BUILDING.
The subject that will occupy our attention in the following sectionsrelates strictly to the mechanical operations involved in carrying into effect the plans of the designer or architect; in other words, we shall concern ourselves with the strictly practical or mechanical parts of architecture, as distinguished from its xsthetic features. The latter form the subject of a separate volume, to which the reader is referred.
The mechanical operations herein embraced involve, in addition to the selection of the plan with proper reference to the ground which the build ing shall occupy, the preparation of foundations; the installation of appli ances for the proper drainage of the building; the details of the superstruc ture, embracing the methods of constructing walls of natural and artificial materials (wood, stone, brick, concrete, etc.); the construction of roofs and of the gutters thereon with suitable connections to dispose promptly of the water received upon them; the proper arrangement of flues for heating and ventilation; the construction of partition-walls, floors, ceilings, and other interior details; the use of suitable methods for protecting the various por tions of the building from deterioration bv dampness, from destruction by fire, and from natural or special causes of decay, etc.
The proper execution of these mechanical details demands On the part of the builder an expert familiarity with every portion of the practical work involved in the construction of buildings, including, also, such knowledge of the value of materials and labor as will enable him intelligently to esti mate in advance the actual cost of the intended structure.