ON SOME COMMMON FAULTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TIMBER BUILDINGS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 289, 2 December 1873, Page 1

ON SOME COMMMON FAULTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TIMBER BUILDINGS IN NEW ZEALAND.

£ The following paper by the Rev C. J. Halcombe was read by Mr Fell at the Exhibition on Thursday last ] Io a new country largely covered with forest, timber is naturally the material most osed in building by the early inhabitants. On the shores of Cook's Strait Ibe prevalence of earthquakes of considerable severity will probably lead the inhabitants at all times to prefer this material, even when scarce, to the moat durable but less cafe ones of stone, brick, or cloy. Tbis being tho case, and it being probable, at the present increasing rate of consumption and waste, that by the end of fifty years nearly all the store accessible and valuable forest timber will have been destroyed, it becomes a matter of importance, not only to the present bailders but to their descendants hereafter, that this comparatively perishable boildiog material should be go nsed as to last as long as it is capable of doing. On tbe continent of Europe and in our mother, conntry of England, timber waa for many ages tha principal material fcr buildings nor was it found to be otherwise than durable, when properly treated. There are timber buildings almost innumerable to be foand more than three or four centuries old and wbich hate needed scarce aoy repairs during the time, One church exists ia England, in nse at the present day, whose timber walls were set np before the -Norman conquest and are etill as sound as. ever. But no presen^huUdiog of timber in New Zealand is likely to last as many decades as those of onr forefathers' have lasted centuries. Nay, so perishable are oar wooden buildings that no roao can reasonably expect to live his owa whole lifetime in one and tbe same dwelling, much less that his grand-children should inherit it as their dwelling alter him. Now tbe que=ion is; is tbia extreme peris&ability necesaarily inherent io tbe new Zea'and woods, or does it arise principally (rom the faulty manner of using them? I apprehend from the latter cause alone— from faults. 1, In tho treatment of ihe timber itself. 2. Io the architectural designs. 2. Ia the constructive details. let as then consider these in their order. 1. As to the treatment of the timber itself. There are woods in New Z aland, e.g. yellow pine, totara, maiai or red pine, kauri, black birch and red bircb, whfch from careful European observation and Maori testimony of long experience are apparently as durable, though not so tough And strong, as English oak and chestnut. Bat they are commonly subjected to such treatment as causes tbe best grown English oak to perish in a very few years. That or any other timber if felled when tbe sap is in active motion is destroyed almost immediately by -dry rot even without the aid of external moisture. Accordingly throughout Europe, all timber $3 felled only in the d>pth of winter, and in this country ought only to be felled daring a season of about six weeks ia the months of May and June. As it is, it is felled at all seasons of the year, the sawyers preferring it full of sap as being in that state easier to cut, and any one may have eeen, what I bave often observed myself, sawn timber being nsed in buildings with the sap visibly oozing out under every blow of a hammer upon the nails. And then people blame the timber so treated for not lasting. This, tbe rr.ain fault of til, arises chiefly from the ignorance and indifference .of sawyers and saw-mill owners, nor is it Ukely to be remedied by them until architects and builders, and especially their employers, insist upon all timber being felled only in May and June. Again another important fault is the neglect of seasoning be/ore miny. It is well kaowo thu all timber ought to remain In balk for a twelve month before | being aawo up, and further rem iin for a , certain period, longer or shorter according ; to thickness, before being fit for use. I Timber merchants might do much to I remedy tbis fauU, though they are not , likely to do it until the fiaal paymasters, \ tbe owners of buildings, insist upon ita being done and are ready to pay protnrtioaably to the increased valua of the material. 2. As to faults ia architectural design. The^e arise chiefly from applying principles of treatment aad design to wood whioh are oaly properly applicable to stone. Stone and timber beiog totally diifaroat mater tali require a totally difTdreat architectural treatment. Mucb that is elegant, harmonious, and U3ef ul in the ooe, becomes absurd, inconguou9, and utterly m schi.evous la the other. Stqae and bricls walls are not injurad but rather benefitted by exposure fo sua and raia and therefore are rightly, \a accordance with the necessity of the notarial, carried 1 ia a straight lioe from tta ground to any height that may be desired. But sua and raia are the greatest possible enemies to the durability uf timber, aad that material readily leads itself ta the praotioe, adopted by aii the oid ex-

