Various

“ No other material entering into the construction of a building will pay a larger return in satisfaction, comfort, and permanent economy for the time and care devoted to its selection than the finishing hardware. The range of choice and quality has become too great for the selection to be left to the general contractor under an omnibus specification, and the practice of according to it the benefit of careful and discriminating selection by the architect or client, or both in consultation, is rapidly becoming general. ”

“ In the case of doors, it is necessary to make note of the size and thickness, the hand, and the bevel, or rabbet, as required, using in all cases three butts on all exterior doors, and also three butts on all interior doors 7 feet or more high. The size of the butts should in all instances be sufficient to cause the door to clear the trim. The width of stiles and the general construction of the doors should be noted, paying particular attention to the front-entrance doors, as architects sometimes design these regardless of the hardware that is to be used on them. ”

“ Within the last few years, the cost of the best Portland cement has been so materially reduced that concrete has become an available material for the construction of factories. Unless used in great masses, however, it has not the strength to support the necessary floor loads without the use of steel reinforcement. As explained in [Pg 24] Design of Beams, the fibers on the bottom of all beams subjected to transverse stress are in tension, and while concrete has considerable resistance to compression, it offers comparatively little to tensile stress. ”

“ The possibility of this happening is slight, and usually a saving is effected by using a knob latch without a dead bolt and a pair of knobs with roses.
For basement or attic doors, a cheap type of mortise lock is appropriate, or a rim lock may be used, if cost is a consideration. Where care is exercised in the selection of locks in any one building, great convenience will result from having all the different class of locks about the building of the same grade, so that they may be master-keyed in one set and thus give the owner control, with one key, of all the locks. ”

“ In estimating the cost of ditch work, there are several factors that influence the price. A narrow ditch costs more to dig per cubic yard than a wide one; likewise, a deep ditch costs more than a shallow one. Following are given prices for laying agricultural drain tiling. While these figures do not include builder’s profit, they are based on the actual cost of work, the wages for a day of 8 hours being $2 for laborers, $2.50 for the foreman, and $4 for a horse and driver. ”

“ In determining the cost of plastering walls and ceilings, measure the surface actually plastered, making no deduction for grounds or for openings less than 7 superficial yards. For surfaces of domes or groined ceilings, beams, coves, paneling, etc., a unit price is fixed by the linear or the superficial foot, according to the character and disposition of the work. Round corners and arrises should be measured by the linear foot.
On interior work, increase the price 5 per cent. for each 12 feet above the floor after the first. For outside work, add 1 per cent. ”

“ The manufacture of cut nails is less automatic and requires more manual labor than is necessary in the making of wire nails. The iron or steel is first rolled into sheets, the thickness of which is equal to the thickness of the nail; it is then cut into strips as wide as the nail is long. This strip of metal is fed into the nail machine and sheared off in tapering strips having the form of the nail, when it is seized by clamps that hold it just long enough for the heading hammer to strike the blow that forms the head. ”

“ Classified according to their construction, factory buildings may be divided into three types, which, for convenience, may be designated as first-, second-, and third-class buildings. A similar division to this is also frequently made by the state or municipal laws for the regulation of the construction of factory buildings.
3. First-Class Buildings.—Buildings of the first class are those in which the walls, floors, columns, girders, beams, partitions, and roofs are of stone, brick, terra cotta, concrete, steel, iron, and such other fireproof materials as have been proven to be efficient. ”

“ If the ground is wet, rendering pumping necessary, provision should be made for the cost of the extra labor needed. The disposition to be made of the excavated material should also be considered; if it must be hauled a long distance, the cost will be much greater than if the soil can be wasted near by. To aid in estimating the actual cost, it is convenient and approximately correct to consider 1 cubic yard of ordinary earth as a load for an ordinary two-horse wagon. ”

“ Machinery is used extensively for cutting plain faces in granite, and also to some extent for moldings and carved work. Every line in granite is costly to cut and must be computed separately. For instance, a plain face 12 inches wide, if cut by machinery, will cost 45 cents per square foot, while if cut by hand, where the machine cannot be applied, it will cost 60 cents. A 2-inch bevel, as shown at a, Fig. 3, will cost 50 cents per linear foot additional. A scotia, as shown at b, or other molding, as at c, will cost 60 cents per linear foot additional for each member. ”

“ The ribbed is employed usually in factories, and the ribs are generally run in a horizontal direction, so as to throw the light toward the ceiling and floor, thus diffusing it throughout the building. The prism glass is also employed in order to secure a greater diffusion of the light than is possible with the plain or factory ribbed glass, while the mazed glass finds favor where it is necessary to employ an obscured sash, which will still admit plenty of light and present a good appearance but yet cannot be seen through. ”

“ With a severe fire, therefore, on any floor, such a stairway is likely to be filled with smoke to suffocation, and liable to ignition from the door openings. It can therefore only be regarded as a makeshift for a fire-escape, or fire-tower. It is also well, in the design of such a stairway, to observe that the doors always open outwards, and not only this, but that they open with the tide of people coming down the stairs. ”

“ Common-Grade Rim and Mortise Locks. The rim lock, as illustrated in Fig. 36, is generally used for buildings of the cheapest class, such as tenements and small houses. As cheapness is the controlling factor in such goods, especially the goods made for speculative building purposes, the quality diminishes with the price. For cheap work, rim locks are used on account of their low cost and because they are easily applied. They also require no trim, such as escutcheon plates, etc., and are complete when the spindle and the knob are furnished with them. ”

