Rural Architecture

L >> Lewis Falley Allen >> Rural Architecture

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[Illustration: FARM HOUSE. Pages 131-132.]

DESIGN V.

We here present a dwelling of a more ambitious and pretending character
than any one which we have, as yet, described, and calculated for a
large and wealthy farmer, who indulges in the elegances of country life,
dispenses a liberal hospitality, and is every way a country gentleman,
such as all our farmers of ample means should be. It will answer the
demands of the retired man of business as well; and is, perhaps, as full
in its various accommodation as an American farm or country house may
require. It claims no distinct style of architecture, but is a
composition agreeable in effect, and appropriate to almost any part of
the country, and its climate. Its site may be on either hill or
plain--with a view extensive, or restricted. It may look out over broad
savannas, cultivated fields, and shining waters; it may nestle amid its
own quiet woods and lawn in its own selected shade and retirement, or
lord it over an extensive park, ranged by herds and flocks, meandered by
its own stream, spreading anon into the placid lake, or rushing swiftly
over its own narrow bed--an independent, substantial, convenient, and
well-conditioned home, standing upon its own broad acres, and comporting
with the character and standing of its occupant, among his friends and
neighbors.

The main building is 50x40 feet in area upon the ground, two stories
high; the ground story 11 feet high, its floor elevated 2-1/2 or 3 feet
above the level of the surrounding surface, as its position may demand;
the chambers 9 feet high, and running 2 feet into the roof. The rear
wing is one and a half stories high, 36x16 feet; the lower rooms 11 feet
high, with a one story lean-to range of closets, and small rooms on the
weather side, 8 feet in width and 9 feet high. In the rear of these is a
wood-house, 30x20 feet, with 10 feet posts, dropped to a level with the
ground. At the extremity of this is a building, by way of an L, 60x20
feet, one and a half stories high, with a lean-to, 12x30 feet, in the
rear. The ground rooms of this are elevated 1-1/2 feet above the ground,
and 9 feet high. A broad roof covers the whole, standing at an angle of
40 or 45deg above a horizontal line, and projecting widely over the
walls, 2-1/2 to 3 feet on the main building, and 2 feet on the others,
to shelter them perfectly from the storms and damps of the weather. A
small cupola stands out of the ridge of the rear building, which may
serve as a ventilator to the apartments and lofts below, and in it may
be hung a bell, to summon the household, or the field laborers, as the
case may be, to their duties or their meals.

The design, as here shown, is rather florid, and perhaps profusely
ornamental in its finish, as comporting with the taste of the day; but
the cut and moulded trimmings may be left off by those who prefer a
plain finish, and be no detriment to the general effect which the deep
friezes of the roofs, properly cased beneath, may give to it. Such,
indeed, is our own taste; but this full finish has been added, to
gratify such as wish the full ornament which this style of building may
admit.

[Illustration: GROUND PLAN.]

INTERIOR ARRANGEMENT.

The front of this house is accommodated by a porch, or veranda, 40 feet
long, and 10 feet wide, with a central, or entrance projection of 18
feet in length, and 12 feet in width, the floor of which is eight inches
below the main floor of the house. The wings, or sides of this veranda
may be so fitted up as to allow a pleasant conservatory on each side of
the entrance area in winter, by enclosing them with glass windows, and
the introduction of heat from a furnace under the main hall, in the
cellar of the house. This would add to its general effect in winter,
and, if continued through the summer, would not detract from its
expression of dignity and refinement. From the veranda, a door in the
center of the front, with two side windows, leads into the main hall,
which is 26x12 feet in area, two feet in the width of which is taken
from the rooms on the right of the main entrance. On the left of the
hall a door opens into a parlor or drawing-room, marked P, 20 feet
square, with a bay window on one side, containing three sashes, and
seats beneath. A single window lights the front opening on to the
veranda. On the opposite side to this is the fireplace, with blank walls
on each side. On the opposite side of the hall is a library, 18x16 feet,
with an end window, and a corresponding one to the parlor, in front,
looking out on the veranda. In case these portions of the veranda,
opposite the two front windows are occupied as conservatories, these
windows should open to the floor, to admit a walk immediately into them.
At the farther corner of the library a narrow door leads into an office,
or business apartment, 12x8 feet, and opening by a broad door, the upper
half of which is a lighted sash. This door leads from the office out on
a small porch, with a floor and two columns, 8x5 feet, and nine feet
high, with a gable and double roof of the same pitch as the house.
Between the chimney flues, in the rear of this room may be placed an
iron safe, or chest for the deposit of valuable papers; and, although
small, a table and chairs sufficient to accommodate the business
requirements of the occupant, may be kept in it. A chimney stands in the
center of the inner wall of the library, in which may be a fireplace, or
a flue to receive a stovepipe, whichever may be preferred for warming
the room.

