Cement Block House Plan

¶ Cement house showing craftsman idea of half timber construction.

Cement & Timber House Plan.
Exterior view showing structural use of timbers and the way windows are banded together.

¶ A house that typifies to rather an unusual degree the Craftsman idea of construction is shown here. It is a perfect square in plan and is designed with the utmost simplicity. There are no bays, recesses or projections on the outside, the attractiveness of the exterior depending entirely upon the proportions of mass and spacing. It is a building which should attain the maximum of durability for cement block construction, as there is nothing to invite decay or render repairs necessary.

Craftsman Fireplace Interior.
Corner of living room showing fireplace set flush with the wall and having panel of dull finished picture tile. Note the decorative effect of openings in the spindle grille which appears in the hall, also the placing of the seat and the arrangement of the staircase.

¶ The walls are built of cement plaster and metal lath, the half timber construction being used to break up the severely plain wall spaces into panels that are more agreeable to the eye. As originally designed the rough finished cement was left in its natural gray color and the roof of white cedar shingles was merely oiled and left to weather to a harmonizing tone of silvery gray. The necessary color accent as well as the emphasis of form is given by the wood trim, which should be of cypress so treated that the brown color of the wood is fully brought out. The rafters of the porch as well as those supporting the widely overhanging roof are left uncased, carrying out the effect of solid construction which distinguishes the entire building and emphasizing the decorative use made of wood.

Floor Plans.