Fredericksburg Corporation Court
Deed Book Q, pages 192-195
1851
Specification of the materials and works required for making certain additions and improvements to the dwelling house of Mrs. Caroline M. Stanard at Fredericksburg, VA.
The present house upon which the improvements are to be made is in dimensions 36 x 38 ft, two stories high, of brick with a steep two gabled roof. It is required to make an additional story of the attic and substitute a hipped roof, and to make the other alterations & additions as follows.
Remove the present roof, without damage to the ceilings of the second floor rooms. For this purpose, it may be expedient to lay the attic floor before removing the roof. Make an opening over the main stair way for stairs to the Attic. The flooring joists it is supposed, cross the house from side to side and will therefore be supported on the partition, but a trimmer will also be required for the opening. Build brick walls (front and rear & partially on each end) eight inches thick, sufficiently high to give five feet six inches head room in the attic at the lowest part. Lay a Wall plate all around 4 x 8 inches halved and spiked at the corners, each plate to be in one piece. Support the Hip roof at the center upon the partition. May the four Hip rafters of 4 x 8 timber. Put purties [?] 4 x 7 one course and lay common rafters 3 x 6 two feet apart from centers & projecting over the roof as required for the extent of the cornice (reduced where extending over to five inches depth). Cover the rafters with pine boards of a good quality lay the best quality pine shingles, 4½ inches to the weather.
Secure all exposed places with lead strips and warrant the roof tight for one year. Make a gutter of tin or lead, and convey the water to the cistern with four leaders, one at each corner. Ceil the under side of the projecting cornice with clear narrow pine dressed to show, grooved & tongued & thoroughly seasoned. No board to be more than four inches wide & not beaded. Make the Brackets of the size & shape shown. Make all the cornice according to the working drawings furnished except with regard to the size of rafters projecting over, which make five inches deep. In all the work of the cornices and mouldings use perfectly clear and thoroughly seasoned stuff. Make ten windows in the Attic (three front and rear & two each side) to open on hinges. Make them in all respects like the working drawings furnished. Take particular care to prevent rain beating in by under grooving the sill as seen in the vertical section and by adding a lip at the bottom of each sash. For glass, use clear French sheets. Upon Roof at the apex, set a Balustrade, of the dimensions & proportions shewn on the roof plan. Make it according to the working draughts with turned balusters, 4 inches diameter and set 4 inches a part, with half balusters at the corner posts, and with turned ornaments for the corners, as shewn. Set the base of the balustrade, one inch above the shingles, to let the rain pass under. In laying the Brick work of the additional story, leave the joints open and rough outside for stucco. Stucco or rough cast the new brick & work in imitation of the present covering of the house. But in all cases, before laying on the plaster have bricks wet thoroughly. Lay the string course on impost round the house as shown in the Drawings. Set studs 16 inches apart for the partitions of the attic and lathe & plaster two coats, with with white smooth finish. Place collar beams so as to make the ceilings 9 feet high at the highest part. Set double studs at the openings, and all studs braced, make doors (wherever indicated in the drawings) 4 panelled, single faced inch and a quarter thick. The casings of all the doors in the attic to be the same as those of the Attic windows. The base board as it is drawn. Make the stairs to the attic like the principal stairs as to rail, newell & general style of construction. Make them three feet wide, steps 7½ inch rise, tread 12 inches, besides rising & let them reach up in one flight with two winders at the top. Continue the hand rail to the Attic floor & round the opening. Fit up the pantries in the attic bed rooms with shelves & hooks. Make an opening into one of flues of each room for a stove pipe & close it with a tin cover. Trim the doors of attic 6 in. rim locks, mineral knobs & put firm & suitable fastenings to the windows. Build in Attic hall a clothes press 8 feet by 3, with door and lock, lathe & plaster it inside and out. Over the present front porch put a balustrade of the same character as that directed to be put on the roof, but only two thirds of the size, the porch roof should be flat hipped. At the read build an enclosed piazza of the dimensions shewn on the plan. Make two windows each two feet 6 inches wide, so that they will open inwards on hinges & shut back. The two windows to be separate with a mullion or support between them. Let the arrangements for excluding rain be the same as ordered for the attic windows & the casings for all the rear porch the same. Put the best kind of fastenings to the windows. Make two doors to the rear porch, one to lead to the Garden, and one to the Kitchen. Both doors 4 pannelled two faced inch & a half thick with 8 inch rim locks & mineral knobs & similar door to enter the pantry. Make stairs down to the Kitchen door 3 feet wide, 7½ in rise, steps 12 inches, with hand rail. Place the stairs in such situation as may be ordered by the proprietor. Make plank moulded steps out to the Garden. Paint all the wood work of the interior and exterior with the best English White lead in oil. The wood work of the attic interior two coats, the interior of the read porch two, all the exterior wood work [Page 194] be painted three coast and sanded. That is, immediately on putting on the third coat of paint (tinted as may be directed by the proprietor) throw upon the paint with a dredging box, as much fine sand as the paint will hold. The throwing the sand upon it, is all the additional trouble and expense. The same with the plaster exterior of the house. The old part, if they have been heretofore painted, will required but two coats. The new parts will require three coats sanded on the last. When sanding is resorted to, the last coat should be freely laid, and the paint mixed stiffer than usual. When the exterior is all painted and sanded, mark off stone courses from 8 to 12 inches in dept, with a gray color & mark it so the lintel may come in one of the regular courses. The Basement exterior should be painted a little darker tint than the rest of the house. Paint all the Window casings of the exterior the same tint as the body of the house, the sashes should not be sanded, but all the casings should be. As to the tint given to the sashes, it must be as directed by the proprietor. The attic sashes should be tinted like the body of the house as also those of the rear porch, but for the original window sashes, they may be painted white.