“ The process of selection is greatly facilitated by the elimination of articles outside of the grades selected. When the maker’s grade of goods has been decided on, the next step is to select in detail the articles, designs, and finishes to be used in each room, floor, or division of the building, making such notes of the decisions so reached as will be convenient in framing the hardware specification, or schedule. ”

“ There is no fixed practice regarding openings in walls. Usually, small openings under, say, 100 square feet in superficial area are considered as solid. All larger openings are deducted from the work when measuring for payment. In some localities, the actual volume of the concrete work is taken by the contractor as a basis of the cost. In either case, it is of prime importance that the architect and the contractor make some distinct agreement beforehand as to exactly how the concrete work is to be measured and paid for. ”

“ Where elevator shafts are lighted from the top, metallic skylights glazed with heavy glass should be provided. It is not considered such good practice to use wired glass for this glazing, the idea being that in case of fire, as each floor is cut off from the elevator shaft with fireproof doors, vent may be had from the skylight at the top of the shaft when the glass is broken, and some of the municipal and state laws stipulate that the skylight at the top of an elevator shaft shall not be less than two-thirds the area of the shaft. ”

“ In the construction of metallic sash, solder is never used for holding the parts together, for all parts must be either lock-seamed or riveted, the lock seams being illustrated at g, Fig. 36. Soldering may be used only to fill up the joints. The objection to a joint that is only soldered and not lock-seamed is that in a severe fire when the window is subjected to an intense heat, the joint is apt to open by the solder melting out. When the joint opens, flames may go through and the fire-stop will thus be soon destroyed. ”

“ For this purpose, the architect possesses an approximate knowledge of the cost of excavation, masonry, woodwork, etc., so that the necessary expenditure may be computed with a fair degree of accuracy. Builders’ hardware, however, does not readily admit of accurate preliminary estimating, and in many cases the architect merely specifies the sum to be expended for finishing hardware, stating that selections are to be made by himself or his client later, as the work progresses. ”

“ In order to make a preliminary estimate, before the plans of a structure are drawn, but after the general dimensions of the proposed building have been determined, architects and builders sometimes employ a method of approximate estimating, by which the cost is figured at so much per cubic foot of the building, the rate varying according to its character and the finish required. ”

“ Glazing was formerly included in the painter’s contract, but as it is now customary and more convenient to oil or paint and glaze the sash at the mill when they are made, the glazing is included in the joinery specifications, and is not considered as a separate subdivision of estimating work.
In measuring glass, take the dimensions between rabbets each way when the panes are rectangular; if irregular or circular in form, take the extreme dimensions, and consider the panes rectangular. It costs about 11⁄2 cents per square foot of light to glaze a window. This price includes the cost of putty. ”

“ Any person can perform this simple work, and if it is done once or twice a year, it will keep the bolts in such condition that each door will close easily and quietly at all times. Another cause of trouble is the tendency of the old-fashioned knob screw to become loose, thus allowing the knob to pull from the spindle. Where such spindles are used, it is a good plan to inspect them occasionally and to tighten any loose screws. The best results from lock hardware, however, can be obtained by having all locks and hardware inspected by a lock expert about once a year. ”

“ The galvanized nails cost from $1.50 to $3 more per keg than the plain cut or wire nails.
The cheaper grades of galvanized nails are frequently coated only with lead, and will not withstand the government test; that is, dipping them into vitriol. A simple way to test the coating of a galvanized nail is to rub the nail on a piece of white paper. A lead-coated nail will mark the paper the same as a lead pencil and should be rejected, as it is only a sham and has no redeeming qualities. ”

“ Qualifications of the Estimator.—In the United States, there are no standard or definite rules on estimating that hold good in every section. The builders of each locality have their own ideas and customs regarding the subject. This fact, together with the difference in the cost of labor in various parts of the country and the fluctuations in the market price of materials, requires, as before remarked, that a competent estimator be a man of long and varied experience in the business. ”

“ Reversing the ordinary mortise, or rim, lock requires no special ability on the part of the workman, as the operation consists of merely taking off the cap and turning over the latch bolt. Where, however, a mortise lock is to be applied, care must be exercised so that it will work properly. First fit the lock into the door at the proper height from the floor, making the mortise large enough for the lock to enter easily. Bore the holes for the knob and the key, and insert the screws in the lock face and drive them home. ”

“ While little consideration is given to the hardware on the average building, there is no more important part of the construction, nor one to which greater attention should be given. On the quality and the selection of proper hardware depends the avoidance of the petty [Pg 2] annoyances often found in buildings where this subject has not received proper consideration.
The architect should be well informed regarding this subject, and should be in a position to know the kind and quality of hardware that, when specified, will give the best results. ”

“ There is a form of headless wire nail, known as a barbed dowel-pin, which is made as shown in Fig. 3 (k) . This type of nail, or dowel, is used for doweling through the mortises and tenons of sash, blinds, and frames of every description. In the mill, it has displaced the wooden dowel used in former times. The length of pin to be employed is regulated by the thickness of the wood to be secured, as the pins are used 1⁄4 inch shorter than the thickness of the woodwork.
Fig. 4
An exceptionally heavy nail, or spike, is made from heavy wire or round bar. ”

“ Application of Hardware.—Owing to the fact that hardware has become more intricate in its manufacture and therefore more complicated in its construction, it is found that the proper amount of intelligence is not always exercised in its application. Frequently it is applied so carelessly that the hardware practically loses its most essential features. In the case of mortise-lock sets, all of the better grades are made with easy springs, so that the door will close gently and surely. ”