e other is called "flaking."
Here roof, side walls, and partitions are cut into large panels and
numbered and marked in colors. At the new site they are put in place
much as a portable bungalow is assembled.

With either method, plans prepared by the architect are of prime
importance. One set of his blue prints is thoroughly annotated with
numbers and colored marks. This becomes the working key, the solution
to the rebuilding puzzle. Also, the plans serve as the basis for
rearrangement of rooms, shifting of partitions, and the introduction
of plumbing, heating, and electricity. Invariably an old house has one
or more tucked-up rooms that under present-day conditions can wisely
be eliminated and the space added to adjoining ones.

A favorite arrangement with old New England farmhouses was the parlor
bedroom, located, as the name indicates, on the ground floor and
connected by a doorway with that room of ceremony and funerals.
Although it was often little larger than a double bed, it was the
master bedroom of the period. Our ideas have changed and such a room
can wisely be eliminated. Again, there is the problem of space for
baths and closets. The former were, of course, unknown and the latter
woefully few when the house was young. Thus, with the bedroom floor,
architect and owner have before them a problem demanding skillful
contriving to devise locations for these two essentials.

When dismembering starts, the man doing it and the building
contractor, unless by a happy circumstance he is one and the same
person, must work together closely. The first thing is to remove
doors, window sash, and as much of the interior trim as possible,
along with all the hardware. Numbered and marked, these are stored in
some dry shed or barn. If feasible, they can best be left at the old
site until the reconstruction has progressed far enough so that they
may be put in place when delivered. All fireplaces are now examined
carefully to determine the exact angles of sides and backs. The
individual stones must also be numbered and keyed. Paint is applied,
that will not rub off as the stones are removed.

Now everything is ready for the dramatic tearing apart. With flaking,
the roof and walls are marked off in great squares related to the
timber framework beneath. Then it is only a matter of sharp saws,
muscle, and patience before the house has been reduced to panels,
loaded on trucks, and started toward the new location.

The task is n