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Auditing and Assurance Services

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Chapter 9

Materiality and Risk

This is an essential chapter as it builds upon the content in chapters 6-8. It


provides in-depth coverage of the auditor’s process of assessing the risk of material
misstatements in the financial statements, and it introduces the audit risk model.
The following are emphasized in this chapter:
◼ Chapter opening vignette
◼ Audit risk at the financial statement and assertion levels
◼ Risk assessment procedures
◼ Consideration of fraud risk
◼ Identification of significant risks
◼ Audit risk model
◼ Planned detection risk
◼ Acceptable audit risk
◼ Inherent risk and control risk
◼ Relating the assessment of risks to accumulating evidence and materiality
◼ Discussion of the audit risk model

Chapter Opening Vignette ― “What’s the Big Deal About Risk?”

This vignette highlights the consequences auditors may face when they fail to
adequately consider the various types of potential risks of material misstatements
that could be present in the financial statements. The case involving ABC Learning
Services Limited (ABC) illustrates the importance of more detailed consideration of
how risks might not only be present at the overall financial statement level, but also
how they might be unique to certain types of accounts, classes of transactions, and
the auditor’s judgment. The consequences of the lack of proper judgment on the
auditor’s part in the ABC audit proved costly for the engagement partner and the firm,
in addition to those who relied on the audited financial statements.

Audit Risk (page 302)

This chapter builds upon the discussion in Chapter 8 about how the auditor
obtains an understanding of the client’s business and industry to assess the risk of
material misstatement. We begin by emphasizing that the auditor’s consideration of
the risk of material misstatements is at two levels (which are also shown on Slide 9-
4):
1. Overall financial statement level
2. Assertion level
(Shown on Slide 9-4)
The opening vignette emphasizes the importance of an in-depth assessment of

9-1
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
the risk of material misstatement at a more detailed level. We ask students to
describe examples of risks that might be at the financial statement level, over-
arching a number of accounts and types of transactions. We then have them
describe risks of material misstatement that might be specific to a particular
assertion for an account, such as the occurrence assertion for sales transactions.
We then ask students why it is helpful to consider risks at these levels.
Review Questions 9-2 and 9-3 and Discussion Question 9-31 can be used to
generate good in-class discussion about the importance of these risk assessments.
Be sure to emphasize that the purpose of assessing risks at both the financial
statement and assertion level is for the auditor to determine different types of audit
responses needed to address the noted risks.

Risk Assessment Procedures (page 303)

Chapter 8 introduced the term “risk assessment procedures.” This section


provides more detailed description of the types procedures performed by auditors to
assess the risk of material misstatement. Figure 9-1 (page 304) illustrates the five
types of risk assessment procedures and their collective importance to ultimately
determining the audit strategy and audit plan. We use that to guide our
conversation about each type of risk assessment procedure.
(See Figure 9-1; shown on Slide 9-7)
Highlight that the first type of risk assessment procedures shown in Figure 9-1
relates to inquiries of management and others. Given management and others
within the entity are most familiar with the day-to-day business of the entity, they
can be a great source of insights about risk areas of concern. Review Question 9-6
can be used to generate in-class discussion about how inquiries might be beneficial
to the auditor’s risk assessment process.
Because auditing standards emphasize the importance of discussions among
the engagement team about the susceptibility of the entity’s financial statements to
the risk of material misstatement, we engage students in a discussion about how
conversations between key members of the engagement team ranging from the
engagement partner down to the most junior member of the engagement team can
provide insights to the overall audit planning process. Review Question 9-7 can be
used as a basis for this discussion.

Considering Fraud Risk (page 307)

We review the auditor’s responsibility for the detection of material misstatements


due to fraud introduced in Chapter 6, which includes a responsibility to assess fraud
risk. It is important to emphasize that the auditor’s risk assessment procedures not
only involve consideration of the risk of material misstatement due to errors, but
also the risk of material misstatement due to fraud. This discussion helps remind
students that the auditor’s responsibilities for misstatements are the same, whether
those misstatements are due to error or fraud. We emphasize that the auditor’s
consideration of fraud is integral to the overall process of assessing the risk of

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Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
material misstatement. Auditor responsibility to assess fraud risk is covered
extensively in Chapter 10.

