1950s style house

[bootneck]

Well, I could keep on researching and then find this GB is finished before I have even started!  As such, I am laying the foundation (pun intended) on my attempt for this GB.

It will be a representation of a 1950s built house, on a small estate in a rural town.

 

The footprint will have a frontage of 27.5 feet and sidewall of 29ft.  At 1:35 scale, that should work out about 240.0 x 252mm

 

I intend/plan/hope to construct this building using styrofoam, wood, balsa, styrene sheet and 3D printed parts; or, any other materials that come that will suit.

 

Cheers,
Mike

[Mjwomack]

I guess you'll be 3D printing etc, but if you eased into 1/32 that is railway speak for Gauge 1 so there's a chance that there's so parts such as doors already available.

Off down the rabbit hole to look now!

[bootneck]

No worries there Michael, anything that doesn't have a scale part will either be scratchbuilt or 3D printed. (tongue in cheek mode switched off now ).

 

cheers,

Mike

[bootneck]

A slow start to this build as there are quite a few dimensions and items that I have to work out first.

 

Herewith the first hundred house bricks plus a drain cover that I have printed so far.

 

cheers,
Mike

[bianfuxia]

I hadn't seen this one yet sorry. Another fine addition to this incredibly diverse GB!

[CliffB]

What a great project, but don't forget the DPC. 

[bootneck]

Yes, and I forgot to make some air bricks.

 

cheers,

Mike

[bootneck]

Herewith the basic layout.

 

Foundations built.  I removed the corkboard as I couldn't get it to stick down to the foam board completely.

 

 

earthworks filled in around the foundations.  The colour is a much darker brown than this image shows.

 

I am not certain about the various utility services hardware, such as drains, pipes and conduits etc..  I should think that they fit over the foundations but at what height, as in how many bricks above?  Checking on various photos, some foundations have bricks placed on the foundations, others have breeze blocks first and then the first course of bricks.  I need to spend a little more time in identifying what comes next, after the foundations layer.  When I get up to the damp course level, does that just cover the bricks below, or is it a sheet that covers the whole floor area at that level?

 

I shall need to do some research on the type of equipment, and their dimensions, that would be found on a building site;  dumper, planks, door and window frames, jackhammer and compressor.  I should imagine that a portable generator would be needed, for tools and lighting.

 

cheers,
Mike

[Alex Gordon]

1 hour ago, bootneck said:

I am not certain about the various utility services hardware, such as drains, pipes and conduits etc..  I should think that they fit over the foundations but at what height, as in how many bricks above?  Checking on various photos, some foundations have bricks placed on the foundations, others have breeze blocks first and then the first course of bricks.  I need to spend a little more time in identifying what comes next, after the foundations layer.  When I get up to the damp course level, does that just cover the bricks below, or is it a sheet that covers the whole floor area at that level?

This looks to be shaping up rather well old fruit.

Cropped from this photo found here https://c8.alamy.com/comp/MF69PN/1950s-historical-lady-sitting-outside-a-house-being-built-or-constructed-using-unusual-looking-wooden-scaffolding-england-uk-MF69PN.jpg

 

 

The underground clay drain pipes are circled in green.There are two types of brick,inner and outer skin and a scaffold that would nowadays get a site shut down with punitive fines all round,even for the photographer.

 

This photo found here https://garretjohnston.blogspot.com/2021/08/1950s-detached-house-uk.html shows a '50s ish build.

 

 

If you look down the driveway the various drain outlets can be seen joining in to the stack pipe,the thicker 4" one,from the toilet.Behind that is the 3" downpipe from the guttering that runs into a hopper which also takes the 1½" pipes from the sink and the bath.This downpipe continues to a trap gulley in the ground which joins on to the sewage system.

 

Downstairs feeds into the drains either have their own gulley,sinks etc, or are Teed directly into the drain line,4" solids,that come through the wall at the height of the pipe out of the back of the lavatory pan.The height of this depends on where the floor is which in turn depends on the type of floor.

Full concrete floors didn't really come in until the wider availability of polythene sheet for use as a damp proof membrane so the majority of buildings had a floating floor,this diagram found here https://fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ages/elements/section3.htm if you can get the link to work.