perienced architects in wood, of boldly projecting the outer walls of every ascending story beyond the wall of that below it, and capping the topmost with the widespreading eaves of a high and well pitched roof, so as to entirely shelter the whole of the wooden walls from all straight descending raine, and from the even more hurtful rays of the midday summer sun. Again, in stone or brick, window and door openings deeply recessed inwards are perfectly harmless and add much to beauty. But io timber construction any such recesses tbat rain can by any possibility reach are simply ruinous traps for moisture, leading to the rapid decay of the surrounding framework. All such openings ought always to be covered, as they used to be, by projections on the outside, forming recesses on the inside of the house, which may he made to add greatly both to external and internal beauty. Once more, external projecting cornices, watertables and hood mouldings are both useful and ornamental accessories to walls of brick and stone, but when superimposed upon wooden walls, as we so often see them, they become mere loJgmeots for rain, and do harm instead of good. Indeed the continual wooden imitations of stone work which we daily see in our more important buildings are mere pretentious shams that deceive nobody, and would be simply laughable, were they not to prove so ruinously costly in tbo end by being filled as tbey are wiih every possible and conceivable loigement and conduit for rain and moisture, leadiog to ineviiably rapid decay of both outer covering and inner framework. llow these faults of architecture ore to be cured, eav6 by an eniiraly new school of architects in wood not above taking lessoos from the wisdom and examples of their forefathers, it is difficult to see, Let us hopo such a school may arise before the material io be worked upon bas disappeared. 3. As to faults ia constructive detai's. These come from the inattention partly of architects, partly of carpenters.but are most of tbem easily remediable by the latter. Let us begin from (!) the foundations. These, whether stone or brick, walls or piers, or wooden piles, are uevtr high enough. The wood woik is consequently brought so near the surface of tbo ground as to ueeeßshate and ensure ihe speedy decay of the lower portion of the walls from the eflects of ground-damp, even though protected by verandahs,and from the more rapidly destructive effect of upward ground splash during rain. Now no wood work, if it is to last its fair and pro per time, ought to be placed nearer to tbe surface of tha ground than two aud a half, and is still safer at three feet distance. Mason- work of that height is the right and proper foundation for timber buildings; when wooden piles have to be used they should be of the same height, and be replaced by masonry as soon as convenient. These will last much longer if tboroughly cleared from eopwood, and if placed in the ground in the contrary direction to that in which they have grown. - They must on no account project, as they are so often allowed to do, beyond the outer face of the wall plates. 2. These are not generally protected as tbey might be from the access of rain. The lower covering boards are usually placed flush with the under side of the plate. The rain consequently finds its way to the heads of the piles, and to the under and outer faces of the plate. The covering boards, whether horizontal or vertical, ought to overlap at least two inches below the plates. 3. It seems to me also that the present usual mode of laying the lower floor joists upon, instead ot under, the framed wall plate is a mistake. I would venture to suggest the employment of an additional (false) plate laid first on tho foundation to receive the ends of the joists. The true framed plute would thus be further removed from ibe sources of decay. Additional height of from nine iacb.es to one foot would be gained in the interior. The flooring boards would be laid without any notching, and rats and mice would have no access to the hollow walls of a lined building from below, save by gnawing through the whole thickness of tbo plate. Besides, tbat tbe true frame plate should be in sight is absolutely necessary to truo decora'jve construction internally. t^l\ 1 might ba well also to consider whether wa shoul i not revert to the old mathad in limber buildings of treating the ground liooriog independently of tha main wooden frame work, beginning ths latter only at tha lower wladow sills and employing pavement of soma kind as tbe principal part of the ground fljor. To do so would oertainly diminish considerably tha risk ot fire originating in tha lower story. Tho danger from chii enemy to ttia durability of wooden buildings is often greatly iv.creased by tha cotnnuu practice of. cureless carpenters in leaviug a l*rg 9 amount ol slnvtu4s uodar tha lower ibors of tho housed thay built. Siould any aoctJeot-l spark or uutea li.ii iv w ±y 4 amjug the_i, good-bye to the building 1 :4lC*_ £»«waya are oftea left unpro-

