WOODEN HOUSES.
[TO 11111 EDITOR OF TIFIR "SPECTATOR." J
Sin,—The cottage that I built as a yachting box in one of the beautiful New Zealand bays will interest some of your readers.
At Torrent Bay, twenty-six miles from Nelson, there was a very rare combination of seaside conditions. To begin with, the bay was perfectly sheltered ; then in its land-locked quietude there were sandy beaches, caves, rocky places, a lagoon, and into it ran a pretty river, at the head of which was a waterfall. I bought land there and built a cottage in
the following manner. When the lower frame was fixed and studs erected, and the upper frame fitted on, wire netting was stretched quite tightly round the studs, as tightly as possible, leaving apertures for doors and windows. This done, the very thickest brown paper—that made for fireworks and bought by the
roll—was stretched over the wire netting, quite tight, of course; and to keep it in position thin neat wooden battens up and down the studs and across, above, and below, wherever possible, wore nailed from outside the paper, penetrating the paper, the wire netting, and the wood of course. The paper was then tarred. I at first tried Stockholm tar for its comparative sweetness of
smell, but found coal tar a great deal more effective and vastly cheaper. While the tar was still wet some of the fine sparkling sand from the beach was sprinkled over it, and the wall became not merely weather but fire proof. On the inside
of the cottage paper only was neatly fitted and, I assure you, looked comfortable with ornamental battens and pictures hung about. The cost of all this, although the materials had to come from Nelson in a coasting schooner, was about half that of the ordinary structure, and for three winters (I yachted slimmer and winter) the cottage was everything one could desire. When a hole was made a patch was quickly applied. The roof might have been of paper, but I preferred corrugated [The plan is most attractive, but how did our correspondent
get over the difficulty that paper is always on the move, ex- panding and contracting according to whether the atmosphere is dry or damp P—ED. Spectator.]
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