VERANDAHS.
The front elevation of a rustic verandah is presented by Fig. 133, which
shows a part only, which may be extended to any required length at
either end. As to the width, that indicated is 3-1/2 ft. from the wall
to the middle of the collar-posts, the eaves having a further projection
of 6 in. For a cottage verandah the width given is a satisfactory one.
It gives sufficient room for seats on a hot day, or for a promenade on a
wet one. The width, as also the height, can easily be increased to suit
a larger house. The verandah is supposed to be built on a raised
platform of brick or stone.
All parts of the actual framework are of straight natural wood,
preferably larch; whilst the mere filling-in of rustic open-work is of
small crooked stuff--probably oak or apple tree. The roof, as
illustrated, is of tiles.
It will be seen that the posts which support the verandah are arranged
in pairs, so that 3 in. or 3-1/2 in. poles will suffice for them. Their
bases are supposed to be dowelled to the masonry of the platform on
which they stand; they are 6 ft. 6 in. high. Except at the entrances, a
sill of half-stuff runs from post to post on the platform. At a height
of 3 ft. 3 in. they are connected by a round bar of smaller material,
and, again, by a second cross-bar of similar size to the last, at 6 in.
from their upper ends. On the tops of the posts rests a lintel of
half-stuff of larger diameter--say 5 in. The upper and lower cross-bars
come opposite to the middles of the posts, but need not be mortised into
them, for if their ends are cut V-shaped, so as to clip the posts, they
can be nailed quite firmly.
[Illustration: Fig. 133.--Front Elevation of Verandah.]
The lower cross-rail is placed at a convenient height for leaning upon.
At a height of 5 ft. 6 in. caps are formed by simply nailing four pieces
of quartered stuff round each post. The diagonal braces which start from
above the capitals pass in front of the upper cross-bars, to which and
to the lintel they are nailed. Fig. 133 sufficiently shows how the
panels between the pairs of posts and the frieze between the upper
cross-bar and lintel are filled with open-work of small crooked
branches, which contrasts in a pleasing manner with the straight pieces
of the framework. This open-work may be made available for, and will be
found useful as, a support for climbing plants.
In so narrow a structure the rafters alone will suffice to keep all in
place, without anything of the nature of a tie-beam being called for.
These rafters will be of half-stuff, and for the given width a length of
5 ft. will be enough; this will allow of such a projection beyond the
lintel as will give the eaves a width of 6 in.; the pitch will be rather
less than a true pitch, but amply steep for the purpose. A piece of
half-stuff nailed to the wall will support the upper ends of the
rafters.
In forming the roof it is proposed to board over the whole space upon
the rafters, and to nail the tiles or other covering upon the boards.
The inside may be lined beneath the boarding with rush matting. This is
an inexpensive material; its brownish-green hue is pleasing to the eye,
and it is so inartificial in appearance as to harmonise well with the
natural wood. After fixing the rafters, the matting is to be stretched
tightly across them before the boards are nailed down. It is probable
that the rafters will be arranged with intervals of about a foot between
them, and to hold the matting more closely to the boards a strip of
split rod may be nailed up the middle of each space, or strips may be
nailed so as to form a simple ornamental pattern; an intricate one will
not be desirable, as fixing it will be overhead work.
[Illustration: Fig. 134.--Front Elevation of Glazed Verandah for Grape
Culture.]
A neat, but less characteristic, ceiling may be formed by painting the
boards a suitable colour and slightly ornamenting them with split
strips of rod. In this case the boards should be planed. None will
be better for this purpose than 3/4-in. flooring boards, and these are
commonly sold planed on one side. Other ways of lining the roofs of
rustic buildings are discussed in Chapter XIII. For summer-houses thatch
makes a good-looking roof, but a thatched verandah would scarcely be
desirable unless attached to a thatched cottage. Practically the choice
lies between shingles, metal, and tile or slate. A metal roof is,
undoubtedly, that most easily fixed by the beginner; black sheet iron
looks better than galvanised, and must be kept painted. As a matter of
taste, metal looks thin and poor, but it becomes less objectionable when
painted; a deep, dull red would be the colour to be preferred. Perhaps,
of all available coverings, nothing will look better than tiles, as
drawn. Red or buff tiles will in themselves look best, but the choice
must, to an extent, be influenced by the general covering of the house.
