NIL WILLIAMS-ELLIS ' S COTTAGE ON THE MERROW TRIAL-GROUND, NEAR GUILDFORD. The

Accommodation.

Attention is particularly drawn to the fact that a very slight modification in the position of some of the interior partitions will bring the floor areas and cubic contents of all the rooms above the minimum recommended (Schedule II.) in Section 157 of thli Small Holdings Committee Report. Even as built all three bedrooms exceed in floor area and cubic contents, not only the Schedule II. minima, but also those of the more liberal Schedule I. As see :— Schedule I. Schedule IL The Cottage.

Floor Cubic Floor Cable Floor Cam

Area, Content. Att. Content. Ares- Content,

Bedroom 1 ... ISO 1.1100 .- 144 1.152 165 1,543 Bedroom I ... 100 SOO ... 100 103 ... 144 1.400

Also, if the ten square feet and more of floor space cased in under the staire be thrown into the room, the floor area of the living

room rises the little necessary to bring it above the Schedule II. low-water mark, whilat the throwing of the etairease itself into the room would bring it above the line as to cubic contents. Similarly, the scullery could be enlarged at the expense of bedroom No. 5, and the larder by curtailing the fuel shod. Alternatively (as regards cubic content.) the upper floor might be raised, giving some of the excess of air space in the upper rooms to those below.

However, cheap, convenient, and compact planning within the close limits imposed has been held to be of greater importance than a rigid adherence to the very letter of the Report Schedule where the two seemed to conflict. The schedule was taken pre- 'tunably as intended, not as an arbitrary rule but as a guide. Though as at present arranged the cottage is technically a "non- conformist," it could be rebuilt with the necessary modifications so as to bring it within the pale of Schedule II. at slightly less cost than me executed, but, it 18 held, at some little cost in comfort and convenience.

Planning.

The front door opens into a light lobby at the stair-foot, from whieh an inner door opens into the living-room, screening it as it opens. This room has a large three-light casement to the south and a two-light casement to the west, and its range, which is thus well side-lit, is sufficiently removed from doors and cross draughts.

A useful extra cupboard is contrived under the stairs, whilst its recessed and boarded flank is fitted up as a simple dresser.

Where the wall and floor space are of the least value and least Illuminated is placed the door to the scullery, which is fitted with a steam-extracting copper and a sink with draining board. From the scullery open the permanently ventilated larder and the back- door. Immediately outside the last is the door of the consider- able fuel-shed, whilst round the corner, at the extreme end of the lean-to, is the earth.closet.

The remainder of the ground floor is occupied by bedroom No.3. A wide straight staircase, convenient for both the quick and the dead as well as for furniture, leads up from the lobby aforesaid to the two other bedrooms, Noe. 1 and 2, which are entered from the directly lighted and ventilated landing. Both rooms are lighted by large casements well up in the gable ends, and as the saves walla are a full 3 ft. 03 in, in height, the whole of the floor area is functional and not merely theoretic:.

Note oft Alternative Chamber Plait —By putting a four-light easement in the "back" gable end and dividing the present bed- room Na 1 by a central partition from floor to ridge, two smaller bedrooms could be provided in lien of the single larger one, if found expedient The fourth bedroom so provided would be entered through bedroom No. 2, and if the four-light easement and this connecting door be provided in the first instance at the cost of a few extra shillings, the dividing partition could be easily added at some later date (in matching conveniently and at very small cost), possibly only as a temporary expedient to meet the exigencies of a passing phase of family life. Fireplaces could ha readily provided in all the rooms if desired, the partitions all being radial from the central stack. The omission of the fireplace from bedroom No. 2 probably saves considerably less than a sovereign, as it is little if any more costly to build a square four. fined stack than an L-shaped hreeIeed stack az adopted.

The Structure.

The cottage is constructed on a stud framework of home-grown fir resting on a concrete raft, a course of bricks and a damp-proof course interveniog between this last and the timber base-plate. Externally the timber carcassing is sheathed with sawn "lath and a halt" fir laths and rendered with cement oompo, the lower portion of the walla being additionally reinforced with strong galvanized rabbit-netting. The lean-to is constructed in stud

and weatherhoarding.

The roof is covered with blue-grey Portmadon slates laid in a special diagonal manner (at a considerable saving over the usual horizontal treatment), on battens which, with insulating felt, overlie the roof boarding. This roof boarding is tongued and grooved in. deal wrought on its underside to form the ceiling of the upper bedrooms. It runs from ridge to eaves' and is inter- medially supported by one jiurlin to each slope. There are no common rafters at all. On the inside the outer walls are lathed and plastered in the ordinary way, as arc also all the ground-floor ceiling& The ground floors are of cement brought to a fine face, on the concrete bed aforesaid. The joinery is of deal, save for the window-sills, which are of oak, and is " solignumed" throughout. Drainage is from a trapped gulley outside the back-door con- nected to a drain of agricultural pipes puddlod in clay which discharges into a neighbouring ditch. Opening casements are operated by a simple fitting combining the functions of cockspur and stay. The stepped elumney-top to designed with an eye to reducing the chances of down-smoke.

An edition de lure of this cottage was first built--with aelightdy modified plan—in tile and elm weather-boarding, at Compton, somo ten miles of f, for Mrs. G. F. Watts. The accounts were carefully censored and analysed—plan and details were slightly altered as also the specification—all extravagances and luxuries being eliminated, and many money-saving expedients and economies being introduced. The Merrow cottage is the revised "popular" edition of the above.

NOTES ON TEl EVILDING, COST, AND .4.000IINTS.