9-3
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Identification of Significant Risks (page 308)

The discussion up to this point highlights the importance of performing risk


assessment procedures to identify the potential risks of material misstatements. We
next cover the concept of “significant risks” and the related auditing standards
requirements for the auditor to evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of
the entity’s controls relevant to significant risks and for the auditor to perform
substantive tests related to assertions deemed to have significant risks. Slide 9-11
summarizes factors that are often associated with the significant risks.
(Shown on Slide 9-11)
Research Question 9-30 provides a nice overview of the content covered at
this point in the chapter.

Audit Risk Model (page 309)

We consider the audit risk model one of the most important concepts in auditing.
We refer to it throughout the course. We go over the logic of its use and discuss
the model when the auditor is determining planned detection risk. We briefly
introduce each element of the audit risk model.
(See OH-9-1; also shown on Slide 9-13)
It is important for students to be able to relate the audit risk model to the
understanding of the client’s business and industry studied in Ch. 8. Figure 9-2 on
page 309 can be used for this purpose.
(See Figure 9-2; shown on Slide 9-14)

Planned Detection Risk (page 311)

Students often have difficulty with detection risk. We find the key is for students
to relate it to components of the financial statements, distinguish between achieved
and planned detection risk, and remember that it is the inverse of evidence.
The use of Table 9-3 on page 321 and OH-9-2 is helpful to discuss planned
detection risk.
(See Table 9-3; shown on Slide 9-28)
(See OH-9-2)
It is also useful to relate achieved level of assurance to segments. OH-9-3 is
useful to do that.
(See OH-9-3)

Assessing Acceptable Audit Risk (page 313)

This is the beginning of the general area of “risk assessment.” An effective


and efficient auditor must recognize certain risks and modify evidence accordingly.
9-4
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
We find students have difficulty understanding the concept of audit risk. We go
through a several-step process.
◼ Relate the concept of acceptable audit risk to information risk as it was
discussed in Chapter 1.
◼ If auditors demand zero audit risk what does it mean? (They are willing to
be insurers or guarantors.)
◼ What audit risk level do you believe auditors achieve in practice for publicly
held companies? Students tend to say 5% because of their knowledge of
statistics. That is an ideal time to explain the difference between audit risk
and confidence level. You might give them a level of assurance such as
7% and then explain what it means.
◼ Why can’t the level of audit risk be quantified as a specific number?
◼ Should auditors have different acceptable audit risk for different companies?
If so, how can it be justified from an individual firm and a social point of
view?
◼ What factors affect acceptable audit risk? What is the relationship between
auditors’ legal liability and acceptable audit risk?
◼ How does acceptable audit risk affect evidence accumulation? What is the
relationship between performance materiality and acceptable audit risk?
◼ How does acceptable audit risk affect the components of the audit?
This is a good place to discuss why the auditor may want to have different audit
risks for different areas because of liens on certain assets or reliance on specific
information by certain users.
◼ Distinguish between acceptable and achieved audit risk.
◼ What does the auditor do if the achieved audit risk is greater than the
acceptable level?

Slides 9-18 and 9-19 can be used to highlight a number of factors that may
affect acceptable audit risk.
(See Slides 9-18 and 9-19)
It is useful to summarize acceptable audit risk, audit evidence and achieved
audit risk by discussion of Review Questions 9-19 and 9-20. Problem 9-32 is a good
one to use for this material.
(See also OH-9-3)

Inherent Risk and Control Risk (pages 311-312 and 316-318)

It is important for students to understand the relationship between these two


risks and audit risk. We go through several steps.
◼ Compare two situations where everything else is equal.
a. The auditors uncovered considerable misstatements in the valuation
of inventory in each of two previous years.
b. The auditor uncovered no misstatements in the valuation of inventory

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Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
in each of the two previous years.
There is no apparent change in circumstances. In which one would
more evidence likely be accumulated for tests of inventory valuation? Why?
◼ What factors affect the likelihood of misstatements, and how should each
impact the audit? (Students are asked to identify factors and explain logic
for including them.)
◼ Distinguish between control risk and inherent risk.

