This house was designed especially for the family who would like to have a home of their own for vacations or week ends. It can easily be converted, however, into a home that is quite suitable and adequate for all-year-round living. It is the sort of house that should interest someone who wants to build a house of his own but has neither the time or the money at the present to build one of the more expensive homes.

As you can see by looking at the various plans, the Vacation Hideaway gives you a great deal of living space in spite of its relatively small size. If bunks are used in the second-floor sleeping quarters, the house can easily accommodate six persons.

You will notice from the floor plan of the first floor that the house contains a good-size living room as well as a kitchen, a bath and space for heating equipment. The second floor is given over to two bedrooms.

The actual construction of the house has been planned so that it can be built with relatively light materials, "which are not onlv easier to work with but

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cost far less than the heavier grades of stock required for the other homes.

Foundations and Floors

Examine the foundation plan for this house and you "will see that a continuous foundation -wall of concrete or masonry blocks is used. There is also a concrete footing that runs directly under the main bearing partition. As the house is relatively light, an 8"-thick foundation wall will be quite sufficient. This is indicated on the foundation plan by a heavy imbroken line. Footings for the foundations should be 8" deep and 16" wide. The outline of these footings is indicated on the plan by the light broken line. The l'10"x I'll" foundation at the back of the house is for the chimney base. This should have a footing under it 6" wider than the base on all sides and at least 12" deep. All footings, of course, must extend below the frost line with the exception of the one for the main bearing partition, "which can be at grade level as it is not going to be exposed to heavy frost.

The 4'0"x3'l" foundation on one side of the house is for the front doorstep.

jS^tow examine the longitudinal section, which shows that the first floor

of the house is a poured-concrete slab. A wood floor is placed over one portion of this floor, but it can be extended over the entire area if you wish. Instructions for making this type of floor are given in the chapter in this book covering foundations. Before the floor is poured, however, there are several things to be taken care of. One is to install the two 2"x4"s that are to serve as the house sill and the sole plate for the studding. They should be anchored to the top of the foundation wall by means of anchor bolts. The second thing to do is to determine the location of the various bathroom and kitchen fixtures, so that the drain pipes for these items can be installed in the floor before the concrete is poured.

The location of the various fixtures to be served by these lines is given in the first-floor plan, but it is well to have on hand the roughing-in dimensions for the fixtures that you intend

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to use in order to avoid any mistakes at this point. The installation of the plumbing system will be on the same general order as outlined in the chapter of this book dealing with house plumbing systems.

Metal clips should be installed as the flooring is poured so that the wood sleepers, to which the wood flooring will be attached, can be anchored to

the concrete slab.

F ranting

After the floor has been poured and has hardened, you can start framing the house. The four framing plans

should give all the information necessary for this job. Most of the details of the framing will be the same as those covered in the chapter on framing.

The studding for the first floor is high. It is spiked at the base to the 2"x4" sole plate that is anchored through the house sill to the foundation wall. The wall framework can be put up piece by piece, but it will save time and work if you make up one section at a time, complete wdth top plate, and then hoist it into position. The top plate should be doubled after all four walls are in place. Do not take the time to make the rough openings for the doors and windows at this point. They can he cut out later on, after the entire house has been framed.

The dimensions given on the framing plans for the rough openings in the walls for windows apply only to a particular brand of wood casement window⁷. It is wise, in view of this fact, to check with your local lumber yard before these openings are made and find out if thev have casement windows

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in stock that are right for this size of opening. If they do not have such window's, get the rough-opening dimensions for the windows that you can get and use these instead of the dimensions given in the framing plans. You may find that different dimensions for the rough openings will throw some of the wall studding out of position so that it is no longer 16" on center. Do not worrv about this too much. It mav complicate the job of installing the in-

The Vacation Hideaway

terior wallboard a little, with the result that you will need a piece of furring here or there, but a few inches one way or the other will not detract from the strength of the building. The main point to be sure of is that the windows are properly centered and that the tops come level with each other and with the top of the door opening. The exact location of the windows in relation to the other parts of the house can be seen in the elevation and framing plans.