 

 

The DPC on top of the bricks was,and still is,2 courses above finished ground level,i.e. the face of any paving used as a path.Back then the DPC itself was a bitumen infused fibre not unlike roofing felt and came in rolls the same as the plastic stuff nowadays.Roll ends would be lapped over to stop water coming up.The length of the lap depended on the thriftiness or conscienciousness of the builder but was usually around 6".

Cavity walls were a regular thing,fibreglass wool didn't really exist but the wall skins were tied together with galvanised wire ties.

 

 

 

Gas pipes came out of the ground outside the building and into the back of the meter wherever it was located.Water came out of the ground inside the building,frost protection,usually under the kitchen sink.Electricity came in overhead to the insulated bracket that had some pretty hefty mounting screws that were fitted to the fascia board which could quite easily be hanging on a couple of 1½" nails if you were lucky.The telephone would come in the same way if you could afford one.

[bootneck]

Hi Alex,

 

there are some very useful pieces of information, and photos, there; thank you very much.  Now that you have mentioned them, I remember those clay pipes very much, I think they were a bright shiny brown on the outside and white/cream inside. 

 

My reason for remembering them so well is that my friend and I went to play on a building site where we found a big rope hanging from the scaffolding.  We decided to take turns doing the Tarzan thingy.  When it was my turn, my friend swung me harder each time and eventually I flew off at the furthest swing and landed amongst said pipes.  A couple of them shattered on my impact and a piece tore through my jeans and caused a four inch gash on my shin.  This was around 1958, so no telephones to call ambulance.  My mum pushed me in a pram up to the Birmingham accident hospital where I had a load of stitches, and a stern telling off from the surgeon! 

 

I did wonder how the two courses of bricks were connected on cavity walls.  I had thought that bricks were used as bridges at alternate distances; however, when I did some measuring I found that they wouldn't reach across the gap.  That photo of the wire tie explains it all.

Again, thank you for putting all the info down for me;  I shall use all of it for my next part of this build.

 

cheers,
Mike

[Alex Gordon]

No worries old chum.I'm not the font of all knowledge, @rob Lyttle has much to say that is worth the effort listening to.The building game is full of little pitfalls but the basic principles are based on the hard won experience of trying to defy physics.Gravity is your friend and always wins.

[rob Lyttle]

I'm looking forward to the balsa wood sliding sash windows, with weights...🤩

[bootneck]

I haven't started looking at the windows and frames yet,  perhaps I can use matchsticks as they tend to be stronger than balsa.   Looking at the building site photo, I notice that the bricks are different colours.  The outer bricks are red/orange whereas the inner bricks are a lighter colour.   What colour would the lighter bricks be and were they a different size or design from the red bricks?

 

I am just drawing up some additional bricks, including air bricks and also with mortar on two sides.  This would be a good time to identify and draw all the different types and sizes of bricks, breeze blocks and clay pipes etc., that might have been found on the building site.

 

Other interesting items that I need to work out the dimensions for are floorboards and planks.  I have read that floorboard lengths varied but possibly width and thickness were constant? 

As to planks, for scaffold platforms and using with wheelbarrows, I have seen that those planks are thicker, some with a metal edging at each end.  Does anyone know the dimensions for those?  I would need to make a few for the workmen pushing a loaded wheelbarrow along them.

 

cheers,

Mike

[Pete in Lincs]

Mike, this is getting complicated and very interesting at the same time. 

And thanks from me too  @Alex Gordon for your  contribution. Good stuff, Mate. 

If you're going to use matchsticks then the long Chefs type are pretty solid. A quick dip in super glue may help too. It also sticks them together nicely. 

I wonder if you thought of printing metal frame windows? As seen on hundreds of British WW2 era bases. The brand name was Crittal as far as I know. I grew up in a fifties Council house with them. And was given a Married quarter at Scampton with them in 1991! No insulation whatsoever! Ice inside in the Winter. 

[bootneck]

Hi Pete, 

 

Yes, this is meant to be complex; mainly to keep this old addled brain of my active.  It is quite enjoyable, although at times frustrating, to be doing something that isn't just glueing ready made plastic together.

 

Those metal windows remind me of the type at my old school in Brum.

[bootneck]

I have drawn up the first two bricks, a standard and an air brick.  I have also added a line of mortar below and to one side of each brick.

