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Show Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and Rive advice FREE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to the subject of building, for the readers of this paper. On account of bis wide experience as Editor. Author and Manufacturer, he is. without doubt, tl-e lushest authority on all these subjects. Address all Inquiries to William A. Radford. No. ITS West Jackson boulevard. Chicago. III., and only enclose two-cent stamp for reply. To anyone wtio is Interested in home building and who goes about with eyes open to what is going on in the building world, it is very plainly evident that we are building very much better today in America than at any former time. Not only in our designs de-signs is better taste being used, but we are building more substantially and are equipping our homes with all modern conveniences to make them comiortable, sanitary and labor-saving. It used to be said that tjere was no such thing as an American style of architecture, and looking at some of our residence sections which were built up, say 30 years ago, we are inclined in-clined to agree that at that time there was no American domestic architecture architec-ture worthy of the name. The styles of our houses were borrowed from every quarter of the globe; very often the same structure containing borrowings borrow-ings from a dozen different lands and foreign climes. Over our land has been scattered a great conglomeration of Queen Anne cottages, Swiss chalets, Italian villas, Indian bungalows, and more recently art nouveau creations. A few of these have been at peace with their environment and look to be In their natural, appropriate setting; but most of them seem very much out of place. However, in the houses that we see going up today there is a directness of design and a sincerity of treatment that is very satisfying. One of our metal lath in a durable coat from one-half one-half to three-quarters of an inch in thickness, this material produces a very neat and at the same time durable, dura-ble, attractive appearance. It stands on its own merits, it does not imitate anything. If ornamentation Is desired, the broad flat surfaces 4are divided up into panels in any way to suit the fancy of the architect. Small and irregular ir-regular spaces, corners, etc., are handled han-dled just as easily as the straight, flat work. It is scarcely to be wondered at that this type of construction has received such favorable attention. The coat is just about the same as for clapboards clap-boards or shingles, and It has the advantage ad-vantage of being more' fire resisting. One of the problems in connection with this type of construction in the past has been that of waterproofing. Especially where metal lath has been used, this has been a matter for serious seri-ous consideration. Unless particular s pains were taken to make the very outer surface thoroughly waterproof moisture was bound to penetrate the thin layer of plaster and get to the metal, causing rusting and serious weakening of the walls. To solve this problem has been the task of the paint men; and evidences are that they have now solved it satisfactorily. sat-isfactorily. Numerous paints, stains, waterproofing compounds, etc., are now on the market to meet every need along these lines. The design illustrated herewith is a very good example of what can he done with cement plaster In the design de-sign and construction of a small-sized house or cottage. This Is a four-room cottage which has been built Tor $2,000, and from that up to $2,500. It is 34 feet 4 inches wide by 35 feet K Inches long, exclusive of the porch. The exterior is extremely attractive. -ifJ 4l HI6 H Mtu i, x ,i being of the type that Is so popular ni the present time neat. home-like, substantial looking, finished with cement cem-ent plaster. The floor plan shows a very large sized living room 14 feet ti inches by 20 feet long. This is lo the left ol' the. central hall, while to the right art-two art-two large-sized bedrooms, each with a clolhes closet. A large kitchen is In the hack of the house and is Intended to be used as a dining room also, if desired. The bathroom, pantry, etc.. are very conveniently located. This is a design that works out very well In practical use and prospective home builders cannot do better than to follow It. philosophers has said, "There is a settled set-tled relation existing between home architecture and the human heart and the expression of that relation should be the ideal of domestic architecture." archi-tecture." Today we may be said to be approaching that ideal, for we are insisting in-sisting first of all that our homes express ex-press simple beauty and hospitable comfort and liveableness. In this architectural development cement plaster exteriors, stucco work, has played a great and Important part. The use of cement plaster has freed the architect to a certain extent from certain of the old time fixed rules, and lias allowed a greater freedom free-dom In composition than with either wood, stone or brick. New styles TiRl pwc Kircufy i ' V BTi- r I ' ' ,'-m . BCD POOM I . LiviMC P"Of j, t; - I ' i-HWO O ! Hali I 'T' ; I c ' l T I Bcd 000" L X , J i Floor Plcn. have been volved and new rules - Inr-mulated Inr-mulated which are in accord with the ideals of today. Stucco has hoi n used In connection with exteiior work tor hundreds ol years, but only as applied over brick and rough stone building's, and was usually ruled off into n"at oblongs to Imitate the line dressed stone work. It is hardly surprising that as an Imitation Imi-tation it was far from being a success, suc-cess, lu recent years stucco or cement cem-ent plaster exterior in connection witb irame buildings lias made its appi-ar-ince and has gained a wonderful pop llarity. Applied over wood or expanded |