Near the hall side of the library a door opens into a passage leading
into the family bedroom, or nursery. A portion of this passage may be
shelved and fitted up as a closet for any convenient purpose. The
nursery is 18x16 feet in size, lighted by two windows. It may have an
open fireplace, or a stove, as preferred, let into the chimney,
corresponding to that in the library. These two chimneys may either be
drawn together in the chambers immediately above, or carried up
separately into the garret, and pass out of the roof in one stack, or
they maybe built in one solid mass from the cellar bottom; but they are
so placed here, as saving room on the floors, and equally accommodating,
in their separate divisions, the stovepipes that may lead into them.
On the inner side of the nursery, a door leads into a large closet, or
child's sleeping-room, 9x8 feet; or it may be used as a dressing-room,
with a sash inserted in the door to light it. A door may also lead from
it into the small rear entry of the house, and thus pass directly out,
without communicating with the nursery. On the extreme left corner of
the nursery is a door leading into the back entry, by which it
communicates either with the rear porch, the dining-room, or the
kitchen. Such a room we consider indispensable to the proper
accommodation of a house in the country, as saving a world of
up-and-down-stairs' labor to her who is usually charged with the
domestic cares and supervision of the family.

On the right of the main hall an ample staircase leads into the upper
hall by a landing and broad stair at eight feet above the floor, and a
right-angled flight from that to the main floor above. Under this main
hall staircase, a door and stairs may lead into the cellar. Beyond the
turning flight below, a door leads into the back hall, or entry, already
mentioned, which is 13x4 feet in area, which also has a side passage of
8x4 feet, and a door leading to the rear porch, and another into the
kitchen at its farther side, near the outer one. Opposite the turning
flight of stairs, in the main hall, is also a door leading to the
dining-room, 20x16 feet. This is lighted by a large double window at the
end. A fireplace, or stove flue is in the center wall, and on each side
a closet for plate, or table furniture. These closets come out flush
with the chimney. At the extreme right corner a door leads into the rear
entry--or this may be omitted, at pleasure. Another door in the rear
wall leads into the kitchen, past the passage down into the cellar--or
this may be omitted, if thought best. Still another door to the left,
opens into a large dining closet of the back lean-to apartments, 8x8
feet. This closet is lighted by a window of proper architectural size,
and fitted up with a suite of drawers, shelves, table, and cupboards,
required for the preparation and deposit of the lighter family stores
and edibles. From this closet is also a door leading into the kitchen,
through which may be passed all the meats and cookery for the table,
either for safe-keeping, or immediate service. Here the thrifty and
careful housekeeper and her assistants may, shut apart, and by
themselves, get up, fabricate, and arrange all their table delicacies
with the greatest convenience and privacy, together with ease of access
either to the dining-room or kitchen--an apartment most necessary in a
liberally-arranged establishment.

From the rear entry opens a door to the kitchen, passing by the _rear_
chamber stairs. This flight of stairs may be entered directly from the
kitchen, leading either to the chamber, or under them, into the cellar,
without coming into the passage connecting with the entry or
dining-room, if preferred. In such case, a broad stair of thirty inches
in width should be next the door, on which to turn, as the door would be
at right angles with the stairs, either up or down.

