Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-09-09
COST OF A HOUSE.
How Prudent and Economical Man
Should Build His Own Castle.

now Prudent and Economical Man
Should Build His Own Castle.
There is an old saying that fools build
houses and wise men live in them.
Whenever a man of moderate means
decides to have home of his own.
planned to meet individual require
ments and fashioned according to his
own taste, he is reminded by both eau
nous and envious neighbors of this dis
agreeable proverb. If he turn the pages
Of any standard ''Great Truths by Great
Authors, he will find recorded such
warnings as this; ''Never build house
after you are five and forty; have five
years income in hand before you Law a
brick; and always calculate the expense
at doRble the estimate" His acquaint-
ances, giving him the benefit of their
own experience in building, will assure
him that the actual cost invariably
overlaps the original estimate. If a
candid architect be consulted he will
confess that nobody can tell what a
house will cost until it is built, since
there are unknown quantities in the
problem tina t can not be ascertained ex-
cept by actual experiment Shrewd
contractors will even go so far as to
say that the same house can not be
bnilt second time for the same money.
Indeed, so numerous are the warnings
and so dense is the uncertainty respect
ing the final cost. that the prudent
householder is not to be blamed if, after
a careful survey of the field. he decides
against taking the risk of PLAYING the
fool for the benefit of the wise man
who may ultimately succeed to his
castle in the air.
One of the chief difficulties to be
overcome by Il man who is determined
not to have Il house cost more than he
can afford to pay for it is the wide
divergence between the architects esti-
mates and the contractors offers. At
the outset the householder naturally
wants all he can get for the money he
has to invest, and good deal more,
and the architect plans for him house
which on paper delights the eye and sat
isles every domestic longing. There
can be no guarantee that the work will
be done for the sum named by the
owner. The most that the architect can
say is that the plans will be made in
such way that his own estimate, based
upon such knowledge and experience as
he has shall not exceed the limit.
The quest on of the actual cost does not
admit of n direct and positive answer
by the des- oner. The contractor has q
living profit to make out of the work,
and this, together with more accurate
estimates of the cost of labor and ma
terials, invariably swelIs the architect
estimates There are, however, several
safeguards of which the cautious house,
hi. L. Ia
him name TO the architect as his limit
figures considerably within the sum he
can comfortably afford to expcnd: and
he will have good margin for the con-
tractors advance upon the first esti-
mate. Secondly, let the architects
preliminary studies. consisting OF the
ground plan and perspective sketch, be
submitted to practical builder for an
approximate estimate, before the plans
are compile ed in detail Thirdly, let
the owner prepare his own plans with
the assistance of builder, and when
the cost is virtually determined, let the
work be revised ana perfected in detail
by the arch tect.
When the contractors estimate is ac-
cepted it ought to be based on specitica-
tons so definite and precise as to ex-
clude further expansion of the cost.
The owner can agree to pay a lump sum
for the work stipulated in the contract,
and this will represent in the main the
actual expense of the house. Since the
practice of building by days labor has
gone out of vogue, one great element of
uncertainty as to final cost has disaD-
peared. The house is furnished by the
contractor for fixed sum; and the cost
of whatever is not included in the con-
tract, whether mantels, tiled hearths,
gas fixtures or heating apparatus, can
be estimated with precision if the owner
will only take pains to make careful
INQUIRIES in advance of building, AS
for the extra expenses caused by depart
ures from the specifications in the
course of construction, these can be
rioidlv estimated as the work goes on.
The owner. if foolish or inexperienced
man, will authorize the changes without
having specific agreement in regard to
the additional cost; and when he pays
his final instalment of the contract
price he will be presented with sweep
inc bill of extras" If he be wise in
his generation he will insert in the main
contract a clause providing that allow
ances for expenses shall be based upon
agreements in writing specifying the
additional cost. If he takes this pre-
caution. he can count the expense of
every alteration as the work proceeds
and not be at the contractors mercy in
the end. In this way prudent man
NAV build his own castle and not have
80 much of fool for tenant after all.
IN. Y Tribune