House Measures
Choose what you are counting and enter the number: rafters, steps, the slats of a bench, arm spans to a well, or the section of a wall for a yard gate.
How to measure each kind of count
- Foundation at the back (No. 185)Measure from the west or north edge of the yard to the edge of the foundation, using the owner's height as the unit, and enter the count. The book does not detail the unit further.
- Rafters of a house (No. 187)Count the rafters in fives (megeng lima-lima) and enter the number of rafters.
- Rafters by kind of building (No. 188)Enter the number of rafters. The book matches the remainder to a kind of building; a kitchen, for example, should have 18, 23 or 28.
- Frame of a house (No. 189)Measure with the builder's foot and enter the count.
- Steps, first way (No. 191)Enter the number of steps.
- Steps, second way (No. 192)Enter the number of steps.
- Slats of a bench (No. 193)Before fitting them, enter the number of slats (galar or plupuh) of the bench.
- Yard gate, first way (No. 194)Divide the length of the wall for the gate into 5 sections. Choose the way the gate faces and enter the section where it stands, counted from the side the book names.
- Yard gate, second way (No. 195)As the first way, but the wall is divided into 9. The readings differ for each way the gate faces.
- Yard gate, third way (No. 196)Divide the length of the wall into 9 sections. Choose the way the gate faces and enter the section. This way starts counting from a different side than the first.
- Distance to a well in arm spans (No. 197)Measure from the middle of the house floor to the well in arm spans (depa) and enter the count.
- Where a well lies round the house (No. 198)Choose the way the house faces and where the well lies, seen from the house. The book advises places 1 and 8.
- Taste of well water (No. 199)Measure from the north edge of the kitchen foundation to the well on the south with the collar size of the future owner's shirt, and enter the count.
How are measures read?
The primbon counts parts of a house along a row of names, such as Sri, Kitri, Gana, Liyu and Pokah for rafters. The count is divided by the number of names, and the remainder points to the name that is read.
For a yard gate, the wall is divided into 5 or 9 sections and counted from a given side by the way the gate faces. For a well, the book numbers eight places round the house by the way the house faces.