The Useful Arts Employed in the Construction of Dwelling Houses

The building of houses has in all ages formed part of the employment of man as he advanced from a state of mere barbarism to one of comparative civilization. In devoting this little volume, therefore, to the subject of the Application of the Useful Arts to the construction of Dwellings, it is necessary to set a limit to so large a subject. A wigwam is a house,—so is a palace, and examples of every possible gradation between the two might be given. In order, then, to avoid the seeming ambition of grasping the whole of this extensive subject we shall not travel out of our own country; nor shall we ascend to the very highest, or descend to the very lowest class of dwellings; but shall describe the principal arts concerned in building a modern English house of moderate rank. In so doing, we shall treat the subject under a few simple heads, classified mainly according to the materials employed.