Relationship of Risks to Evidence and Factors Influencing Risks (page 318)

Figure 9-3 (page 319) provides a nice summary of how the auditor’s
consideration of risks ultimately impacts the need for planned audit evidence. As
auditors identify risks of material misstatement, whether at the overall financial
statement or at the segment or assertion level, they respond to those risks in a
number of ways.
(See Figure 9-3; shown on Slide 9-26)
There are several problems to illustrate application of the audit risk model: 9-33,
9-34, 9-35, 9-36, and 9-37. Case 9-38 is useful to apply audit risk concepts, either
using the audit risk model or discussing the concept without use of the model. Parts
b-d of Case 9-39 can also be used to illustrate parts of the audit risk model.
If there is adequate time, OH-9-4 provides a good class exercise to summarize
the relation of planning materiality and inherent risk to planned audit evidence.
(See OH-9-4)
Using the columnar headings and the major accounts, discuss the contents
of each column. The idea is to logically indicate the expected degree of audit effort
for each account, relative to other accounts. This helps the students gain an
appreciation of the concept that the purpose of assessing materiality and risk is to
allocate audit effort to the accounts that are most likely to contain material
misstatements. You can change assumptions about materiality and inherent risk
and discuss the effect on audit effort.
Table 9-1 (page 310) and Figure 9-3 (page 319) are also helpful to summarize
the effect of factors in the audit risk model on planned evidence.
(See Table 9-1 and Figure 9-3; shown on Slides 9-15 and 9-26)
Figure 9-4 (page 322) and Figure 9-5 (page 323) are helpful to help explain
the relationships among the various risks and planned evidence.
(See Figures 9-4 and 9-5; shown on Slides 9-30 and 9-33)

9-6
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
CHAPTER 9

CROSS-REFERENCE OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND PROBLEM MATERIAL

DISCUSSION
MULTIPLE QUESTIONS
CONCEPT REVIEW CHOICE AND
LEARNING OBJECTIVES CHECKS QUESTIONS QUESTIONS PROBLEMS CASES
9-1 Define risk in auditing. P. 268, 1 9-1, 9-2, 9-25, 9-28 9-29, 9-30,
9-3, 9-4 9-31
9-2 Distinguish the different types of risk P. 268, 2 9-5, 9-6, 9-28 9-29, 9-30,
assessment procedures. 9-7, 9-8 9-31
9-3 Understand important auditor 9-9, 9-10, 9-25 9-29
considerations related to the risk of 9-11
material misstatement due to fraud.
9-6

9-4 Describe the auditor’s responsibility 9-12, 9-13 9-25


to identify significant risks.
9-5 Describe the audit risk model and its P. 284, 1 9-14, 9-15, 9-26, 9-28 9-32, 9-34, 9-38, 9-39
components. 9-16, 9-19, 9-35, 9-36,
9-21 9-37
9-6 Assess acceptable audit risk. 9-19, 9-20 9-28 9-29, 9-32, 9-38, 9-39,
9-33 9-40
9-7 Consider the impact of several factors 9-16, 9-17, 9-26 9-29, 9-35 9-38, 9-39,
on the assessment of inherent risk. 9-18 9-40
9-8 Discuss the relationship of risks to P. 284, 2 9-22 9-27, 9-28 9-34, 9-35
audit evidence.
9-9 Discuss how materiality and risk are 9-23, 9-24 9-29, 9-37 9-39
related and integrated into the audit
process.

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.


AUDIT RISK MODEL

PDR = AAR
IR x CR

Where:

AAR = Acceptable Audit Risk

IR = Inherent Risk

CR = Control Risk

PDR = Planned Detection Risk

OH-9-1
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
PLANNED DETECTION RISK
Evidence was accumulated such that achieved detection risk for
accounts receivable was 14%.

WHAT WOULD ACHIEVED DETECTION


ACHIEVED DETECTION RISK RISK WOULD HAVE BEEN
HAVE BEEN IF (TREAT
EACH ONE INDEPENDENTLY): HIGHER LOWER

1. Additional audit procedures


for accounts receivable were
performed

2. More accounts receivable


had been confirmed

3. The client instructed the


auditor not to confirm
accounts receivable

4. The auditor contended that


confirmations were not
reliable due to the nature of
the customers

5. Confirmations were sent at


an interim date rather than at
year-end

What are the answers to 1 through 5 if “Achieved Audit Risk” is


substituted for “Achieved Detection Risk?”

OH-9-2
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
ACHIEVED LEVEL OF ASSURANCE
FOR PARTS OF THE AUDIT

Accounts Accounts
Receivable Inventory Sales Payable

98.6% 63% 98.6% 98.6%

ACHIEVED LEVEL OF ASSURANCE =


98.6% FOR ALL SEGMENTS EXCEPT
INVENTORY, WHICH IS MATERIAL

Question: 1. What is the overall achieved level


of assurance?

