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Show EDITOR Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and give advice KIIEE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to the subject of building for the readers of this paper. On account of his wide experience expe-rience as Kditor, Author and Manufacturer, Manufac-turer, lie Is, without doubt, the highest authority on all these subjects. Address all inquiries to William A. Radford, No. 104 Fifth Ave., Chicago, 111., and only enclose two-cent stamp for reply. fireplace. There is not a wooden furring fur-ring strip in the whole house, for every foot of the plastering is laid on the solid concrete of the walls. The economics of the re-enforced concrete house constitute a problem that is yet to be solved. The most popular use of this material in home building is in the form of plaster on a wooden frame. Beautiful examples of Twenty years ago cement and concrete con-crete had hardly been heard of as a structural material for houses. Ten years ago re-enforced concrete was almost al-most unknown. The San Francisco earthquake and the Baltimore fire tested these materials and found them good. Since these catastrophes the increase in-crease in the use of cement, and consequently con-sequently of concrete, has been phenomenal. phe-nomenal. For a long time in the hands exclusively of masons and engineers, cement is not found there in lesser quantities to-day, but it has passed on into the hands of the builder, decorator decora-tor and maker of utilities of a hundred sorts in the manufacture of which stone and wood have for centuries been the common material. Cement rtnt nniv afl.nntq itolp fn tho vnrinim f Bed Rm. j 3" h I Bed Rm. EiJj Second Floor Plan and practical uses, but it readily lends itself to molds of- the most intricate and artistic shapes. The twentieth century has with good reason been called the cement age. No building material ever gained in popularity as has cement in the past decade. And the prophecies of what we shall see in the next ten years in the use of this material rival the vision , of Apocalypse. We shall see a new city and a new country, for the flimsy wooden structures will have passed this style of house are to be seen in the environs of the larger cities and in many country towns. A cemeni plaster house costs a little more than a frame house, but is cheaper in the ..... : ( ' ilfli, away, and, behold, new cities of beautiful beau-tiful concrete, and countrysides where barns, dwellings, posts and even pigsties pig-sties shall bo of this material, and beautiful. Wherever the most up-to-date and extensive building is going on this latest structural material is being used. It is attracting the attention at-tention of anyone who is interested in any way in building, whether he be an engineer, architect or insurance company. The most progressive insurance in-surance companies enthusiastically long run, for the reason that it does not require paint or repairs. The house here shown is an example of the cement plaster house. The plan calls for a structure 22 feet 6 inches wide, and 30 feet long. The general effect of the exterior is pleasing pleas-ing to the eye, and the architectural beauty of the design is heightened by the chimney, which forms a part of the wall and gives a hint of the cheerful fireplace within. The porch is 16 feet long and 9 feet wide. The hall is 6 feet 6 inches by 10 feet 6 inches. The living room, 12 by 14 feet, has a bedroom 11 feet by 14 feet 6 inches, back of it, but this room can be made to serve as a dining-room, if wanted. The kitchen, 9 feet 6 inches by 10 feet 6 inches, has a pantry conveniently con-veniently located. On the second floor are three bedrooms bed-rooms and a bathroom, with ample closet room. Anyone who builds a house after this design will never regret re-gret the use of cement plaster on the exterior, for the material becomes harder with age, and the exterior paint that will be required will be that on the steps of the porch and the wood of the eaves and cornices. Pi JPorch Bed Rm. I U-,T.L1N X sii-i'j 8 ip Living Rm.: p L io-xi4'o- !i" .llFt1 n H Porch K.'O'XS-'O- First Floor Plan advocate re-enforced concrete and will write lower rates on them than on buildings of any other form of construction. con-struction. In all the leading universities universi-ties of the country cement is receiving receiv-ing much consideration both from a chemical and engineering standpoint. Xo other material has like prestige in this respect. The pioneer concrete residence in the United States is in Port Chester, N. Y". It was built by William L. Yard " t years ago. It is a villa, and every terrace, porch, hay window, corbeled cor-beled balcony, cornice, mansard roof, chimney, dormer and tower is of concrete con-crete to the last detail. If this house had been erected iu the last few years it would have been called a poured house. It has floors resembling sheets of rubbed sand stone, hard finished fin-ished white walls, paneled ceilings molded and enriched. Yet above the basement story there is hardly anything any-thing to remind one of concrete except ex-cept the stairways and the kitchen |