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THE CRAFTSMAN'S HOUSE
variety in the immediate surroundings, while the view of the whole country from the hilltop through the gaps in the surrounding hills does away with any sense of being shut in.
In designing the house, the first essential naturally was that it should be suited exactly to the requirements of the life to be lived in it; the second, that it should harmonize with its environment; and the third, that it should be built, as far as possible, from the
materials to be had right there on the ground and left as nearly as possible in the natural state. Therefore the foundation and lower walls of the building are of split field stone and boulders taken from the tumbledown stone fences and loose-lying rocks on the hillsides. The timbers are cut from chestnut trees growing on the land, and the lines, proportions and color of the building are designed with a special view to the contour of the ground upon
P E. RG O LA
FIRST STORY FLOOR PLAN.
DETAIL OF LIVING ROOM SHOWING PIANO, PICTURE WINDOW AND BOOKCASES.
which it stands and the background of trees which rises behind it.
The hillside site, affording, as it does, well
nigh perfect drainage, makes it possible to
put into effect a favorite Craftsman theory,—
that a house should be built without a cellar
and should, as nearly as possible, rest directly
on the ground with no visible foundation to
separate it from the soil and turf in which
it should almost appear to have taken root.
The house is protected against dampness
by making
the excava-
tion for
the founda-
tion down
to clear
hard soil,
filling it in
partly with
the smaller pieces of stone that were re-
jected from the walls and placing on this a
thick layer of broken stone leveled off with
an equally thick layer of Portland cement
and concrete, making it level and smooth
like a pavement. All of this foundation is
drain-tiled both inside and out. On the top
of the cement floor is a double layer of
damp-proofing, which extends without a
break up the wall, and a thick laver of tar
and sand, in which the floor timbers are bed-
ded. Another layer of waterproof paper
covers this; and then comes the floor itself—
as completely protected from moisture as if
it were on the top story of the building. The
heating plant and laundry are provided for
in a separate building and the stone storage
DINING ROO

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