2. What should the auditor do?

OH-9-3
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
RELATIONSHIP OF MATERIALITY AND
INHERENT RISK WITH
PLANNED AUDIT EVIDENCE

SIGNIFICANCE PLANNED
OF INHERENT AUDIT
ACCOUNTS AMOUNTS RISK EVIDENCE

Inventory

Petty Cash

Accounts
Payable

Prepaid
Insurance

Capital Stock

Allowance for
Uncollectible
Accounts

What is the effect on planned audit evidence if acceptable audit


risk is reduced for the entire audit?

OH-9-4
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Ltd.
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Fig. 66. Adjusting to the plate.
Fig. 67. The rafter.
Fig. 68. The rafter trimmed on the outer end.

That part of the rafter which extends over the building may be
reduced in size, but usually it is well to leave it entire (as in Fig. 67) if
the house is large. If the lower end of the rafter should appear too
heavy, it may be treated as in Fig. 68. The bevels at the ends of the
rafters are the same as at A and B (Fig. 66).
The outlines of a story-and-a-half house, which form is most
undesirable for various reasons, are shown in Fig. 69. The chambers
cannot be well lighted or aired. The outlines of the room interfere
with the placing of furniture, and such chambers are far more
uncomfortable in warm weather than are those in two-story houses.
It will be seen that the collar-beam, C, must be placed so far above
the foot of the rafters in order to get a fair height of ceiling, that it has
little binding power, and that the building cannot be tied together at
the plates in the center, since the tie would interfere with the door in
the cross wall. It will also be seen that the second-story joists are so
far below the plates that their power to hold the building together is
small. Many of the one-and-a-half-story houses have “sway-backed”
peaks because of this faulty construction. (See Fig. 35, page 124,
broken-back house.) If story-and-a-half houses must be built, then
they should be covered by roofs having at least one-half pitch, in
which case the collar-beams could be placed relatively lower and the
thrust on the plates would be very much diminished by the steeper
roof (Fig. 70). One-, two-, three- or more storied houses are easily
and certainly prevented from spreading since one tier of joists
always coincides with the foot of the rafters, to which they can be
securely fastened. Fortunately, the story-and-a-half house is less
constructed than formerly.
Fig. 69. Outline of a story-and-a-half house.
Fig. 70. Half pitch and an efficient collar-beam.
CHAPTER IX
BUILDING THE HOUSE, CONCLUDED.—OUTSIDE COVERING,

PA I N T I N G

That part of the house which of necessity must be exposed to the


buffetings of snow and rain, wind and sun, should be considered
more carefully than any other part except the foundation. If economy
demands, the doors, floors, bath rooms, and wardrobes may be of
plain and inexpensive material, for later they may be replaced when
means justify additional expenditure; but if the outside covering be
faulty, the house is a partial failure from the beginning.
The first principle to be observed is to place all projections
intended to serve as water-tables at somewhat acute angles, for if
placed at nearly right angles with the sides of the house, rains
accompanied by heavy winds will certainly reach the framework. The
water-tables which crown the top of the base-board are more
exposed than those which are higher up, and therefore should be
steep and rabbeted to prevent the water from reaching the sills. The
too usual method is shown in Fig. 71. An enlarged view of a better
style of water-table is shown in Fig. 72.
Fig. 71. A faulty water- Fig. 72. A good water-table.
table.

Outside window frame sills which have insufficient pitch tend to


become water-soaked, and not infrequently the lower member of the
window itself rots by reason of the water which drives in and remains
under the sill of the window for considerable periods of time. Figs. 73
and 74 show perfect and faulty methods of construction.
Fig. 73. Fig. 74.
Perfect construction of window sill. Faulty construction.