The kitchen is 20x16 feet, and 11 feet high. It has an outer door
leading on the rear porch, and a window on each side of that door; also
a window, under which is a sink, on the opposite side, at the end of a
passage four feet wide, leading through the lean-to. It has also an open
fireplace, and an oven by the side of it--old fashion. It may be also
furnished with a cooking range, or stove--the smoke and fumes leading by
a pipe into a flue into the chimney. On the lean-to side is a milk or
dairy-room, 8x8 feet, lighted by a window. Here also the kitchen
furniture and meats may be stored in cupboards made for the purpose.
In rear of the kitchen, and leading from it by a door through a lighted
passage next the rear porch, is the wash-room, 16x16 feet, lighted by a
large window from the porch side. A door also leads out of the rear on
to a platform into the wood-house. Another door leads from the wash-room
into a bath-room in the lean-to 8x8 feet, into which warm water is drawn
by a pipe and pump from the boiler in the wash-room; or, if preferred,
the bath-room may be entered from the main kitchen, by the passage next
the sink. This bath-room is lighted by a window. Next to the bath-room
is a bedroom for a man servant who has charge of the fires, and heavy
house-work, wood, &c., &c. This bedroom is also 8x8 feet, and lighted by
a window in the lean-to. In front of this wash-room and kitchen is a
porch, eight inches below the floor, six feet wide, with a railing, or
not, as may be preferred. (The railing is made in the cut.) A platform,
three feet wide, leads from the back door of the wash-room to a
water-closet for the family _proper_. The wood-house is open in front,
with a single post supporting the center of the roof. At the extreme
outer angle is a water-closet for the domestics of the establishment.

Adjoining the wood-house, and opening from it into the L before
mentioned, is a workshop, and small-tool-house, 20x16 feet, lighted by a
large double window at one end. In this should be a carpenter's
work-bench and tool-chest, for the repairs of the farming utensils and
vehicles. Overhead is a store-room for lumber, or whatever else may be
necessary for use in that capacity. Next to this is a granary or
feed-room, 20x10 feet, with a small chimney in one corner, where may be
placed a boiler to cook food for pigs, poultry, &c., as the case may be.
Here may also be bins for storage of grain and meal. Leading out of this
is a flight of stairs passing to the chamber above, and a passage four
feet wide, through the rear, into a yard adjoining. At the further end
of the stairs a door opens into a poultry house, 16x10 feet, including
the stairs. The poultry room is lighted at the extreme left corner, by a
broad window. In this may be made roosts, and nesting places, and
feeding troughs. A low door under the window may be also made for the
fowls in passing to the rear yard. Adjoining the granary, and leading to
it by a door, is the carriage-house, 20x20 feet, at the gable end of
which are large doors for entrance. From the carriage-house is a broad
passage of six feet, into the stables, which are 12 feet wide, and
occupy the lean-to. This lean-to is eight feet high below the eaves,
with two double stalls for horses, and a door leading into the _side_
yard, with the doors of the carriage-house. A window also lights the
rear of the stables. A piggery 12 feet square occupies the remainder of
the lean-to in rear of the poultry-house, in which two or three pigs can
always be kept, and fatted on the offal of the house, for _small_ pork,
at any season, apart from the swine stock of the farm. A door leads out
of the piggery into the rear yard, where range also the poultry. As the
_shed_ roof shuts down on to the pigsty and stables, no loft above them
is necessary. In the loft over the granary, poultry, and carriage-house
is deposited the hay, put in there through the doors which appear in the
design.

CHAMBER PLAN.--This is easily understood. At the head of the stairs,
over the main hall, is a large passage leading to the porch, and opening
by a door-window on the middle deck of the veranda, which is nearly
level, and tinned, or coppered, water-tight, as are also the two sides.
On either side of this upper hall is a door leading to the front
sleeping chambers, which are well closeted, and spacious. If it be
desirable to construct more sleeping-rooms, they can be partitioned
laterally from the hall, and doors made to enter them. A rear hall is
cut off from the front, lighted by a window over the lower rear porch,
and a door leads into a further passage in the wing, four feet wide,
which leads down a flight of stairs into the kitchen below. At the head
of this flight is a chamber 20x12 feet, for the female domestic's
sleeping-room, in which may be placed a stove, if necessary, passing its
pipe into the kitchen chimney which passes through it.

[Illustration: CHAMBER PLAN.]

It is also lighted by a window over the lean-to, on the side. Back of
this, at the end of the passage, is the sleeping-room, 16 feet square,
for the "men-folks," lighted on both sides by a window. This may also be
warmed, if desired, by a stove, the pipe passing into the kitchen
chimney.

The cellar may extend under the entire house and wing, as convenience or
necessity may require. If it be constructed under the main body only, an
offset should be excavated to accommodate the cellar stairs, three feet
in width, and walled in with the rest. A wide, _outer_ passage, with a
flight of steps should also be made under the rear nursery window, for
taking in and passing out bulky articles, with double doors to shut down
upon it; and partition walls should be built to support the partitions
of the large rooms above. Many minor items of detail might be mentioned,
all of which are already treated in the general remarks, under their
proper heads, in the body of the work, and which cannot here be
noticed--such as the mode of warming it, the construction of furnaces,
&c.