The front framing elevation shows the location and size of the rough openings for the first- and second-floor windows. Do not let this plan confuse you. It may take a few seconds of study before the purpose of each piece of framing becomes clear.

You will note that the framework for the rear wall of the house is cut out to allow the chimney to pass up and through to the roof. There must be a clearance of at least 2" between the framework and chimney. To make the job of framing easier, it is best not to bother with this opening at the present time. Frame the wall just as if there were not to be a chimney, and, when the time comes to build the chimney,

the necessary sections of the frame-

*

work can be cut out then.

After the first floor has been framed and the top plate has been doubled, the ceiling rafters can be installed. Refer to the second-floor plan for the location of the opening for the stairs to the second floor. This opening must be framed with double joists. Due to their relatively short span and the fact that they will be supported from below by the partitions, the ceiling joists can be 2^//x6^,,s. They should be spaced 16" on center. You will need joists across only that portion of the first-floor ceiling that is to be under the two bedrooms. The area over the living room does not require any joists.

If you do not want the ceiling of the living room to extend right up to the roof, you can lay 2"x4"s over the top plate and attach to them a ceiling of wallboard or plywood.

Now the studding for the second floor can be installed. You will note from the side framing elevations that at the front of the bedroom and directly under the windows, the studding has been doubled and two 2"x6"s have been set on edge and run horizontally over to the corner posts on either side. These provide a support for the roof rafters of the living room. The same arrangement of two 2"x6"s is used at the back of the house at the top of the wall studding to support the rear ends of the roof rafters.

After the framework has been installed, the bedroom rafters can be installed. These are 2"x6"s notched at front and rear so that they will fit over the front and rear framework. The amount of overhang is optional.

The rafters should be spaced 16" on center.

The next step is to install the side studding for the living-room framework before you go on to the living-room rafters.

General Floor Plan of the Vacation Hideaway: First Floor

BEDROOM * G-o"

-0 I

DKlYs

BEDROOM 9-6"x fc'-o" =□

I r- m lo-5

General Floor Plan of the

Hideaways Second Floor

As the living-room rafters have a considerable span, to construct them it will be necessary to use two lengths of stock spliced together at the approximate center point of the span. To provide additional support for this joint as well as for the rafter as a whole, three 2"x&"s are set on edge and run directly under all the rafters at this point. The rafters themselves are notched out so that they will fit over the 2"x6"s. The rear ends of the living-room rafters rest on the horizontal 2"x6"s set under the windows of the bedroom. The front ends of the rafters are notched out to fit over the top plate at the front of the house.

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Sheathing

Once the framework has been completed, you can proceed with cutting out the openings for the doors and windows and covering the framework with sheathing.

If you plan to occupy the house only during the warm summer months, you can save considerable money by using a heavy grade of drop siding in place of sheathing and regular siding. If you should do this, be sure that the framework is adequately covered with a good, heavy grade of building paper in order to keep air and moisture out of the house.

If you plan to use regular drop siding over sheathing, do not bother to sheathe that portion of the framework where the chimney is to run. After the sheathing is on, roof boards should be installed. The least expensive type of roofing you can use is roll roofing, but it should be installed only over a good tight deck-roof, so take care to install the roofing boards with care.

Chimney construction has been covered in the section of this book on fireplaces and chimneys. The chimney pictured in the plans for the Vacation Hideaway is a single-flue chimney for the heating system. There should be little difficulty with its construction as

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it is perfectly straight with only one opening near the bottom for the smoke pipe from the heating plant.

The window arid outside-door frames can now be installed, along with the necessary flashing. Flashing should be used at the top of window

and door frames and at the joint formed by the living-room roof and the front wall of the bedrooms.

Now the interior partitions should be installed. The main-floor partitions will rest on a sole plate that is anchored to the concrete floor. Their location is shown on the first-floor plan. Once they are in place, you can install the partitions in the bedroom according to the second-floor plan.