It may be, if that is of slate, that small slates will come in most
appropriately; but whichever of these coverings is used, the best finish
against the wall will be with a "flashing" of metal, as shown.
It has been asserted by some who consider themselves authorities in
matters of taste that nothing of the nature of a greenhouse ever
harmonises with natural surroundings, or is otherwise than an eyesore in
a garden in other respects beautiful. The hard, straight lines of wood
or metal, and wide surfaces of shining glass, are not pleasing, and are
too suggestive of the shop and factory to accord well with natural
objects. It has been suggested that the difficulty might be overcome by
combining rustic work with glass. This, at the first glance, looks
fairly easy; but, on consideration, it will be seen to be otherwise.
Rustic carpentry is in its nature irregular, and cannot be brought to
those level planes and straight lines essential to glass-work; whilst
for interiors, and especially those of houses intended for vines, rough
bark-coloured surfaces afford too much shelter to insect pests--so that,
in reality, rustic-work can only be made applicable to a very limited
extent. In the grape-growing verandah shown by Fig. 134, therefore, only
a limited amount of rustic-work has been introduced, and that on the
outside.
[Illustration: Fig. 135.--Side View of Bottom of Post for Glazed
Verandah.]
[Illustration: Fig. 136.--Side View of Top of Post for Glazed Verandah.]
Such of the materials as are of a rustic kind are, for the parapet and
uprights, some rather small larch poles or other tolerably straight,
round stuff, and for the panels, some of those "slabs," or rough outside
planks. As to the posts, and such parts as are not rustic, they are
supposed to be of good deal. The sash-bars, which carry the glass both
in roof and walls, are to be bought struck by steam at a lower price
than they can be worked by hand, or sashes may be bought ready glazed.
For glazing work of this kind, 16-oz., or sometimes 20-oz., glass is
used.
As in the design for an open rustic verandah (see Fig. 133) it is
intended that the collar-posts should be set upon and dowelled into a
raised platform of masonry. The present structure is, of course,
intended for the warmer sides of a house, south or west. The width, to
meet particular cases, can be varied, but is, according to the drawings,
4-1/2 ft. The posts are 6 ft. high and 3-1/2 in. square. They are set
with spaces between them alternately of 3 ft. and 4-1/2 ft. On their
tops rests a wall-plate of the same width as themselves, and 2-1/2 in.
deep. The rafters, which are sash-bars rebated to carry the glass, rest
on this wall-plate, and against a second vertical one fixed to the house
wall.
Fig. 134 is a front elevation of a portion of the verandah, whilst Fig.
135 gives a side view of the lower half of one of the collar-posts. At
_a_, in Fig. 135, is seen the section of the upper cross-rail, which has
its top 2-1/2 ft. from the ground; at _b_ is the lower cross-rail, or
sill. Both are of quartered rough stuff, and are mortised to the post
3/4 in. from its inner edge, so that when the 3/4-in. boarding, _c_, is
nailed against them, it will come flush with the inner side of the post.
At _d_ is indicated the sash-frame, with its rebate for glass, which
occupies the upper part of the opening; and at _e_ is a metal flashing
between rail and sash to throw off rain. It is proposed that the sashes
in the narrower openings only should be made to push outwards at bottom
for ventilation. At _f_ is a piece of halved rough stuff nailed to the
front of the post.
The panels, which occupy the lower part of the space between the
collar-posts, are filled with pieces of rough plank or "slab," as shown
in Fig. 134. These pieces should wear their natural bark as far as
possible; they are nailed to the inner boarding.
In Fig. 136 the upper part of a post is in like manner shown in profile:
_g_ is the wall-plate in section, and _h_ is the lower end of a rafter.
At _i_ will be observed a strip of quartered stuff nailed across the
post (with a fir-cone bradded beneath it), which gives a starting-point
to the upright _k_, by which the openwork rustic parapet is supported.
These uprights are of small round stuff, slightly flattened on the side
towards the post. The openwork parapet is too plainly figured to need
description; it is intended to break to a certain extent the straight
lines, and partially to conceal the glass-work of the roof, without
seriously interfering with sunshine.
So much of the planed wood-work as shows outside should be painted of a
good brown, to assimilate with the rustic-work.