The siding of a house for various reasons would better be put on


horizontally, although material put on this way, unless it is kept well
painted, is not so durable as when placed vertically. The horizontal
covering is more beautiful, lends itself better to the numerous
openings, and gives better protection from cold and wind than does
the vertical covering. If the building is not to be painted, then the
covering would better be placed vertically. Nearly all wooden houses
are covered with either thin lap-siding or inch siding, prepared in
various ways and known by various names. The inch or novelty
siding was first introduced in the West, and costs but little more than
the lap-siding, because, being thicker, it can be made of somewhat
inferior lumber. The novelty or rabbeted covering gives greater
strength to the building and is much more quickly and cheaply put
on. It may be said that this style of covering is extremely faulty if
placed on the building in the usual way, namely, before the doors
and windows and corner boards are in position. If the same method
of placing the material be practiced as in placing the lap-siding, then
the objections to this class of siding disappear to a certain extent.
The diagram, Fig. 75, shows the novelty, or drop, or O G siding (A),
the rabbeted (B) and lap-siding (C). It will readily be seen that if a
drop (A) or rabbeted (B) siding be put on before the window frames
are placed, as is the usual custom, an opening (x) is left under the
facing of the window frame which extends through to the studding.
This permits the rain, in a driving storm, to pass horizontally along
this opening to the studding and then downward along the
framework of the building. Many instances could be cited in which
these openings have had to be filled by triangular blocks of wood or
putty, and even then the water was not entirely excluded.
Fig. 75. Forms of siding.

This method of covering houses or even barns with this new kind
of siding is usually disappointing and wasteful of material. All that is
gained is a little more facility and cheapness in placing the covering.
If it is put on, as it should be, after the window and door frames are
set, it is more difficult and more expensive to place than lap-siding.
No way of covering a wooden house has been found superior to
the one-half inch lap-siding with joints tight enough at the frames and
corners, in conjunction with the paint, to make water-tight joints. The
lap should not be less than one inch, and the nails should be so
placed that in case of considerable shrinkage in the siding the inside
will give or even check, instead of the outside (z). If made as at y, the
outside will check. This implies that the nails are to be driven rather
more than one-half inch above the edge of the siding. The nails
which hold the outer covering should either be set and puttied, or the
heads should be left even with or slightly above the surface of the
wood, that the paint may cover all parts of the nail head. If the nails
are driven too far in the heads are not fully covered and protected by
the paint, in which case they will rust and present an unsightly
appearance.
Some one has said that if a woman’s feet, hands, and head are
well and appropriately clothed, the balance of the dress may be plain
and simple, and yet she will have an elegant appearance. So, if a
house has a good foundation and a suitable and well-placed roof,
the balance of the outside may be extremely plain and yet it will be
beautiful. Some of our modern houses rest on unpointed, poorly
constructed, and narrow foundations, are bedecked with peaks,
pigeon lofts, and dog-eared cornices, and remind one of the
suspenderless, barefooted darky crowned with a cast-off silk hat.
If the foundation is too small and shabbily built, no amount of paint
and cornice can relieve the house from a look of shabby gentility. A
few brown or cream-colored stones or bricks, when placed on the
outside of the foundation where it shows above ground, will give
dignity, beauty and a substantial look to the whole house. It may do
for it what a nickel does for one’s shoes.
The roof of the farm house, and for that matter of all other houses,
should, in the trying climate of America, have an ample projection.
An abbreviated cornice may be admissible if the building is
constructed of stone which is of sufficient density to resist the
American tooth of time. Fig. 76 shows a section of an abbreviated
and a well extended cornice. The house which has this short-cut
cornice stands within a few hundred feet of the one with the wide
projecting eaves. During the past twenty years it has been necessary
to paint the former twice as often as the latter.
Fig. 76. Deep and narrow cornices.
The roof covering would better be of slate or tiles, for the time has
passed for building temporary, make-shift houses, though they might
have served their purpose well in a new and rapidly developing
country. With rare exceptions, the houses to be built in the future
should be permanently located, well built, and of durable material.
The slates which compose a roof should be not more than 8 inches
wide and should not be put on roofs of less than one-third pitch,
since they are only double-lapped and do not lie as closely, one
upon the other, as do shingles, which are laid triple-lapped. Slate
and tile roofs are comparatively heavy, and hence require stronger
roof structures than shingles.
The roof boarding for slate roofs should be matched—tongued and
grooved—and covered with paper to prevent cold and draughts of air
from passing into the attic. Since slates, on account of their
somewhat rough surfaces, do not lie closely together, the wind is
likely to pass through the cracks in the roof, if there are any, and
carry snow and rain into the upper part of the house; therefore the
roof covering immediately under the slates should be virtually air-
tight. The roof boards for a shingle roof should be narrow and laid
with openings of from 1¹⁄₂ to 2 inches between the boards. Rain and
snow seldom drive up and through the shingle roof, and since
wooden roofs are more likely to rot out than to wear out, the more
perfectly the shingles are dried out after a storm the better. The
narrow roof boards and the spaces between them allow the shingles
to dry quickly, and therefore are better than matched boards.
The short, or common, shingle of commerce is 16 inches long, ³⁄₈-
to ¹⁄₂-inch thick at one end, and ¹⁄₈ of an inch at the other, and is
computed at 4 inches wide. A bunch of shingles contains one fourth
of a thousand. It should have 25 double courses and the band
should be 20 inches long. Not infrequently there is a course or two
wanting, or the bands are an inch or so short. Having this data, one
can easily determine if the bunch is of legal size. A little cheating is
not uncommonly done by placing the shingles in the bunch loosely.
This can be detected by examining the bunches at the thick ends of
the shingles.
Theoretically, 1,000 shingles should cover 10 feet square, or 100
square feet, known in carpentry as “a square,” if the shingles are laid
4 inches to the weather. Since shingles are usually laid 4¹⁄₂ to 5
inches to the weather, 1,000 shingles should cover about 120 square
feet. Two-thirds of the lower part of the roof may be laid 4¹⁄₂ inches,
and the upper third 4³⁄₄ or 5 inches to the weather, if the roof is not
flat.
If shingles are treated with lime water or diluted gas tar, or be
painted as they are laid, the life of the roof may be prolonged. The
painting of roofs with tar or common earth or mineral paints, after
they are laid, does little or no good in preserving them. Sometimes
painting is resorted to to make the roof harmonize with the color of
the sides of the building.
Neither extremely narrow nor extremely wide shingles are
desirable. Those from 3 to 6 inches wide, when carefully laid, are
satisfactory. Each shingle should receive but two nails; one is usually
enough, and these should be placed about ³⁄₄ of an inch from the
edges, and about 1 inch above the point where the butts of the next
course will come. When the courses above are laid upon the shingle
having but one nail, two or three other nails, which are driven in the
courses above, will serve to help hold it in position. The joints of
shingle roofs should be double broken: that is, the joints in the
shingles of one course should not coincide with the joints of the first
or second course below. Consult Fig. 77.
Fig. 77. The laying of shingles.