It may, by some builders, be considered a striking defect in the
interior accommodation of a house of this character, that the chief
entrance hall should not be extended through, from its front to the
rear, as is common in many of the large mansions of our country.
We object to the large, open hall for more than one reason, except,
possibly, in a house for _summer_ occupation only. In the first place it
is uncomfortable, in subjecting the house to an unnecessary draught of
air when it is not needed, in cold weather. Secondly, it cuts the house
into two distinct parts, making them inconvenient of access in crossing
its wide surface. Thirdly, it is uneconomical, in taking up valuable
room that can be better appropriated. For summer ventilation it is
unnecessary; that may be given by simply opening the front door and a
chamber window connected with the hall above, through which a current of
fresh air will always pass. Another thing, the hall belongs to the
front, or _dress_ part of the house, and should be _cut off_ from the
more domestic and common apartments by a partition, although accessible
to them, and not directly communicating with such apartments, which
cannot of necessity, be in keeping with its showy and pretending
character. It should contain only the _front_ flight of stairs, as a
part of its appointments, besides the doors leading to its best
apartments on the ground floor, which should be centrally placed--its
rear door being of a less pretending and subordinate character. Thus,
the hall, with its open doors, connecting the best rooms of the house on
each side, with its ample flight of stairs in the background, gives a
distinct expression of superiority in occupation to the other and
humbler portions of the dwelling.

In winter, too, how much more snug and comfortable is the house, shut in
from the prying winds and shivering cold of the outside air, which the
opposite outer doors of an open hall cannot, in their continual opening
and shutting, altogether exclude! Our own experience, and, we believe,
the experience of most housekeepers will readily concede its defects;
and after full reflection we have excluded it as both unnecessary and
inconvenient.

Another objection has been avoided in the better class of houses here
presented, which has crept into very many of the designs of modern
builders; which is, that of using the living rooms of the family, more
or less, as passages from the kitchen apartments in passing to and from
the front hall, or chief entrance. Such we consider a decided objection,
and hence arose, probably, the older plans of by-gone years, of making
the main hall reach back to the kitchen itself. This is here obviated by
a cutting up of the rear section of the hall, by which a passage, in all
cases of the better kind of dwelling, is preserved, without encroaching
upon the occupied rooms in passing out and in. To be sure, the front
door is not the usual passage for the laborers or servants of the house,
but they are subject, any hour of the day, to be called there to admit
those who may come, and the continual opening of a private room for such
purposes is most annoying. Therefore, as matter of convenience, and as a
decided improvement on the designs above noticed, we have adhered
strictly to the separate rear passage.

The _garret_, also, as we have arranged our designs, is either
altogether left out, or made a quite unimportant part of the dwelling.
It is but a _lumber_ room, at best; and should be approached only by a
flight of steps from a rear chamber or passage, and used as a receptacle
for useless traps, or cast-off furniture, seldom wanted. It is hot in
summer, and cold in winter, unfit for decent lodging to any human being
in the house, and of little account any way. We much prefer running the
chambers partially into the roof, which we think gives them a more
comfortable expression, and admits of a better ventilation, by carrying
their ceilings higher without the expense of high _body_ walls to the
house, which would give them an otherwise naked look. If it be objected
that thus running the chambers above the plates of the roof prevents the
insertion of proper ties or beams to hold the roof plates together to
prevent their spreading, we answer, that he must be a poor mechanic who
cannot, in framing the chamber partitions so connect the opposite plates
as to insure them against all such difficulty. A _sheltered,
comfortable_ aspect is that which should distinguish every farm house,
and the _cottage_ chamber is one of its chiefest characteristics; and
this can only be had by running such apartments into the roof, as in our
design.

CONSTRUCTION.

