On this floor the work increases. The first item in the specification, wash, stop, clerecolle, and white the ceilings, take, in the same manner as before, and take the next one of cornices wall to wall the round of the room, adding the projection of breast Note if there are any enrichments in it, as these take a great deal more time to wash as well as to white. Enter it thus: -

This is 65 ft. 6 in. run of wash, stop, clerecolle, and white cornice, one 4 in. enrichment, and one 2 in. do., picked out in two tints : comparing these two you will see the time that is saved by thus abbreviating the description of work. Next comes the centre flower; take the diameter and enter it thus: -

The next item of strip the walls, has to be measured in the same manner as those previously taken, noting the additional cost of paper. It is usual to take the full size of the walls, as the papers are hung from angle to angle, and from cornice to skirting. If the corners are sufficiently large the borders need not be mitred, but only butted, leaving the corners to cover the joint Consider the side of room 18 ft. long and 9 ft. 6 in. from cornice to skirting. The paper having been measured in the same manner as before, proceed to take the borders (finishing each room as before, measuring everything specified, before leaving it for another). Call out from your specification the description of border, which your companion can then be writing down while you measure, and then say "on waste," taking 19ft. and 9 ft. 6 in., which should be added together and twiced on it in the following manner. If there are any doors or windows these must be deducted.

51. Border at 2 1/2d.

18. 9.6

27.6 2

-----55. less 4.

----51

The " less 4 ft.," is presuming that there is a 3 ft. door with 6 in. architrave moulding on both edges of it. These deductions are often made as shown above, but we prefer to use the word Ddct. as a heading and take them separately. Then take the corners: 4 Corners at 6d.

And then proceed with the three other walls in the same manner, or you can take the round of the room the same as to the paper, and add the vertical borders; twice the round for the horizontal, and deduct any want over windows or in doorways. If the paper is already bordered there is a guide to work from, but if it is not take the border to the internal angles of projection of chimney breast, and round the chimney piece, for fear it may be required to be done. Consider the room to be 18 ft. by 14 ft, and measure and enter the borders thus (the waste being, say, the same as the one on top floor): 2/ 65.6 Border at 2 1/2d.

2/2. 2/ 4/ 9.6 do.

----8.0 do. (chy. pce.)

----Ddct.

2/ 4. (dr.)

2/ 4.6 (Wo.)

The deduction for chimney piece I allowed for in the extra taken for it to go up the sides as well as along and round the shelf; the borders round the shelf would look best mitred and not with corners.

The second item of border is 9 ft. 6 in., twice four times, and add twice two making twelve times 9 ft. 6 in. = 114 ft. run. Then enter the word

Add, and take the corners 4 to each side of the room, and 4 twice for internal angles of chimney breast.

4/ 4 Corners at 6d.

2/ 4 do.

This latter method of measuring borders is the best where the sides of the room are not divided into panels with margins.

Note the repairs to plastering to walls and ceilings, and price them as you set them down.

Take the hacking out broken glass as before, and then take the circular hit-and-miss ventilator and fixing.

1 H & M Vent. & fixg. in glass.

Take the painting in the same manner as before, entering it as "W & 3 O. in three tints." Take the deductions, entering "Ddct." as a heading, and be careful after the deductions are completed to enter the word " Add." After completing the painting, measure the next item in specification, "putting small gold moulding in the inner side of panels of two principal bedrooms, and round the ceilings, and top of skirtings." The size of the moulding is not given. We should therefore take 1/2-in. ogee moulding to the doors, and 3/4-in. round the room, and enter as follows :2/ 2/ 8 1/2" O.G. Go. Mog.

------ in dr. pan.

2/ 2/ 6. 3.

-------- 1

-----4. 2. 2. I. ------2/4/ 4. ---- M 8.

------ 3

2

----6. 2/ 65.6 3/4-in. do. on walls.

2/ 8 M

Be careful in writing down your different items to allow plenty of room between them, as very often it is necessary to insert some forgotten dimensions.

The 1/2 in. moulding first taken is described in the abbreviated entry as 1/2 in. ogee (this is the shape of the moulding) gold moulding in door panel. The "M" that follows is for mitres, there are four to each panel, four panels to each door, and two doors, so the number reads, twice four times four, thirty-two in all. "On waste" is put the length and breadth of panel at top and at bottom, the length and the breadth twiced gives the round of the moulding in one panel. In measuring the 3/4 in. moulding you have the mitres to internal and external angles of chimney breast as well as those to angles of room; the twice is lor one at top and one at the bottom. Now there is the deduction to take from the 3/4 in. for want at doorways, etc. We should not take the gold moulding round the chimney-piece unless it had been done before, or was specified.