If two nails be driven in the sides of an unseasoned shingle, when


it shrinks it is likely to split in the middle; and in laying a roof the joint
immediately above the course under consideration is likely to come
at or near the middle of the shingle, which splits by reason of the
shrinking. The case is still worse when three nails are put in a
shingle, for then it is almost certain to split in the middle and
immediately in line with the joint in the course above.
Unscientific placing of shingles and insufficient mixing of mortar
results in an unsatisfactory house, both inside and outside, however
good the materials may be.
Fig. 78. A veneered wall.
VENEERED HOUSES

A most excellent way to secure a warm, durable house, and one


that will require the minimum of care-taking, is to first construct a 4-
inch wall after the balloon pattern, as has been previously described.
To this frame, sheathing surfaced on one side is attached. The 4-
inch brick wall is securely fastened to the wooden structure by
means of 30-penny spikes, one at each studding, which are driven in
at the top of every seven courses of brick. (See Fig. 78.) A wooden
house may also be veneered with stone, the veneering being held in
place by means of metal anchors attached to the boarding.
The foundation needs to be a little stronger than for the wooden
house, and must be provided with a stone water-table for receiving
the veneering.
In a veneered house, all the lightness and dryness of a wooden
house are secured on the inside and on the outside all the durability
and solidity of a brick or stone house. When the veneering is of hard-
burned, cream-colored or neutrally tinted brick or brown stone, the
effect is extremely pleasing. The first cost of such a house is
somewhat more than an all-wood house, but its greater durability
and freedom from constant repairs makes it no more expensive in
the end. When one builds such a house and covers it with a steep
slate roof, he feels that he has builded for many coming generations.
It is not necessary to speak in detail of stone and brick houses,
since such structures are quite expensive, and their construction
should always be placed in the hands of experts. It may be well,
however, to discuss them generally. The cost of building brick
houses is nearly twice as great as those of wood; stone houses cost
more than brick houses. The foundations of brick or stone structures
must be broad and placed deep in the ground, to sustain the great
weight placed upon them. However much pains has been taken, the
walls of the superstructure often crack by reason of the unequal
settling of the foundation or by unequal strain on the walls, due to the
window and door openings. Once the walls are cracked they become
unsightly, and cannot well be restored without being rebuilt. Unless
the windows are extra large the house will not be well lighted
because of the thick walls. (See Fig. 24, p. 108.) The walls do not
heat and cool as quickly as do wooden walls, hence brick and
especially stone houses are likely to be damp, since the warm air of
the rooms tends to part with its moisture when it comes in contact
with the relatively cool walls. This tendency of the walls to condense
moisture may be obviated by studding and plastering them on the
inside, but all this adds to the expense. Until building material
becomes much less expensive than it now is, the farmer would
better build either a wooden or veneered house.

