BUILDING FOUNTAINS AND PONDS 1
This
series deals with the construction of fences,
fireplaces, terraces,
garden pools, and many other structures
that enhance modern home
life. It is addressed chiefly to those
capable and fortunate persons the
home mechanics who build things for the
fun of it, and (sometimes)
because their bank accounts will not stand
the burden of having them
built by professionals. It should be informative
and useful also to per-
sons who have no intention of mixing a
bucket of mortar or placing one
stone upon another, but who want to know
how such things are done
and what can be accomplished by doing them.
One of the better changes that has occurred in American
life in our
era is a greater appreciation of the outdoors. Not
many decades ago, the
yard about the typical American home was used chiefly
for the growing
of grass and for such utilitarian purposes as drying
the wash. In pleasant
weather, the family relaxed on the front porch and
only occasionally
ventured into the sun for a game of croquet Pools,
tennis courts, and
fireplaces were constructed on the estates of the rich,
but few owners
of 60 by 100 lots thought of encumbering their modest
sites with such
appurtenances of wealth and luxury.
Now, however, the benefits, including the fun, of being
outdoors
when the weather is good are not looked upon as privileges
limited to
persons with impressive incomes. City, rural and suburban
dwellers, all,
take to the outdoors in favorable weather. The old-time
front porch has
almost disappeared, but the terrace usually without
a roof overhead-
has taken its place. Outdoor fireplaces are built even
on small city lots.
The yard is rightfully viewed as a living area only
slightly less useful
than the rooms within the house.
The Yankee abilities, self-confidence and daring of
the numerous
tribe of those sometimes labeled "amateur craftsmen" but
who are more
often called "home mechanics" have been
major factors in this change.
Outdoor structures such as are described in this book
are simple in com-
parison to dwelling houses and larger structures. Almost
any adult can
build them. Nevertheless, they are exacting enough
that good taste and
workmanship show unmistakably in the final product.
Some of our
readers may feel that we have said too much on such
points as the use
of decay-resistant wood, proper damp-curing of concrete,
and careful
selection of materials.
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