THE KITTREDGE HOUSE
Have you ever noticed the fishermen's little cottages that stand along
the seacoast wherever modern summer resorts have not displaced them?
From a modern architectural point of view, they would at first seem
quite insignificant, and yet, hidden away beneath the rough exteriors,
there are often interesting lines and good proportions. The humble
fishermen who dwelt there cared little for external appearance, but they
built their cottages strong and solid and, though unpretentious, they
were comfortable.
These little old houses, seemingly commonplace though they may be, hold
much more interest for the prospective house owner and the architect
than do the more elaborate ones of later periods. For wherever men have
utilized what skill and intelligence they have to satisfy definite needs
in the simplest, most straightforward way, they have achieved something
of lasting worth.
The ages of these old seacoast houses vary just as do those farther
inland. Some were built long before the Revolution and others at a much
more recent date. Some have fallen into hopeless decay, while others are
still stanch and habitable. The possible purchaser should make a careful
examination both inside and out before he decides to remodel. Sometimes,
from a superficial survey, an old house may appear sturdy enough to
warrant renovation, but a closer investigation will prove that this
would be an expensive business. For the old timbers often hold together
firmly because they have all settled together as a unit; if any one is
disturbed, the rest may be greatly weakened or even threaten to fall
apart, like the proverbial house of cards.
The first indication of dangerous weakness is a sagging roof. If the
lines are even a little concave, it is a bad sign, for the roof would
not have settled had the walls held absolutely true. Because of pressure
against them, they have been forced apart and perhaps are on the point
of tumbling down altogether. If the roof passes its test well, then
examine the line of the walls and be sure they are absolutely vertical
and have neither spread nor fallen inward.
Next study the condition of the timbers. The sill is the most important
one. If it is badly-decayed, all the other members resting upon it will
have been thereby weakened and the whole structure impaired. The upright
timbers and the studs will all have settled, and to straighten them will
mean practically the rebuilding of the house. The floors and the roof
which rest upon them will be endangered. Sometimes the ends of the
uprights have rotted, and the slightest new work about them will result
in their crumbling and undermining the beams and rafters they support.
It is often necessary to use a sharp iron or a long knife and pry
underneath the coverings on both the exterior and the interior to
determine their condition. A little attention given to these points will
determine whether it is worth while to attempt remodeling, or whether
the expense involved would be out of all proportion to the result.
Scarcely less vital is the condition of the cellar. Is there dampness,
caused by lack of ventilation, by bad walls, or by some inherent
moisture? Some of these old houses have a well in the cellar; this
should be drained off and filled up. But if there is an actual spring of
water, as not infrequently occurs, either move the house or abandon
it. Bad walls can be cemented and waterproofed. If the trouble comes
from lack of light and air, it may be possible to cut larger window
openings. Most old houses were set too low, however, and it is
frequently an advantage to raise them. This requires sound underpinning,
or the expense will be great.
While considering the subject of dampness, it is well to examine the
roof and see how much it leaks under the moss-grown shingles. If it is
an old house that is in tolerably good repair at the present time, it
may be that under some previous owner the roof fell into decay, and
rains soaked through. Look for signs of this, for it will mean weakness
in timbers and plaster that must be guarded against. Examine the boards
of the roof to see if they are strong enough to permit the laying of new
shingles.
The chimney is another important matter to investigate. In old houses
which have not been used for some time, the bricks often deteriorate and
become so soft that they crumble at the touch. This would necessitate
the not inconsiderable expense of rebuilding the whole chimney, unless
it is so large that a second smaller one may be inserted within the old.
With the huge fireplaces of other days, whose yawning mouths were often
capable of holding a ten-foot log, a metal flue is frequently used in
the remodeling. It is surrounded on the outside, between itself and the
old chimney, with concrete, which renders it entirely safe from danger
of fire.
A glance should be given also, in this inspection, at the condition of
the floors. If they are not level, it indicates defects in the timbers
underneath. The boards themselves are often so rough and laid with such
large cracks that it will be necessary to lay new floors. Notice, too,
the condition of doors and windows; whether they are straight and true
enough to be used again, or if others will have to replace them. Tap the
plaster here and there to see where it is loose and to what extent it
must be renewed.
These are the tests that indicate whether the old house is worth buying
and what will be the essential expense to make it habitable. Sometimes
one or another defect is so severe as to make the venture foolish; again
it can be remedied by resort to strenuous methods. Not infrequently the
drawbacks of a bad cellar and a poor location are at once overcome by
removing the house altogether to a new site. This is practicable when
the building is sound in structure and an inexpensive operation if it is
small.
