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A Queen Anne House
Design Examples in Classic Vintage Architecture
The design shown in the following drawings is a good example of a country residence in the Queen Anne style home. It's suitable for a family with a little extra money to spend. Building it requires a minimum lot measuring about fifty to seventy-five feet on the front. The basement is around nine feet in height, and extends under every part of the house except the parlor. The area, foundation walls, and chimneys, are of poured concrete or masonry block and are supported on a twenty four inch wide by eight to ten inch deep steel reinforced concrete footing.
The tops of the chimneys and the foundation walls which are about three feet above the grade line, are veneered in red brick. The bottom of the cellar (basement) is concreted four inches deep and reinforced. The basement doorway, window sills, and outside basement steps, are blue stone set in the masonry. The first story is ten feet in height, and contains a kitchen, dining-room, library, parlor, a large hall, and a sufficient number of closets and pantries.
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The second story is nine feet in height, and contains five chambers (bedrooms), each with a closet, and a separate bathroom. The attic contains two bedrooms of good size, and a storeroom. The flues in the chimneys are built separate and continuously to the top, with clay thimbles or metal flues set in the brick-work where directed on the plans. The fire-places in the parlor and dining room have open grates, and mantels to match the ornate woodwork of these two rooms, and have tile facings, and hearths of selected patterns.
The frame of the building is of solid, seasoned spruce or southern yellow pine, of the following dimensions: girders, six by eight inches; sills, four by eight inches; floor beams, two by ten inches; headers and trimmers, four by ten inches; attic ceiling beams, two by six inches; outside studding, three by four inches; door and window studding, four by four inches; inside studding, two by four inches ; rafters, two by six inches; hips and valleys, three by eight inches; plates, four by six inches; veranda sills, four by six inches; veranda plates, four by six inches; veranda rafters, three .by five inches; veranda beams, three by six inches; veranda ceiling beams, two by four inches; balcony posts, six by six inches; bridging timber, two by two inches.
The studding and floor beams are placed sixteen inches from centers, all strongly bridged. The exterior of the building is sheathed with dry, tongue and grooved, mill-worked spruce, driven tightly together, and securely nailed to each stud. The side walls of the lower story are covered with dry, clear white pine, and beveled siding. The side walls of the second story are shingled with best quality white pine or cedar shingles, and the roofs are slated with good quality black slate, put on with galvanized iron nails. The main ridge is surmounted with a terra cotta cresting. The finial on the tower is of galvanized steel.
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The basement window frames are of plank, with casement sash, which are glazed with single-thick glass. All other windows have one and one-eighth inch jambs, and two inch rabbeted sills, with one and one-eighth inch blind hanging stiles, all of dry white pine, free from knots or blemishes. The sashes are one and one-half inch in thickness, glazed with double-thick French glass, and balanced with cast-iron weights, and brown hempen cord. Outside blinds to all windows except basement and attic. The front door is veneered with oak, is two inches thick, with five raised panels, molded both sides. The doors in the attic are one and one-quarter inch thick, with four plain panels. The "outside" basement door is built of tongued and grooved white pine, securely nailed to strong cleats with wrought iron clinch nails. All other doors are of white pine, one and one-half inch thick, five-paneled, and molded both sides. The veranda and balcony posts, outside door and window casings, railings, steps, belt courses, gutters, corner boards, etc., are of dry, sound white pine, with all the necessary moldings. The floors of the first and second stories are of kiln-dried yellow pine; veranda and balcony floors are of white pine, laid in paint; attic floor of spruce, all well driven together, and blind nailed to each bearing. The balcony floor is covered with sheet lead, and made water tight. The architraves and wainscoting in kitchen and pantry are of yellow pine.
The architraves (main beam resting across the tops of columns), skirting boards and panel backs in dining-room and hall are of oak; in the library of cedar; in the parlor of white pine, stained to look like mahogany. The bath-room is fitted in white ash, finished with a coat of wood filler, and two coats of wood preservative, rubbed smooth with pumice stone and oil. All other inside wood-work of white pine, painted three coats as directed. The stairs to the basement are built of dimensional lumber in the usual way. Main stairs of oak, with turned newels and balusters, properly filled and polished. The pantry is fitted with shelves, and all closets with wardrobe hooks and upper shelves, as directed on the plans. Hard wood saddles are placed under all doors, and rubber tipped door-stops are attached to the bases. The front dining-room, library and parlor doors, have bronze knobs, butts, roses, drops, and escutcheons, and bronze-faced mortise locks. The attic doors have brown mineral knobs, and black iron butts, roses, drops, and escutcheons, and ordinary rim locks. All other doors have black porcelain knobs, roses, drops, and escutcheons (A flat piece of metal for protection and often ornamentation, around a keyhole, door handle, or light switch), black iron butts, and brass-faced mortise locks. Bronze sash locks for the dining-room, hall, and library. Bronzed iron sash locks for other windows. A gong bell with all the required attachments, is placed in the front hall. All exterior tin work, iron and woodwork has three coats of a hardy enamel paint.
The small moldings and narrow projections of the cornices, which are some of the characteristic features of the Queen Anne style, give a building an unsatisfactory appearance without a proper selection and combination of colors, and a proper use of materials. Great care should be exercised in deciding which colors are used. Shades of warm browns are always pleasing, and suggest hospitality and comfort.
Tim Davis is a seasoned architectural designer with over 30 years experience. If you wish to have him design your own Queen Anne home, go to http://customhouseplans.8m.com. He also teaches residential architectural drafting online at http://homedesign.8m.com. One of the courses he's offering is called Vintage House Plans 101 at http://drafting101.com/vintage/ where he teaches students how to draw these classic homes in their preserved styles.