Fig. 79. Re-siding an old wall.


OLD HOUSES

Houses which were built some time ago and before building paper
and better methods of construction were in vogue, are usually too
cold and often extremely unsatisfactory. The outside covering may
be warped and cracked and too often paintless. Where these
conditions prevail the house may be re-sided without removing the
old covering. The window frames, corner boards, and like members
which receive the siding are built out by placing bands around the
frames and on the corner boards of sufficient thickness to receive
the new second siding. Strong building paper is then placed over the
old siding, and strips one inch thick and two inches broad are nailed
immediately upon it and over the several studs of the old frame. (Fig.
79.) The house is now ready to receive new siding. If paper be laid
on the floors and a well seasoned second floor be laid upon it, they
will be greatly improved at slight cost.

Fig. 80. Faulty gutter or eave trough. Fig. 81. Well constructed gutter.

Eave troughs should be placed outside the perpendicular line of


the walls to prevent water from entering the house should the
troughs leak or overflow from being filled with ice. Eave troughs are
frequently made of tin which is too narrow, in which case, especially
on flat roofs, the water will back up under the shingles and run over
that part of the gutter which lies hidden in the roof. The elevation of
the front edge of the gutter should be at least 2 inches below the
extreme upper edge of the tin of which the gutter is made. (Compare
Figs. 80 and 81.) Gutters placed at the end of the rafters are usually
not as durable as those placed on the roof, but if carefully put up so
that they will keep their position they serve their purpose well and
may be made to give additional beauty to the eaves of the roof. The
conductors which lead the water from the gutters to the ground
should be made large and of corrugated material, that expansion
may be provided for should they become filled with ice.
What has been said about using too narrow tin for gutters is
doubly applicable to the valleys. Open valleys are better than closed.
All tin used for gutters or valleys should be painted on both sides
before it is placed upon the roof, and all used about the outside of
the building should be kept well painted, as it is more economical to
paint often than to mend leaks.
PAINTING THE HOUSE

After much solicitude and money have been expended on the


construction of the house, it is poor economy to let it suffer for want
of paint. Not infrequently the house is planned so large, or so much
is spent on its erection that means are not at hand for fully protecting
the outside with suitable paints.
As to the colors of paints or their combinations, little can be said,
since tastes and conditions are extremely variable. A farm house
should have its own distinctive features, and its own personality, and
while it may be similar to many other houses it should not be a
duplicate of any other one.
In manufacturing towns long rows of houses are built, each one
the exact duplicate of all the others in shape, dimensions, and color.
The effect is abominable. This illustration of exact imitation only goes
to show how necessary it is to have diversity of style in the houses
themselves and variation in the colors of the paints if the maximum
beauty of the home and adaptation to landscape and site are
secured. In painting the farm house beauty should not be ignored,
but beauty may not be compatible with durability and necessary
economy. The farm home may and should be placed in such
beautiful environment that the paint which covers it sinks into
comparative insignificance as compared to the painting of the city
house; therefore the elements of economy and durability play as
important parts in the painting of farm houses as does beauty. Even
a great, plain, two-story white farm house with green window-blinds
can be made to look beautiful and home-like if it has a suitable
setting of noble trees.
If the outside covering of the house is placed some time before it
receives its first coat of paint, the wood tends to check and usually
becomes too dry for applying it. If exposed for some days to the
direct rays of the sun before painting, so much of the oil of the paint
will be taken up by the wood that there will not be enough left to bind
the mineral matter of the paint to the wood. This is especially the
case where an attempt is made to complete the painting by the

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