Specifications for a House to be erected for John Smith, Esq., at Pleasantville, Mass.

This house is to be set so that the bay window (or piazza) shall be 15 feet from the line that divides the lot of land from the street or sidewalk, and so that no part shall be nearer than 12 feet from the eastern boundary 4line (piazza and steps not included).

Remove the loam from the place where the house is to stand, and also from a space 8 feet wide all around outside, and stack it up where it will be out of the way, and convenient to replace after grading is done.

The highest point of cellar bottom is to be o feet below the highest point of sidewalk grade abreast of the house, and is to slope 6 inches deeper at one corner so it can be drained if necessary.

The cellar wall is to be laid dry (starting in a trench 6 inches below cellar bottom), and afterwards well pointed with mortar.

The top of underpinning is to be 3 feet above highest point of sidewalk (making cellar 8 feet deep in least place); * and the final grading is to be done so as to show 2 feet of underpinning,* thus giving a slope of 1 foot in 15.

* This is none too much for a furnace.

Cellar Bottom. - Level off the cellar bottom, settle it thoroughly and cover it flush and smooth throughout with cement concrete, in three parts of clean, coarse, sharp gravel and one part of good cement, three inches deep, and finished with true and even surface.

Drains. - All underground drain pipes to be of the best quality vitrified pipe, any exposed drains to be 4-inch iron pipe; in sizes, etc., as marked on plans. These pipes to be properly trapped, graded and the joints cemented tight. The roof leaders and all necessary waste and soil pipes of the building as shown by the drawings, to be connected; also build all grease traps and catch basins - which must have stone covers, - where shown bv ans: put in all traps where shown; use bends and curves for all crooks, whether vertical or horizontal.

Make all joints clean and tight, of cement, and make perfectly smooth on inside at same; supply each trap with an opening or trap screw on top so that it can be cleaned out easily if necessary. All pipe to be laid on a true and even grade with as much fall given them as possible, and all junctions to be in one piece and of such shape as is necessary to make all the different connections required.

Cistern. - Build a cistern as shown, 5 feet in diameter and 6 feet deep, lay the walls of hard brick 4 inches thick, and pack the earth against them when dry, arch and neck 4 inches thick; bottom to be laid in two courses of brick, laid flat, the whole laid in and smoothlv coated on the inside with cement. Lay a strong, rough flag over manhole in the neck; connect the cistern with house leaders through 6-inch vitrified pipe, laid down clear of frost. Lav a 6-inch drain overflow connected closelv with the cistern near its top and on a proper and sufficient grade.5 trap it and connect with drain to its individual cesspool at the most convenient point for its proper operation.

* This allows for good sized cellar windows.

Cesspools. - Construct a cesspool 8 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep in the clear, to be properly stoned up: draw in on top in a substantial manner; leave man-hole with cover of heavv flag-stone. Make the necessarv con-nections with all drains to the same. When there is a cistern, build a separate cesspool with stone walls laid dry and 5 feet in diameter and 6 feet deep for the overflow from the same. Cesspools to be located where shown.*

Privy Vault. - Build a privv vault 4 feet bv 4 feet in size and 4 feet deep, laid up with good hard bricks laid in cement.

Sizes oe Timbers. - Sills 6x8 inches. First and second story floor timbers 2x8 inches, 16 inches apart. Attic floor timbers and rafters 2x6 inches, 18 inches and 24 inches apart respectively.

Posts and girts 4x8 inches. Window and door studding and braces 3x4 inches. Outside studding and main partitions 2 x 4 inches, 16 inches apart. Other partition studding 2 x 3 inches.

Plates 2 x 4 inches, doubled. All to be best quality of spruce.

* If there are sewers, omit cesspools and properly connect to the sewers.

+ If there are sewers, it is preferable to omit privy and put in water closets; and even though there are no sewers, water closets can be connected to the cesspool.

Boardings to he best quality spruce or hemlock, square edges; attic hoarding to have planed side turned inwards.

Shingles. - Roof is to be covered with the best clear pine or cedar shingles laid 4 1/2 inches to the weather with wide flashings of 4 lb. lead or 14 oz. copper wherever needed.

Clapboards. - To be best quality of clear pine. The walls are to be covered with a good thickness of water proof paper (not tarred) before clapboarding, and all window tops, water cants, etc., are to be properly flashed.

Tin Roofs to have very best quality of tin, put on in best manner, and soldered with rosin.

Lathing and Plastemng. - All walls, partitions and ceilings to be lathed and plastered, two coats, excepting ceiling of cellar, which is to have only one coat of plaster.

Cold Air Duct for Furnace. - Construct a frame of 2 inch plank, (same as cellar window frames) to be built in underpinning to admit the cold air, and cover with coarse wire netting; construct cold air passages from this opening to furnace, and make it air tight, and to suit the requirements; put in a wooden slide damper inside of cellar wall, and make the whole complete to suit the requirements of the furnace man.

Coal Bins to be built as shown.

Privy. - Construct privy 4x5 feet, allowing vault to project 1 1/2 or 2 feet on back for convenince of cleaning out. Privy to be framed of planed and chamfered joists, and boarded with selected boards having planed surface put inside. The outside to be properly trimmed with corner boards, etc., and covered with a good quality of clapboards, fastened on with large shingle nails, so as not to spall off the inside of the boarding.