ROMANCE OF A HOME

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 189, 15 July 1925, Page 14

ROMANCE OF A HOME

VISION SLOWLY COMING TRUE. MR SMITH’S LONG DREAM. On a suburban lot, 150 by 130 feet, Mr James Smith, an enterprising Vancouver citizen, lias, for the past few years, been busily engaged in tho preliminary preparations for his ideal home—a home that has loomed up in his imagination since early manhood. It is an ordinary home, such as thousands have saved for; not a bungalow of tho prevailing present-day type, so prominent in many modern cities. It is a large brick house, substantially built-, well-lighted by artistic windows, and with broad steps leading to an inviting entrance. There is nothing particularly unusual in his choice of homo, nor in the design that he has chosen for it. But there is something decidedly unusual in his method of procedure in the erection of his home.

Mr Smith has for many years entertained a vision of this dream home, but owing to financial conditions his long cherished desire did not materialise, and he gradually came to see that it never would materialise except through his own personally-directed efforts, and his personal labour as well. In the first place, he eliminated the usual expense of having an architect to draw plans, and with the aid of his wife planned every detail of the house, after which he drafted his own plans. He also dispensed with the services of mason or bricklayer, and he is now experiencing glowing satisfaction in seeing the walls of his house, gradually, but surely, rising higher and higher, and from his own individual labour.

HOME-MADE BRICKS. But what may be considered as Mr Smith’s greatest achievement toward the erection of the house is the manufacture of all the cement bricks that will be used in its construction. This he has accomplished through patience and perseverance. Through experimenting and continuing to experiment, until he finally got a formula for a mixture from which satisfactory bricks could be made, he is now perfectly satisfied that his bricks are indestructible, that they will stfuid forever. British Columbia sand and cement are used in the making of them and each brick weights almost seven pounds. In a shed at the rear of his temporary home, Mr Smith lias spent a great deal of time during the winter in the' manufacture of the thousands of bricks that he knew would be required. He estimated that 20,000 would be needed, and he had 10,000 in readiness before the brick work begun. Night after night and, when not otherwise engaged, day after day he added to the growing brick-pile in Iris yard. The average turnout of an evening would .he about 260, while during the day between five and six hundred could be turned out. On a specially constructed floor the cement was mixed.

A small portion at times was packed into a simple, though somewhat crudely constructed mould. By a device of his own invention, manipulated by a foot lever, each brick was first firmly pressed, then raised, and released by the dropping of the sides of the mould. A finished brick was then ready on a small board. Upon this if. was lifted and set aside to dry until morning, when, with others, it was placed on the pile outside. AT WORK ON THE HOME. It seems inconceivable that many thousands could soon be prepared in this way, but the brick-pile rose so rapidly, that this year Mr Smith felt justified in proceeding with the buiklni" of his house. Perfectly moulded granolithic steps were ready, too, and are now in place. They are very effective with bright granite clippings worked into the cement. The house is being built with footthick walls and high cement basement. It will be finished in Flemish Bond, with cement finishings, stretchers with dark headers, corners finished in dark plinth brick. The builder lias special moulds for the splay and plinth bricks used for the corners and for decorative purposes. All the work on the cement foundation, which is 32 by 41, he has done himself, as also the work already done on the brick walls.

Mr Smith intends to complete the whole house unaided. And if one might judge from the work that has so far been accomplished, one would feel .confident .that the completed house will be without a flaw. One so ambitious, who is proving himself so resourceful and so competent, cannot help hut produce a house worthy ol his dreams .

WIFE’S CARE OF THE GARDEN

While Mr Smith has been busy planning for and working on parts for the home. His wife has not neglected the garden. In it she has not only raised all kinds of vegetables and small fruits, but has several fruit trees already bearing. Mr Smith went to Vancouver 12 years ago as foreman of the stone work on the Sacred Heart Convent. He lias since served in the same capacity on several other prominent nublic buildings He is a native of Strat-ford-on-Avon, where ho was married in the old parish ohu'-eh. Here, too, in the same church—tho one in which William Shakespeare was christened — his three eldest children . had the distinction of being baptised. In England, for several years Mr Smith worked as a draftsman under an architect, but later apprentictd as a bricklayer and stonemason, and since going to Vancouver has followed up his trade. Ho has devoted his spare time, however, to what has proved to be a most useful hobby. And he is thus demonstrating how resourceful a man may become through continued perseverance in what some might consider a most unusual and unnecessary hobby-