Evening star., 1899-03-04
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
Shoddy Building is Not Encouraged
in This City.
NOT 4 PROFITABLE INVESTMENT
A Building Regulation Enacted Into
Law by Congress.
4 PROFITABLE INVESTMENT
SOME IMPROV VEMENrS

The spectacle of row of new houses re-
manning vacant because the construction is
so defective that people cannot be induced
to go into them in an unusual one in this
city, where the building regulations are
sufficiently stringent and their enforcement
sufficiently efficient to bring the average of
building up to a comparative high standard.
These houses, although recently completed,
seem to be falling to pieces. There are
great gaps between the window sills and
the walls, and the settling of the walls is
shown by the uneven lines at various
places. 1t is even possible to see from the
interior the sun shining through the walls.
The houses are located in a good neigh
borhood and are not Of the cheapest class
of dwellings, from the standpoint of the
prices asked. They have rather preten-
tious fronts. and are no doubt intended to
meet what are looked upon as the needs of
good residence locality. 1t is a matter of
congratulation that such structures are not
common in this city, and the financial fate
of this experiment in shoddy building will
be of great interest. So far the houses
have practically neither rented nor sold,
and the prospect is they will be a dead
loss to the man or men who attempted a
speculation of this character.
Opposed to Bad Building.
II
been uniformly discouraged by those di-
rectly or indirectly interested in building
projects. Some time ago it was stated in
The Star that some of the institutions in
the city that lend money had decided to
refuse to make loans for what is known as
purely speculative building. 1t is further
asserted that one of the reasons that in
duced the brick makers of the city to unite
their interests was to protect themselves
against a class of irresponsible men who
had been figuring contractors.
1t is claimed that such was the COMPETE
ton for business, especially during the hard
times of the past few years, that such men
by playing one brick maker against an
other were able to get a credit for brick to
which they were not entitled, and that as
q result those who trusted them were sub
ject to many losses. These men were the
cheap bidders in all competitions and un--
derbidding the responsible men secured
contracts. 1t is evident from these in
stances that shoddy building is discour-
aged in this city, and while all the building
is not of the high grade that some think
it ought to be, still there is less of the
poorest class of construction here than
in most any other city. In other words.
people who buy houses here are apt to get
more for their money than is usually the
experience of those who buy city houses.
Show VS.. Use.
1t is believed that the greater portion Of
to the desire of those who invest their
money to get as much as possible from the
expenditure, and also from the common
tendency on the part of the people to desire
a house that will give the impression that
1t cost about twice as much as it actually
did. 1t is the belief of those who have
had experience in such matters that If the
money needed to secure SubStantiaf con-
struction is not diverted to purposes of
mere show or ornament it will be possible
for every one, even when the amount of
money to be spent is small, to obtain
structure built of good material and in a
workmanlike manner.
There may be no plate glass storm doors
or tiled vestibules or electric attachments,
porcelain bathtubs and other luxuries
which are now common even in houses of
cheap grade, but when home seekers come
to understand that all these things mean
a sacrifice of solidity and the use of infe-
rior material it Is thought the character
of the demand will change.
Cheaper in the End.
For the home buyer, It is said, there can
be doubt as to the character of the
house which will be the most economical,
for it Is acknowledged that well-built
house costs less to heat and less to keep in
repair, and in this way the yearly outgo
on the part of the owner is much reduced
The Height OF Buildings.
The act which has just received the ap-
proval of the President providing for the
regulation of the height of buildings in the
District simply gives the permanency of
law to what up to this time has been a
regulation of the District Commissioners
AS is well known, the main feature of the
regulation, which limits the height of build
ings to 1870 feet, has been sustained by a
recent decision of the courts, and for that
reason may be looked upon as final. But
now that this provision has been placed
on the statute books, the sanction of Con-
gress viii be necessary before it can be
changed or amended. while, on the other
hand, regnlahon OF the Commissioners
of those officials, after due notice
Some have favored enacting into law the
j entire body of the building regulations. thus
freeing them it is claimed from the danger
OF constant changes. 1t is not Thought it