The subjoined account, arc an exact statement of the sums actually paid out. It will be noticed that good wages have bean paid—but to good men—and to employ labour at an apparent saving of, say, twenty-five per cent. per hour would by no means necessarily mean a proportionate reduction in the total labour charge ; indeed, it might well add to it. The efficiency and intelligence of the men—especially of the leading hand (and head)--are of prime importance on a job of this sort if it is to come out well as to price ; one cannot afford mistakes or the -waste of precious time or materials. In this connexion one may observe that previous experience of similar work would be very helpful to the men—and it would certainly be found that the labour cost on the second cottage would be substantially less than on the first—and similarly, that on the third less than that on the second—by which time the gang should have nearly attained their highest possible efficiency in their use of time and materials.

Most of the materials and fittings were purchased from local tradesmen (Guildford, three miles), and the prices paid frequently included delivery to the job—which accounts for the comparatively small cartage bill. If bought in bulk, the materials would naturally cost less. The cost of fencing, water-supply, and drain- age is Rd included because, as the nature and extent of the work necessary are likely. to vary very widely in every case, its inclusion would be rather =deeding than otherwise. As a matter of fact, as the site selected was a field-corner, only one short straight line of fence is necessary. Company's water is laid on from the road- main hard by, and effective drainage is provided through the medium of a trapped gulley set in conorete and connected too line of agricultural drain-pipes which are puddied in clay, and dis- charge into a ditch some forty feet from the cottage. This drainage cost Its. 9d. in labour and materials.

As the two leading men came from a distance a certain amount of time was wasted travelling, in finding lodgings, collecting gear and materials, &c.; while calling on merchants and tradesmen, erecting temporary shed, clearing away and loading on rail, twelve hours' office-work, and the like also absorbed time to the value of 48 ifs, ad. On top of this come incidentals such as postage and petty cash disbursements amounting to 9s. 51d. Thus, in addition to the £100 19s. 11d., the actual cost of the building in labour and materials, there was an indirect expenditure of .04 5s. 81d.

On an estate this would practically disappear as an item of building costs, though it would still Stir:rive (mach shrunken) in fact, probably being unconsciously borne at no apparent extra cost by the estate office. It is open to any landowner to do what the architect did in this case, that is, to engage a competent managing foreman at an adequate wage, pay direct cash for all materials and wages weekly.

[The Commas who carried through the cottage in question would build repents, or do other cottage work, by contract or otherwise—his direction being D. Groombridge, Hartileld, Susses. C. Elcock, contractor, also of liart6eld, is currying out much similar work far the architect elsewhere, and would also be glad to tendon]

The building of the cottage required a total of fifteen man-weeks of labour (including slater and plasterer and mate)—or three men for five weeks. A roof of red Bridgewater tiles could be substituted for the grey Iffadoc slates if desired, without increase of cost.

Summary of the Actual Building Accounts.

Lad.

Emcee. rubble, mad, ballast, cement, elrapite plaster, lime, cow.

Tisines Various scantling., floortioardn, weather-boards, match-

ing, lath.. .lath and halts," to., dio. 19 15 2 JOrkeur Window framm, sashes, doors, door.frames, linings,

SMITE

fisishlsgs, do.. AND IRONMONGER: gm., gutters, brackets, Inds,

screws, bolts, brads, hinge., butte, casement and door furniture, W W. PiPes, hoop-iron. range, mantel-register, furnace-pan,

steam.4414. wire netting, lit„ Ice. „, Hiss AND SARETAGE or SOAPY:MENG Enssuismn (including lathing inside sad out, internal plastering sod retersl rendering) SLATER: Coutmot with . W. Allard end Co. for special diagonal 1415. Ills, grey Mud.° slating (new system), including battens, ridges, and labour (61 squares-1,800 slates) SIIKORIES Damp-proof course, roofing felt, sink, tic. Esisrut AND titismse Faint, glees, solignum, putty, ram, SMITING AND SAERIAGS Carter, carnler, and :WI Was and pia- TABOUR ON SITE Forsrn.o.BsildceD Groombriags, EIS Emirs el Is. • Carpenter.Joiner H. liooton,3824 hours at SA.; Labourer B.

Issurisser ationat Heslth and Unemployed Insurance, also Em.

102 18 6 Cosmos : By discounts for cash where such allowed and not already reckoned in (6a. 8d.); by return of cement bags (20e.) by builder 8100 19 11 The accounts have been independently checked, and the whole of the receipted bills can, if desired, be seen at the architeoffe office, Arundel House, Victoria Embankment, London, W.C.

[Mr. Williams-Ell's, having proved the possibility and practicability of the one-hundred-guinea cottage by the one convincing test of actual building, and satisfied himself and Mr. Strachey that it can be repeated at much the same price in most average districts—where the work is managed with due care and economy—he has,with true public spirit and generosity, made a present of the plans, quantities, and specifications to the Spectator to make what use of them may be thought beet. Believing, as we do, that this cottage marks a real advance in cheap rural housing, we are having the data that have been placed at our disposal put together in

5 5 11

1 0 0

7111 9 0 0 1 5 9 110 16 I 17 9

convenient form (specifications, quantities, working plane, and details), and when ready we shall be pleased to forward the same to anyone interested who cares to apply for them, and who will enclose 2s. 6d. to cover the estimated cost of printing, lithography, postage, she. In the event of any profit accruing, it will be handed over to the Rural Housing Organization Society (4 Tavistock Square, W.0.) in aid of their work. Any applications for the data as above should bear marked on the envelope the words "Modal Cottage." We congratulate Mr. Williams-Ellie most heartily on his achievement, and trust his model will be many times repeated. It can always be inspected at Merrow Common, three miles from Guildford Station.—En. Spectator.]