162

FARM-HOUSES AND OFFICES

back of the scifting board, is to be made up closely with plas-ter lime, or chips of stones and glass, to prevent lodging forvermin. The earth under the principal floor should becleared out, at least to the depth of two feet, and a drain ordrains made across it; if the situation be the least damp, theempty space should be then filled up with dry stones, andforge ashes, to within a few inches of the bottom of thesleepers; the sleepers should be charred and covered withboiled tar.

The plastering of the main house should be done in thebest manner, with three coats ; the principal rooms to haveenriched cornices ; and the bed rooms plain ones.

The whole of the wood work should have two coats of oilpaint, as soon as put up; and all the outside wood workshould be finished with four coats of oil colour, as soon as itcan be done. The inside finishing of the main house oughtto have four coats; two to be given when ready to receive it, *and the other two after it has stood one season, in order togive time for the wood shrinking.

In estimating the expence of such buildings, it is abso-lutely necessary to have as a data the price of all sorts ofmaterials, at the place where the building is proposed to beerected, without which, any detailed estimate must be quiteuseless and delusive. There is, however, a mode of ascertain-ing the expence of buildings in a general manner, which will,in most cases, be found very near the truth •, it is, by takingthe cubical contents in feet, of whatever buildings are wantedto be estimated, and calculating the amount at a certain priceper cubic foot.

Thus, houses of the above description are found to costsixpence per cubic foot, when in favourable situations for ma- »terials, such as in the Lothians of Scotland . Stable offices,and such kind of buildings, may be fairly rated at fivepenceper foot; and farm-offices and cottages at fourpence.