, when a lamp, embers, or charcoal,