The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13
BUILDING IS MORE COSTLY.
PRICES ADVANCED IN ALL LINES
OF MATERIAL.

Lumber, Hardware and Everything
Which Enters Into IA Building
More Costly Now That 1t Was n
Year AEO-LabOr Is Getting Better
Wages and the Men who Furnish
the Material Are Getting Better
PrOfits-The Increased Cost Esti-
mated at 20 to 30 Per Cent. as Com
pared With Last YeRr-The In
creased Cost Has No Effect on
Building, HOweVer-At Least 100
Houses Now in Course of Erection.
There appears to be no relation between
the cost of building and the amount of
building done. Notwithstanding the cost
of all materials entering into a building
has advanced from 10 to 100 per cent,
there are in the neighborhood of 100 build
ing now in course of erection in Savan-
nah. to say nothing of the large amount
of rebuilding and repairing which is be-
ing done. Last year. with building ma
terials much lower, there was nothing like
as much building as has been going on
this summer.
1t costs on an average of 80 per cent
more to build a house this summer than
it did last summer" This is the state
ment which the head of a wen-known
building firm made to a Morning News re-
porter yesterday. This does not apply TO
the small houses in which the difference
is simply in the increased cost of the
lumber, but to the better class of houses
which require first-class material ana
| considerable finishing and ornamentation.
Everything has advanced in the build
ing line" said the builder. Lumber costs
about 80 per cent. more now than it did
year ago Hardware of all kinds has
advanced from 25 10 60 per cent. Iron
piping is about 10 per cent higher and
plumbing material has gone clear out of
sight Labor is l6 to 20 per cent. higher.
| Brick.ayers who formerly received $3.50
per day, are now getting $3.50. On the
whole, the cost of building has increased
20 to 80 per cent. The increase is greater
on the higher-priced structures because
of the better class of material used. Good
bronze hardware is worth three times as
much as it was last year Plate glass IL
higher and all the ornamental and finish
ing work which goes into a good house
costs more than IT did a year ago"
Inc local lumbermen are said to have
] and put up the price of lumber This was
/ done about two months ago. There nave
| been no complaints, however, on account
| of eXtortionate charges and the reports
/ from Baltimore and other markets show
! that Georgia pine lumber has advanced
! in the Northern markets in about the same
1 proportion as in the local market The
/ lumbermen now have a fixed schedule
of prices and are particular in requiring
/ specifications as to the kind and class of
/ lumber wanted. The old way of accept
| ing an order for so many thousand feet at
| fixed price per thousand and allowing
the customer to get half a dozen different
kinds of lumber no longer goes. Orders
/ are now filled strictly according to speci-
| fications
Architects and builders generally who
were seen on the subject, agreed that
everything that goes into a house had
! been increased in price. Brick is the only
! material which has not shown decided
| increase, the advance on brick being slight
The explanation of the cause of the ad-
| vance is the same that is given for the
general advance of prices in other lines
of business. A great deal of building is
now going on in the North
and this has caused an active demand for
! lumber. The general advance of every
thing in the hardware line has been we'll
! heralded and as hardware enters largely
/ iiilo lit GUST VI DuilulIlS TINS mas ndu 4
very percepuble effect on the building
trade. Tin and copper have kept step
with hardware in the advance and tin
| plates for roofing now cost nearly twice as
much as they did a year ago. Ornamental
bronze work for doors and windows is
worth fully twice as much as it was a year
| ago and substitutes are being used.
| While the fact that building is more cost
| ~ than it was a year ago is very lain, the
other fact that building is more active
than for some time past is also very plain.
! This shows that building goes hand in
! hand with good times and not with low
prices. The builders do not expect and
reduction in prices in the immediate fu-
ture. They realize that for the last few
years lumber, hardware and other mate
rails which enter into building have been
selling a about the cost of production, and
they regard the present figures as nearer
the normal than for some time past.
Hardware is regarded as rather steep, but
this is attributable to the scarcity of pig
! iron in the face of a remarkably heavy de-
mand.
SMALLPOX DISAPPEARING.
/ |