 

 

I am getting my inspiration from these two books that daughter bought me recently.  I just convert the European dimensions to UK sizes for my work.

 

I also am enjoying the build videos produced by Martin Kovak aka Nightshift,  although I need to find a similar type of styrofoam, which he describes as Styrodur 3035, from UK suppliers.

 

cheers,
Mike

[Alex Gordon]

1 hour ago, bootneck said:

Looking at the building site photo, I notice that the bricks are different colours.  The outer bricks are red/orange whereas the inner bricks are a lighter colour.   What colour would the lighter bricks be and were they a different size or design from the red bricks?

The bricks will be the same size,the inner skin will be a cheaper variety while in that photo the outer skin are a different decorative type.These two photos are of LBC Commons which were everywhere at the time and used for both inner and outer skins.

 

 

Ths cavity in the middle of the brick is called the frog and was usually upwards facing to carry more mortar.Frogs downwards was not unusual.

 

1 hour ago, bootneck said:

I have read that floorboard lengths varied but possibly width and thickness were constant?

The floorboards would be 1"x6" or 4" tongue and groove and would turn up in 16' lengths.These were cut to cover the floor joists and the offcut,if long enough,used to start the next run.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, bootneck said:

As to planks, for scaffold platforms and using with wheelbarrows, I have seen that those planks are thicker, some with a metal edging at each end.  Does anyone know the dimensions for those? 

8"x1¼"x12' with the metal fixing bands bent on most of them and hanging on at one end and twisted on a few to catch the errant bootlace or finger.The metal banding has teeth and is intended to stop the ends of the boards splitting.

 

 

There are a few photos here https://mediadrumworld.com/2017/05/02/7486/ that you might find useful.Your airbricks look good .

[desert falcon]

Another great project of yours @bootneck, I’m following with great interest. Love all the research going into this  

[bootneck]

Thanks Alex and desert falcon.  I am trying not to end up down a rabbit hole of research, where I surface with only a week to go for actual building.    I do think that this will become expensive in research time; therefore, I might just do a single storey and then bungalow roof on it! 

 

Alex, that information is invaluable, thank you.  I shall add those dimensions to my conversion chart and start cutting up some boards.

 

Cheers,
Mike

[bootneck]

I have another query,  on smaller construction sites would portable power generators and water pumps be used?  I am thinking about power for lighting and the water pump to drain ditches etc.

 

I have started to make a portable generator and that is coming along well; however, I don't have any details of the water pump.  I think I remember a pump called a Coventry Climax that was used during the firefighters strike in the late 1970s.

 

This is the portable generator which is almost ready to print and place on my diorama.

 

 

I'm not sure but it may be possible to use the frame for the water pump, if I can obtain measurements etc.

 

cheers,

 

Mike

 

[Pete in Lincs]

Mike, It's possible that the Climax would be too modern for your 50's build?

You may want something more like the WW2 water pumps that were on trailers towed behind Taxi's during the blitz?

[SnøMotion]

The Coventry Climax portable pump is what became the Hillman Imp engine. According to Wikipedia, it was developed in 1950 

 

Martin

[Graham Boak]

More significantly, it became the F1 engine that took Jack Brabham and Cooper to their first two world championships.  Climax were to win more races, including two for Stirling Moss in his Lotus, but was replaced in 1961 by their V8, which won two more championships but for Lotus and Jim Clark.  These were only the tip of their racing successes in other formulae.

[Pedro52]

Mike, bricks are a standard size of 215mm long x 102mm wide x 65mm high, normally with a 10mm mortar joint. Inner skin blocks are multiples of this, normally 440mm long (2 bricks + 10mm), x 215 high (3 bricks + 10mm), width can vary from 100mm upto 215mm.

 

Normal wall width for builds of this age if 250mm overall, 10 brick, 48 cavity and 100 brick or block inner.

 

If you need any more info, give us a shout.

 

Pedro

[SnøMotion]

57 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

More significantly, it became the F1 engine that took Jack Brabham and Cooper to their first two world championships.

Having learnt to drive in an Imp, that was more significant to me 

 

But as the Imp engine looks almost identical to the water pump, I thought it might be an easier option for reference photos 

 

Martin