tec ted by verandah or porch. If in that caße the door opens inwards rain will drive in. If the doors were made to open outwards the whole opening might be covered, and the most driving rain effectually excluded. In buildings for the gathering of public assemblies the doors ought always to open outwards for the sake of safety of life and limb in case of a panic rush for exit. It is hardly needful to remind you of the frightful loss of life at the burning ot that church in •South America a few years since, owing to the inward opening doors becoming fast closed by ithe pressure of the frightened crowd. (5.) Window openings seem always to leak. Would not a sliding external casement be the most effectual means of curing this fault, affixing the whole window frame excerually with a lead or zinc capping above ? (6) Rools when shingled are very commonly of too low a pitch. Nothing less than true pitch (i.e. threequarter) is suitable for that material and a five-sixths pitch will add much to dura- J bility. (7.) Eaves ore generally made without | anything like sufficient projection. Eighteen inches or two feet beyond the walls is none too much for their protection. . (8.) Covering of outer walls. For this purpose weather boards ore most commonly used at present. But there seem to me to be very grave objections lo tbeir use except for barns, stablts, and other outbuildings, requiring few or no openings in tbe shape of windows, and which it is not necessary should be wind proof. In the Grst place it is impossible to make them air-tight, and their employment necessitates interoal lining and hollow wall-", In the uext place it seems equally impossible to prevent a destructive permeation of moisture at the sides of all opeuinss that raiu can reach; and thirdly, they add neither to the strength nor stiff. pess of the building. Horizontal bonrdiog in other forms can bo made wiod-tight, and the necessary openings miy be made fairly watertight, but the horizontal jointing is fatal to the covering boards tbernseleesand bring about their rapid decay. In any form horizontal boarding requires so close an arrangement of uprights in the framing as to nearly prohibit any ornamental arran«remant oi thaf, end co leads to its being bidden by some form of internal covering. Vertical planking of good width and thickness seems to me the only true way of employing wood as the outer covering of a timber framed building. It increases greatly the strength and stiffoess of the walls. It can be made perfectly air-tiu>ht and water-tight by toogueiog or caulking. Should aseam open nt ail rain runs down without lodging, and window and door openings can be rendered watertight with ease. Moreover vertical planking permits and aids the ornamental arrangement of the necessary framework, and renders tho use of an internal lining quite superfluous. And the internal lining of wooden houses, iovolving as it does a hollow wall throughout, is almost the greatest of all mistakes in construction, for it ensures the utter and rapid destruction of the house if fire once enters tha hollow space. Onco between the outer ekin and the inner lining, aad it becomes your master. The hollow acts like the chimney of a furnace to fan the flames, and water cannot reach their hiding place. But if a wooden building has but ono substantial outer skiu of thick vertical planking with no hollows or hidden places from basement to roof, fire might take a considerable bold ond yet be mastered by ordinary appliances. This danger from fire is also greatly increased by 9. The fauhy construction of most wooden mantelpieces. In these the sides are commonly brought* flush with the brickwork of the chimney opening, and the part brought soma inches "below the brickwork in order to hide the arch. Anyonß can perceive how much this practice increases tha liability of the mantelpiece to ignition from, an accidental spark. For safety the woodwork ought never to come nearer than two inches to the edge of the brickwork. If ths appoaraoce of that is considered unsightly it could be overlaid with soma hurd cement or a border of encaustic tiles, or rendered ornamental by chamfering or moulding the corners of the bricks themselves. With this precaution there is no objection to the use of wooden mantel pieces and \t, is a material susceptible of the greatest amount of decorative treatment for the permanent ornamentation oi the room, as witness tha many beautiful speciraeos still existent in old European dwellings with their wealth. qjf elaborate carving and moulding, la co.aclusioQ iet me say that wa hava in tho, native timbers of this country a material generally superior ia baiuty of grain and color to thosd of Europe a material mora capable thun any other of being maid available to the permanent interoal dacoratioa of our dwjiiia'j, a ! material which, by judicioui tue, would

enable the artistic workman to render our buildings externally and internally " things of beauty and a joy for ever" to the eyes of the builders and their remote posterity. It might be that our chemists could aid towards the pregervance of our timber buildings, I would venture to suggest to suggest to them whether it would not be possible to inventsome siliceous preparation applicable to wood, as a species of glaze, which should both increase its durability and lessen inflammability. It by the few remarks whicb, at the request of your Hon. Secretary, I have ventured to make, some few whose notice they reach shall be led to a more artistic, careful, and thoughtful use of tbat valuable material which has been, without sowing or planting of our own, given to us for our enjoyment but not for our waste, my object in making them will have been attained. C. Henry J. Halcombe. Collingwood, Nov. 12, 1873.