[Illustration: AN OLD CAPE COD HOUSE]
That was the proceeding which Miss Mabel L. Kittredge undertook with an
old fisherman's cottage that had stood for many years on the shores of
Cape Cod. It was a simple little building, dilapidated and
weather-beaten, and quite unsuggestive of a summer home. But its very
quaintness and diminutive size attracted her attention, and she
determined to investigate it. The owner was willing to part with it,
just as it stood, for eighty-five dollars, not including the land.
The location was not desirable, and it was decided to "fleck" the house,
as is the colloquial term on the Cape for preparing a building to be
moved. It was taken apart and floated across the water to its new
foundations in South Yarmouth. Here it was "unflecked" and set up facing
the harbor and the cool breezes from the ocean.
[Illustration: AN OLD CAPE COD HOUSE--SIDE VIEW]
The original building, erected in the early part of the nineteenth
century, was a small, shingled structure, thirty by twenty feet, with a
straight gable roof rising from the low stud of the first story. Its
proportions were not at all unpleasing, and the placing of the several
small-paned windows was particularly agreeable. There was a kitchen shed
attached to the rear.
When it was set in position in the new location, additional windows were
cut, a small porch built at the front entrance, and a second shed
attached at right angles to the kitchen wing. In the second story, a
broad flat-roofed dormer with three windows increased the interior
space, without seriously altering the straight lines of the roof. The
effort to retain the original simplicity of line is also evident in the
porch roof, which follows closely the wide angle of the gable ends of
the house.
[Illustration: The Living Room]
The original interior was cut up into a number of small rooms, the
partitions of which were removed, with the exception of those dividing
off a bedroom at the rear. This left one good-sized apartment, which was
fitted up for living and dining-room combined and made a most delightful
place. The stairs were built at the left, along the rear wall. A group
of three windows was cut here to give extra light and air, and the
manner in which they have been handled is interesting. On account of the
position of a heavy supporting beam, it was impossible to make these new
windows the height of the original ones. The effect of this was
ameliorated by placing a shelf directly above the group of three and
extending it across the wall to meet the old window. A number of
interesting pieces of china placed on the shelf give it a character and
weight which thus carries the eye along from one opening to the other
without any consciousness of the break in height. This is but one of
those ingenious methods by which remodeling is made successful.
The large, old-fashioned fireplace is the center of interest in this
room. At the right of it is a china closet with mullioned glass door,
and on the left two narrower closets are found in the paneling. A new
hardwood floor had to be laid, as the original one was in bad condition.
The wainscot and woodwork throughout the house was unusually good for
such a small and unpretentious structure. After the former layers of
paint had been removed and the wood thoroughly cleaned, it was finished
in white. The walls, scraped down to the original plaster, were painted
in a soft green flat-coat that was delightfully fresh and cool.
Back of this large room was a small hallway leading into the ell at the
back. At the left, space was taken for a bathroom.
[Illustration: AN OLD CAPE COD HOUSE--THE KITCHEN]
The kitchen was kept practically the same as in the old house. The rough
stud and rafters were stained a dark brown, and the boards of the roof
whitewashed. The walls were plastered to the height of the stud. A
modern stove was attached to the old chimney flue on the outside of the
building. The exposed uprights provided an opportunity for convenient
shelves to be built for the various kitchen appliances.
[Illustration: The Attic Chamber]
Up-stairs the entire floor was thrown into one room, instead of making
several small, stuffy, sleeping apartments. The dormer which was cut in
the front added not only to the light, air, and space of the room, but
gave an opportunity for a most attractive window-seat to be built
beneath the broad windows. The old, wide boards of the floor were in
good condition and kept intact. The walls were plastered to the ridge,
exposing the heavy tie-beams. Along the walls under the eaves, sets of
drawers were built into the woodwork, thus obviating the necessity of
having chiffoniers or chests of drawers to consume already limited
space. The rough bricks of the chimney, which breaks slantingly through
the floor near the center of the room, are not concealed. Instead, they
form a rather decorative feature in the little apartment, and about
the four sides of the flue shelves are built which serve as a
dressing-table and a desk.
The furnishings of the whole house are delightfully simple and
suggestive of the quaint Colonial period when it was built. Tables and
chairs, pictures, mirrors, and china are interesting heirlooms that have
been handed down in the family of the owner and preserve the spirit of
the little cottage as admirably as do the various alterations which have
made it so modern and habitable.