The exterior of every house, however simple or elaborate, is nothing more than a wall punctured with openings. If it is well proportioned, and if the openings are well spaced and well proportioned, it will create a favorable impression.
Windows having small panes with the division bars between them painted white make interesting openings. Curtis sash are ovolo-molded to match the molding of the doors and woodwork on the interior. Check rails are rabbeted, and so resist seven times as much wind pressure as ordinary check rails.
Blinds contribute color and contrast to the exterior of the house, and they make the rooms within more restful because they enable you to shut out the glaring sun without shutting out the breezes.
The construction of Curtis standard frames for windows and doors reduces coal bills and makes more comfortable rooms.
Entrance C-109
Good proportions, dignity, simplicity, are characteristic of all stock Curtis entrances, for large home or small one.
Starting newels and balusters on Curtis stairs like C-900 are dowel-pinned to the solid, built-up starting tread. On stairs like C-913, the newel is tenoned to fit into a mortise in the tread. The result of such forms of construction is balustrades that are strong and stable.
As the entrance is usually the focal center of the main elevation, it should be selected with care and due regard to the type of home in which it is to be used. There are more than thirty designs in the Curtis catalog.
Strangers judge your home only by those things which are seen from the outside. But you and your family have to live with the things inside. While you are pleased by favorable comment on the beauty of the exterior, you are thrilled with greater pleasure at admiration of the restful rooms within.
First impressions of the interior are usually made by the hall. In the two-story house the stair may make or mar these first impressions. On account of its size, its utility, its construction as a part of the house, and its possibilities for beauty, the stairway is of both structural and architectural importance. Beauty depends not upon large-sized members, but upon graceful lines, good proportions and finely molded parts. In the entrance hall, French doors also add to the favorable impression which your home makes. They keep out sounds and drafts but do not shut out light between rooms.
A feature of Curtis stair construction which saves time for the carpenter is the “housing” of the wall stringers. The treads and risers, which are tongued-and-grooved together as shown above, on the right, are WEDGED into the housing, not nailed. This is the most satisfactory stair construction that has so far been devised to eliminate creaking and “giving.” This picture is taken from the under side of the stair.
Face stringers (top picture) are tenoned to fit into mortises in corner and angle newels, and are secured on the inside by means of cleats. Balusters (bottom pictures) are dovetailed to the treads, then the nosing and molding are applied.