Clearly I don't have any projects happening here at House 173 right now. I have three more weeks of class then I can get moving on this summer's projects. The two I really have my eye on are getting a few more windows re-finished, and there are a few fence panels that need replacing around the back yard. I'm itching to get going! In the meantime, I thought I'd get a good start on Nephew's Das Beisler Haus page, starting with the Inaugural Post last night, and a neat little post tonight.
Way back in 2012 I posted about what some of the public records revealed about House 173, and tonight I have some pretty cool documents about Das Beisler Haus! Nephew sent some shots of the original house plans from 1949, exciting stuff for nerds like me!
I love the old German font, and would you look at the handwriting! Hey, if anyone out there knows anything about Georg Michael Mohr from Leutershasen, please let me know. Herr Mohr was a maurermeister, in English - a master bricklayer. It's interesting that in Europe there seems to still be a strong guild system, of which I have little understanding. What I think I do understand though is that the system trains all kinds of skills, jobs and trades (encompassing some 150 professions according to Forbes magazine) in a very organized way, from apprentice to master. Anyway, Herr Mohr being a brick mason makes sense considering Das Beisler Haus is made of cinder block!
There's a couple interesting things about this page. First is the large circle. Let me blow that up a little:
Not sure what's happening there but I think this was the porch roof, and if you look where I inserted the arrow, it almost looks like there was a planned balcony. But then I see where it looks like someone extended the main roof down and it seems there was some scribbling, so I wonder if there was an on-the-spot change. I don't see evidence of this kind of porch, but then again the house was built in '49.
Oh wait! Looking closer at the picture I see where the roof-line slopes down. Maybe I don't have a clear orientation of the house, perhaps we're looking at the back of the house right here? I'll reach out to Nephew and see if we can get more pictures.
The other thing in that previous picture was the drawing of the person. Maybe that was to add a little scale to the draft, or maybe it's just a scribble and my mind is making stuff up! I blew it up and darkened it a bit - opinions? Moving on...
I don't kow anything about reading blueprints (they're not blue...probably called something else in Germany!), but I noticed the cellar doesn't run the whole side-length of the house. Makes me wonder why? Was it a cost-saving measure? Did the house sit on a huge rock making it impossible to dig in that area like in Mr. Blandings Builds his Dreamhouse? Also, I did the math and 0.40 meters between the rafters is nearly 16 inches. I'm always fascinated when there's that kind of consistency even on different continents. Is 16 inches on center some kind of architectural/physics magic number, or did this spacing just migrate with the craftsmen - a kind of carpentry diaspora if you will.
So, there you have it - the original 1949 house plans for Das Beisler Haus. It inspires me to track down the original plans for House 173! And that completes the introduction to Das Beisler Haus, next we'll have to choose which project to showcase first!