BUILDING AGREEMENT----Mutual Assurance Society Records, Misc Records 1794-1869, Virginia State Archives, Richmond, Virginia Articles of agreement entered into this 29th day of September 1846 between Gustavus Jarvis of the one part and Alexr H Ruther- foord of the other part--The said Gustavus Jarvis hereby agrees to build for the said Alexr H. Rutherfoord a dwelling house on Grace Street to be twenty six feet Front by thirty-nine feet in depth out to out & to be constructed as herein after mentioned-- The Basement Story is to be eight feet Pitch in the clear, three feet below the surface the walls to be one & a half bricks thick & well furred or Stripped, except the dividing walls which are to be one brick thick--On this Story there will be four windows of six lights each 12x18 & one window of twelve lights, glass 12x18 with venetian shutters & c to each, six inside doors one of which to have a row of lights on the top & one outside door door with a granite sill-- the doors to be strong & substantial with good locks & latches-- Room for Kitchen to be plastered on the Ceiling & Whitewashed & floored with hard Bricks & to be provided with a Suitable dresser & shelves, the fire place to be constructed for burning wood & to be furnished with a crane & bar over the fire place-- The passage also to be plastered on the ceiling & whitewashed & floored with coarse plank , The other rooms in the Basement to be completely plastered & floored with coarse plank & a good beaded washboard with suitable mantle piece & grate-- The first or principal Story to be Eleven feet Pitch in the clear, the walls one & a half bricks thick & to be well furred or stripped, the floor of plank of the best quality without knots, Lights around the Front Door, five windows with twelve lights each of the best glass 12x18 with hansome Venetian Shutters & c complete-- One front outside door with a granite sill, one rear outside door & one large folding door between Parlour & dining room & four other panneled doors in all one of which will open into the Portico to have a row of lights over it, the Doors to be well finished with mortice locks-- The colours for painting the doors to be selected by the said Alexr H. Rutherfoord--Two Marble Mantel pieces & Hearths the best which can be had for thirty Dol- lars each also two neat well finished Grates to Suit & to be for the Parlour & Dining room-- The two rooms & the passage to be finished with two coats of plaster & to be papered, the paper for the parlour & Dining room to be similar & to be approved by the said Alexr H. Rutherfoord, also that for the passage, there shall be good plain stairs at least three feet wide leading down to the Cellar & a hansome stair case three feet three inches wide with a hansome mahogany rail to the second story-- all the materials and workmanship on this story to be fully equal to that in the first or principal story of the houses lately erected by Mr. John Cosby, Mr John C. Hobson or Mr. Thos. Rutherfoord The second story to be ten feet pitch in the clear, with walls to be one & a half bricks thick & to be well furred or stripped-- The floor of good well seasoned plank-- eight windows of twelve lights each 12x16 of the best glass, with Venetian Shutteres &c complete, which are to be painted Green--Five Doors well finished with good locks, colours for painting doors &c to be approved by the said Alexr H. Rutherfoord-- The materials & all the work- manship to be good though this story may be finished plainer that the first-- good washboards to all the house, two good mantle pieces of wood & hearths of stone with suitable grates-- Facing between mantles & Grates to be done with sheet iron-- Two good coats of plaster to all the rooms & passage of this story with a suitable stair case to the attic or 3d story-- The attic or upper story to be eight feet pitch in the clear, floors of good well seasoned plank such as in the story below the walls to be one & a half bricks thick & to be well furred or stripped-- Eight windows complete & each light 12x16 with venetian shutters & c complete to be painted green, the same num- ber of doors as in the story below, with suitable locks & the same number of mantle pieces, hearths & grates--All the rooms & passage on this story to have good wash boards & to be plastered with two coats & to have steps leadingto a sky light to be fixed in the roof which must be made carefully so as to guard against all danger from leakage--The roof to be constructed similar to that on the house lately erected by Mr John C Hobson & to be cov- ered [page break] with tin of good quality & well painted--There must be gutters & conducters of tin, with heads & knees & stores to receive water from the conductor--The exterior finish of the whole building to be similar to the houses lately erected by Mr John C Hobson-- Three bells with suitable pulls below & above the whole house to be well painted-- One Front Porch in all respects like those to Thos Rutherfoord's new building on Grace Street with the exception of a small alteration to the steps & hand rail. The roof to be flat & covered as the house and to be floored with good well seasoned plank & all the materails to be of the best durability, the rear porch also like Thos Ruther- foord's (in which there will be one store room) to be covered in like manner as the house & the workmanship neat & substantial-- The front of the house next to Grace Street to be faced a with good stock brick & the whole work & exterior finish, inside wooden work & timber to be executed in a neat & substantial & workmanlike manner--And it is further understood between the parties that if any additional work is required to the house hereby contracted for, by the said Alexr H. Rutherfoord, the said Gustavus Jarvis will execute the same on the most moderate terms & also that he will deduct in a fair proportion for any work in this specification which may not be required provided notice is given in time-- note the dividing walls in the interior are to be one brick thick & to run up no higher than to the top of the basement story & the walls for the store room taken off the Portico & the outwall of the store room on the principal story to be of plank & well painted-- In consideration that the said Gustavus Jarvis hereby agrees and undertakes on his part to do all the work & to furnish all the materials except the brick work plastering painting & glazing, marble mantles, grates & papering required for the building in this specification the said Alexr H. Rutherfoord hereby agrees on his part to pay to the said Gustavus Jarvis the sum of seventeen hundred & ninety-four dollars and fifty cents, which shall be in full for the dwelling house herein referred to unless additions as not here specified shall be required-- The payments are to be made as follows-- Eight hundred & sixty eight dollars & fifty cents in cash from time to time as the work progresses say $868.50 The remaining nine hundred & twenty six dollars to be admitted as a payment being the amount agreed on for two lots of ground, viz fifty three feet of ground on the northern side of a continuation of Main street at the distance of fifty three feet from Madison Street, also thirty six feet of ground on a continuation of Franklin Street (on the southern side) one hundred & twenty feet from its junction wiht Madison Street, Both lots being in the County of Henrico-- Which lots the said Rutherfoord is to convey to the said Jarvis in Fee simple when the work is finished & ex- ecuted according to this contract. Thus it appears that the said Jarvis hereby agrees to do all the carpenters work (materials included) and to furnish every thing mentioned above, with the exception of brick work, marble mantles, grates, plastering, painting & glazing, & papering for the sum of seventeen hundred & ninety four and 50/100 dollars payable as above mentioned-- For the true performance of this agreement the parties hereby bind themselves to each other under the penalty of one thousand dollars that is to say, the said Gustavus Jarvis that the whole work shall be completed by the first day of July next the said Rutherfoord that the payments shall be made accordingly-- Gustavus Jarvis Alexr H. Rutherfoord