Cornices. (A.) The cornice, or eave finish, is next in order after the house is boarded in and the roof covered, as it is essential that the roofing should be laid as soon as possible, not only to protect the house, but to allow the men to work during stormy weather upon partitions, rough floors, etc.

For this work it is necessary to build a strong scaffold or place staging, or scaffold brackets, shown in Fig. 100. These are used by many builders in preference to a scaffold, as they may be put up and taken down with little trouble. They may be placed, as shown, before the house is boarded in, or may be fastened directly upon the boarding to allow the outside to be finished. These brackets are used quite commonly in some parts of the country, more especially in the east, where the clapboards used are made with a very thin edge, so that they may be pushed under the lower edge of the course above.

Fig. 100. - Scaffold Bracket.

In other parts of the country, the siding is laid from the bottom; in which ease it is plain the brackets are not so desirable, since they necessitate boring a hole through the siding, as at a, for the bolt which holds the bracket in its place.

(B.) The open cor-. nice (Fig. 101) and the box cornice | Fig. 102) are the types used in finishing frame buildings. They will both admit of much variation without departing from the type. The open cornice costs less than the other, but does not make so warm a house. As it projects beyond the finish of the house, the water from a leaky gutter will run outside; while, if there is a leak in the eaves of a box cornice, the water is very likely to work its way into the outside walls of the house.

If a box cornice is built, as shown at a, Fig. 102, with the frieze (b) extending a little above the top side of the plancer or soffit (c) as at z, a space of ¼' being left between the frieze and the soffit, any water which finds its way into the cornice will drop behind the bed mold (d) outside of the house. The chief objection to this is that water may stain the frieze, but it is better that this should happen than that the water should find its way inside of the house.

Fig. 101. - Open Cornice.

Fig. 102. - Box Cornice.

The fascia (e) should extend about ½" below the plancer. It will be noticed that the outside of the gutter (/) is lower than the part extending under the shingles; this allows the overflow to run over the gutter and drop clear of the house.

A box cornice does not dry out so readily as the open cornice, and therefore will need to be repaired more often.

There are several forms of gutters and eaves illustrated in Fig. 103, besides that of Fig. 102, all of which should have a pitch of at least 1" in 20' toward the outlet. The forms shown at a and b are used commonly upon ordinary buildings; the sheet metal lining of b should extend under the second course of shingles above the gutter. The form of gutter shown at Fig. 102 is an old one, still largely used upon the best residences. This gutter, which should be made of cypress, is sometimes put up as shown at h, in Fig. 102. In Fig. 103, f is frequently used upon dwellings. G is the type of gutter used upon large buildings, as it can be more easily repaired than any of the other forms; its pitch can be obtained without showing at the eaves, and it provides a place from which small repairs upon the roof can be made without building a scaffold.

Upon the best class of work, every joint of a wooden cornice or gutter, should be thoroughly doped with white lead or thick paint, as the cornice is difficult to repair and the use of lead will prolong its life. The joints in the moldings of the cornice and whatever splicings are necessary, should not be made with a square butt, but should be mitered as shown in Fig. 104. This rule applies to all moldings and other finish which are lengthened. Great care must be used to make all joints in the least conspicuous places and to face the miter in such a direction as to prevent the prevailing winds from driving into the joint, and water from running into it.

Fig. 103. - Eaves Troughs Or Gutters.