A house of this kind must, according to its locality, and the material
of which it is built, be liable to wide differences of estimate in its
cost; and from our own experience in such matters, any estimate here
made we know cannot be reliable as a rule for other localities, where
the prices of material and labor are different from our own. Where
lumber, stone, and brick abound, and each are to be had at reasonable
prices, the cost of an establishment of this kind would not vary much in
the application of either one of these materials for the walls, if well
and substantially constructed. There should be no _sham_, nor slight, in
any part of the building. As already observed, the design shows a high
degree of finish, which, if building for ourself, we should not indulge
in. A plain style of cornice, and veranda finish, we should certainly
adopt. But the roof should not be contracted in its projecting breadth
over the walls, in any part of the structure--if anything, it should be
more extended. The bay-window is an appendage of luxury, only. Great
care should be had, in attaching its roof to the adjoining outer wall,
to prevent leakage of any kind. If the walls be of brick, or stone,
a beam or lintel of wood should be inserted in the wall over the
window-opening, quite two inches--three would be better--back from its
outer surface, to receive the casing of the window, that the drip of the
wall, and the driving of the storms may fall _over_ the connecting
joints of the window roof, beyond its point of junction with it. Such,
also, should be the case with the intersection of the veranda or porch
roof with the wall of the house, wherever a veranda, or porch is
adopted; as, simply joined on to a _flush_ surface, as such appendages
usually are--even if ever so well done--leakage and premature decay is
inevitable.

The style of finish must, of course, influence, in a considerable
degree, its cost. It may, with the plainest finish, be done for $4,000,
and from that, up to $6,000. Every one desirous to build, should apply
to the best mechanics of his neighborhood for information on that point,
as, in such matters, they are the best judges, and from experience in
their own particular profession, of what the cost of building must be.

The rules and customs of housekeeping vary, in different sections of the
United States, and the Canadas. These, also, enter into the estimates
for certain departments of building, and must be considered in the items
of expenditure.

The manner in which houses should be warmed, the ventilation,
accommodation for servants and laborers, the appropriations to
hospitality--all, will have a bearing on the expense, of which we cannot
be the proper judge.

A sufficient time should be given, to build a house of this character.
A house designed and built in a hurry, is never a satisfactory house in
its occupation. A year is little enough, and if two years be occupied in
its design and construction, the more acceptable will probably be its
finish, and the more comfort will be added in its enjoyment.

GROUNDS, PLANTATIONS, AND SURROUNDINGS.

A house of this kind should never stand in vulgar and familiar contact
with the highway, but at a distance from it of one hundred to a thousand
yards; or even, if the estate on which it is built be extensive, a much
greater distance. Breadth of ground between the highway and the dwelling
adds dignity and character to its appearance. An ample lawn, or a
spreading park, well shaded with trees, should lay before it, through
which a well-kept avenue leads to its front, and most frequented side.
The various offices and buildings of the farm itself, should be at a
respectable distance from it, so as not to interfere with its proper
keeping as a genteel country residence. Its occupant is not to be
supposed as under the necessity of toiling with his daily laborers in
the fields, and therefore, although he may be strictly a man of
business, he has sufficient employment in planning his work, and
managing his estate through a foreman, in the various labor-occupations
of the estate. His horse may be at his door in the earliest morning
hours, that he may inspect his fields, and give timely directions to his
laborers, or view his herds, or his flocks, before his breakfast hour;
or an early walk may take him to his stables, his barns, or to see that
his previous directions are executed.

The various accommodation appurtenant to the dwelling, makes ample
provision for the household convenience of the family, and the main
business of the farm may be at some distance, without inconvenience to
the owner's every-day affairs. Consequently, the indulgence of a
considerable degree of ornament may be given, in the surroundings of his
dwelling, which the occupant of a less extensive estate would neither
require, nor his circumstances warrant. A natural forest of stately
trees, properly thinned out, is the most appropriate spot on which to
build a house of this character. But that not at hand, it should be set
off with plantations of forest trees, of the largest growth, as in
keeping with its own liberal dimensions. A capacious kitchen garden
should lead off from the rear apartments, well stocked with all the
family vegetables, and culinary fruits, in their proper seasons. A
luxuriant fruit-garden may flank the least frequented side of the house.
Neat and tasteful flower beds may lie beneath the windows of the rooms
appropriated to the leisure hours of the family, to which the smaller
varieties of shrubbery may be added, separated from the chief lawn, or
park, only by a wire fence, or a simple railing, such as not to cut up
and _checker_ its simple and dignified surface; and all these shut in on
the rear from the adjoining fields of the farm by belts of large
shrubbery closely planted, or the larger orchards, thus giving it a
style of its own, yet showing its connection with the pursuits of the
farm and its dependence upon it.

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