The iron fence must be painted two coats. The first, of red lead in oil, the second, black. The Brick shall be laid with the best hard burned bricks & all laid wet. The mortar must be compounded of two parts clean sharp sand & one of slaked tone lime. The Stucco must be made of the best and strongest materials & warranted to adhere. The Chimneys must be, when the roof is finished, six feet higher than the roof at the base of the chimney. Use the best pine timber (except studs for partitions) well seasoned, free from loose knots or defects, for the purposes of this work. For all the joiners work, use clear white pine, thoroughly seasoned. The rear porch must correspond to that on the front, in its mouldings, cornice &c. Make a parapet, paneled instead of a Balustrade. Make it without columns, but with [space left blank] as shewn in the elevation.
The Contractor shall begin the work, on or before the 5th day of May 1851, but before removing the roof, he shall have prepared and framed the timber for the new roof & have placed in readiness, all the materials for covering it, without unnecessary delay. The opening for the stairs should be first made and the attic floor as far as may be laid down. A portion of the roof, front and read being then removed, the additional walls may be laid, so that when the old roof is removed the new one may immediately put in place. All the work must be done is a substantial and workmanlike manner, and according to the drawings and this specification, and must be finished and left broom clean on or before the 1st July 1851, or as soon as possible after that time. The following items are also included in the work agreed upon to be performed, Viz. The second story of the house to be plastered two coats, including the little passage. The windows of the second story to be cut one light higher & 3 new doors. The frames sashes and glass of the second floor windows to be made new, and to have pivoted blinds The small closets to be removed & the base boards repaired. The two windows which come against the stairway to be closed & to have sham blinds.
The attic stairs to have Mahogany newel & hand rail. The hall ceiling to be plastered. The exterior of the Windows finished according to the elevations. Window in the large hall to be renewed. Wood work to correspond with the other windows downstairs. The sashes all hung with cords, pulleys & weights. All the windows to have new pivoted blinds, painted three coats, color as required. The window in Platform to correspond with Windows on Second Story. The recesses in the dining room. The old stucco repaired. It is one of the conditions of this specification and contract that it shall it shall not be broken in consequence of any alterations of it, required by the proprietor, in the progress of the work or of any deviations of substitutions. But any change made in the plan by the proprietor shall be executed by the contractor as an extra job and at such price as may be previously agreed upon. But in all cases such order shall be put in writing and no extra charge shall be brought against the Proprietor by the contractor unless he can shew a written authority for the work.
This Indenture made this 2d day of May 1851, at Fredericksburg, Va, by and between Caroline M. Stanard of the one part and John P. Hill of the other part. Witnesseth that the John P. Hill , for himself, his executors, administrators or assigns, doth hereby agree that he will well and truly do and perform all the work and find all the materials for certain additions and improvements to her house as fully set forth in the foregoing specifications for the sum of Twelve hundred dollars. And the said Caroline M. Stanard, for herself, her heirs or assigns, doth hereby agree to pay to the said John P. Hill the said sum of twelve hundred dollars for the work. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals.
Caroline M. Stanard
John P. Hill
Sealed and Signed in presence of us
James Thornley, M.D.
Annie Stanard.
The painting of the house is omitted.
Clerks office of the Corporation Court of Fredericksburg, January 8th 1852.
The foregoing Instruments of writing were deposited in the Office by John P. Hill, and recorded at his request,
Ex[amine]d & del[ivere]d to Jno P. Hill
Teste,
J. J. Chew C.C.C. Fg