DOI article:
Jones, Sydney R.: On the designing of cottages and small houses
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41874#0066
ON THE DESIGNING OF COTTAGES AND SMALL HOUSES
Crete blocks—a fact which was de-
monstrated to the writer some years
ago when a manufacturer of cement
found, after experiment, that the
cheapest and most suitable cottages
were those erected with local bricks.
And the esthetic objections to con-
crete are constant. It is not a beauti-
ful material, and any attempt to
face it and make it appear like some-
thing else, means affectation and
false building.
The roof is an important feature of
a cottage elevation. Its appearance
is regulated by the slope or pitch,
and by the materials that are used in
its construction. Cottage roofs should be of the simplest kind, and, as far
as possible, should not be broken by projections. Flat-pitched roofs rarely
look well, and often fail to throw off" the water. On the other hand, a
very steep slope in a roof, however good its effect may be, means an ad-
ditional cost that is rarely justified in modern cottage-building. The ad-
visability of introducing dormers, or omitting them, is governed by the
plan and by the height of the walls. The dormer treatment is suitable if
it permits a reduction in the height of the eaves, and allows full use to be
made of the space in the roof. Instances of the use of dormers are given
in several of the illustrations
(pages 3, 6, 7, 35 and 36).
The materials necessary for
covering cottage roofs need to
be selected with care. The
roof of a small building is
very conspicuous and consti-
tutes a large proportion of the
total elevation. When it
strikes a wrong note of colour,
is covered with ugly materials,
or is otherwise unsatisfactory,
it goes far to mar the effect of
any design. Roof-coverings,
whilst being;: thoroughly
watertight, should harmonize
with the walls they cover, as
54
I
FIREPLACE IN BRICKS AND TILES
Crete blocks—a fact which was de-
monstrated to the writer some years
ago when a manufacturer of cement
found, after experiment, that the
cheapest and most suitable cottages
were those erected with local bricks.
And the esthetic objections to con-
crete are constant. It is not a beauti-
ful material, and any attempt to
face it and make it appear like some-
thing else, means affectation and
false building.
The roof is an important feature of
a cottage elevation. Its appearance
is regulated by the slope or pitch,
and by the materials that are used in
its construction. Cottage roofs should be of the simplest kind, and, as far
as possible, should not be broken by projections. Flat-pitched roofs rarely
look well, and often fail to throw off" the water. On the other hand, a
very steep slope in a roof, however good its effect may be, means an ad-
ditional cost that is rarely justified in modern cottage-building. The ad-
visability of introducing dormers, or omitting them, is governed by the
plan and by the height of the walls. The dormer treatment is suitable if
it permits a reduction in the height of the eaves, and allows full use to be
made of the space in the roof. Instances of the use of dormers are given
in several of the illustrations
(pages 3, 6, 7, 35 and 36).
The materials necessary for
covering cottage roofs need to
be selected with care. The
roof of a small building is
very conspicuous and consti-
tutes a large proportion of the
total elevation. When it
strikes a wrong note of colour,
is covered with ugly materials,
or is otherwise unsatisfactory,
it goes far to mar the effect of
any design. Roof-coverings,
whilst being;: thoroughly
watertight, should harmonize
with the walls they cover, as
54
I
FIREPLACE IN BRICKS AND TILES