BUILDING FOUNTAINS AND PONDS - Introduction
2
We have pointed out the importance
of such
things over and over because only by
observing them can structures of
fair permanence be achieved. It is simple,
indeed, for anyone who is
not interested in building durable things
to be less discriminating in his
choice of materials and methods.
Most of the material in this book appeared first in
the authors' Home
Mechanic's Outdoor Handbook. It has been republished
in this series of
smaller books because there was a demand for less comprehensive
(and
less expensive) books from a good many people who were
interested in
building only one or two kinds of outdoor structures.
Most of the text
is the same as in the pertinent chapters of the larger
volume, but some
of it has been rewritten to make it shorter or clearer.
The special arrange-
ment of this book is discussed in Section 372, the
first section under
Basic Operations.
We have striven to be as nontechnical as possible,
but it is not pos-
sible to discuss building of any kind without using
some technical termi-
nology. However, few readers will encounter many terms
which they
have not met with heretofore. We have purposely avoided
symbols such
as constitute a considerable part of the professional
language of builders
and architects, but we have had to use a few which
will be explained
here. In some of the drawings we have used the sign " for
inch and
inches, and its companion ' for foot and feet. Also,
we have used "o.c,"
the meaning of which is on center; in other words,
the measurement
indicated is taken from the center line of some building
element, such
as a stud, to the center of another. In a few places
we have used "min."
and "max.," but these are common abbreviations
for "minimum" and
"maximum." The only other symbol that may
give trouble is a small
circle with a vertical line through it. This means
round.
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