Roofing and Siding

The house is now ready for the roofing and siding. As was mentioned before, the least expensive type of roofing is roll roofing, which is perfectly adequate as far as keeping out moisture goes but which is not very attractive. Asphalt shingles are considerably more pleasant looking—and also more expensive.

If the house is to have sheathing, bevel siding is quite sufficient for the outside covering. Put building paper over the sheathing before you apply the siding.

Von will note from the elevation plans that bevel siding has been used on the lower portion of the house while the upper half has been covered with shiplap siding that is put on vertically. This is only one of the many variations

that can be made with siding.

Finishing Off

With the house weathertight, you

can go about the job of finishing off

the interior. The first question is whether or not to insulate the walls

and ceilings. If the house is to be used only during the summer months, insulation is not vital, but it will certainly help to make the house more comfortable during the hot weather. It is well worth the few added dollars of cost to insulate the roof in the bedrooms and living room. Insulation in the walls will also help to keep out the heat.

The location of the various outlets, fixtures and switches for the electrical system are given in the two floor plans. The wiring and the plumbing equipment should be installed at this time.

The wood flooring can also be installed now, and this, as you can see, consists of a rough flooring nailed to 2"x4" sleepers anchored to the masonry floor. The rough sub-flooring can be covered with plywood; the latter in turn can be covered with either linoleum or sanded smooth and then painted.

The interior walls and ceilings can be covered with any of the many types of wallboard or with plywood. Vertical strips of wood paneling would also be suitable.

The stairs to the bedrooms need not be fancy. Two 2"xl2" stringers cut out for treads and risers and spiked to the partition studding will be perfectly

adequate. The method of building

stairs is covered in Chapter 16.

The interior trim—the trim around the interior of the doors and windows

and at the baseboard—should be very

simple. I"x3" stock fitted with a butt joint is quite suitable.

Material

Mixed cement 2" x 12"

2" x 8"

2" x 6"

2" x 4"

Flooring

Shelving

Entrance doors with frame and trim

Interior doors with trim, jambs and stops

Windows with frame and trim

1" x 4", 103'

Roof sheathing, 620 sq. ft.

Roofing material, 620 sq. ft.

Building paper, 1,050 sq. ft.

Drop siding, 1,250 sq. ft.

Wallboard, 1,200 sq. ft.

Nails: 6d, 22 lbs; Sd, 45 lbs; 16d, 15 lbs;

finish, 20 lbs; 4>d, 36 ltfc; 5d, 8 lbs Hinges: brass, 6; interior, 8 Mortice locks, 6 2-ft. flue-tile, 12" x 8", 8 Common bricks, 1,000 Mortar, 14 cu. ft.

Chimney thimble Clean-out door 8" copper flashing, 16'

Paint: exterior, 9 gal.; interior enamel, 1 gal.

Quantity

19 cu. yds.

24'

3 23 17 13 83 36

413 board ft.

50 board ft.

1 1

3 1 9 3 6

Space-heater 4" Y branch Clean-out plug Sanitary T: 4", 1; 4" with 2" tapp., 2 Tees, 5 Increaser Elbows, 6 Traps, 3 Closet bend

5' sections 4"-cast-iron soil pipe, 5

Galvanized pipe: 2", 20'; 1/4", 30'

Kitchen sink

Lavatory

Stall shower

Water closet

Hot-water heater

Ceiling fixtures, 5

Ceiling fixtures, with pull chain, 2

Outside fixture Convenience outlets, 11 Special outlet Single switches, 6 Double switch 4" outlet boxes with plates, 8 2/4" switch boxes with plates, 20 Cable connectors, 60

Fibre bushings, 60 Metal hangers, 7 Service head Sill plate

Grounding bushing Switch box Entrance cable, 10' No. 14 2-wire, 200'

Foundation Plan of the Vacation Hideaway

Left Side Elevation of the Vacation Hideaway

Right Side Framing Elevation of the Vacation Hideaway

LONGITUDINAL SECTION SCALE 3/lfo“»r-0"

Longitudinal Section of the Vacation Hideaway