These dimensions follow immediately under the measurement of moulding, so that "do." is all the description that is necessary.

In measuring small gold mouldings such as those to panels of doors and round walls, it is not usual to take any labour to stop ends, or fair ends, against door architrave, or against sides of chimney-piece.

The next item of specification referring to this room is "clean the marble chimney-pieces." Enter first of all the word "Add," as the last dimension was a deduction, and then enter: 1 Clean M. Chy. pce.

Take next the floors to be repaired, measuring the fillet filled in joints, take the relacquering to brass work as before, and the repairs to locks. The next item of "repair defective bell" does not state to which room, so that each bell has to be tried, and the one found defective provided for. The item is not a very large one, requiring the cover to lever to be taken off, and the wire shortened and tightened. The next item is "carefully clean the stoves in two principal bedrooms, with emery cloth and paraffin and leave bright steel face, the ornaments to be taken off, relacquered, and refixed." Enter the stove-cleaning thus: I Clean bright stove.

The ormolu ornaments you should take with the other relacquering, noting the taking off and refixing with the description. The word relacquer in the specification applies to sash lifts, such ornaments as these above, and, in fact, anything with a brass face to it, the striking plates, or escutcheons of locks as well as the handles, if of brass.

Proceed to measure room No. 2 on this floor in a similar manner in every respect, the specification not varying in describing the work to the two rooms, and then take room No. 3, the bath-room. Measure the ceilings, cornices, and centre flower (if there be one) in the same manner as the last; take repair plastering to walls and ceilings, and then take the strip walls and repaper, adding the sizing and varnishing to the description you give of the paper, making one item of it. Although described as sized, it would have to be twice sized to make good work of it. Enter the item thus: 48. S.W. & repap. at 2/6.

9.6. 2ce S & 1ce V.

----S.W. standing for "strip walls," 2ce S. for " twice size," 1ce V. for " once varnish." Take the deduction at side and end of the bath, from top of skirting, i.e. take off the depth of skirting from height of bath, when you take the deduction, as the paper is only taken from the top of the skirting. There are no borders to this room, so next proceed to measure any broken glass, then the painting, and then the next item in specification, "Repair the broken hearth in small back room." This does not specify a new one, so that it is only necessary to take it up and reset it in cement. Enter: 1 Rep. Hth.

Next take the chimney-piece to be cleaned, and the " refix loose parts of jamb."

1 Rep. chy. pce. & clean.

Next take the floors as before, and then the relacquering; there will most likely be the handles or levers of bath taps to do. Take the repairs to locks, and then next item in specification referring to this room: " Repair the shelf in cupboard of small back room, and put new bearer and new lock to door of cupboard." Enter it thus: I Rep. shelf.

I New bear. & fixg.

&4O.

1 Cupd. lock & take off old.

There is no more to take to this room according to the specification, but the bath top, if of mahogany and French polished, will require to be scraped or cleaned and re-polished, and the framing, unless it is painted or perhaps grained. To measure the polishing to the bath top, take the exact superficial contents, adding the edges, and deducting the hole, taking the mean average of the whole for the deduction, less the girt of the edges of it. Then take the run of skirting by its width, and enter as follows: 7,3 F.P. to Bth. top.

2.6

----9.9

7 do.

---5 Ddct.

1 . 6 ho.

----Then enter the word Add. The measurement of graining is the same as the measurement of painting, except to the trade, i.e. when letting the work the grainer will ask to have the work girthed everywhere and divided by 9.

Very often the bath taps get stiff in working, and require oiling, and if the architect inserts in any part of his specification that elastic clause, "The contractor is to do all and everything required to put the premises internally and externally in a thorough state of repair," such things as those I have noted have to be provided for, so that the careful estimator who provides to do all the work that may have been omitted in the specification, except under such a general heading as given above, stands but little chance in competition with the careless man, unless there are plenty of measurements to take, when the latter is likely, if he slurs them over, to take them largely in excess "to be safe."

We now come to room 4 on this floor; the ceilings, cornices, and centre flower have to be taken, and the papering (omitting the borders); repair plastering, hacking out broken glass, and reglazing; then the painting, omitting the gold moulding both to doors and walls, repairing the floors as before, measuring each item as before, and then, leaving the landing and stairs, proceed to the first floor.