Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-29
AN UNUSUAL FEATURE
Cheaper Houses and Rising
Prices for Material. =,
MORE is PAID OUT IN WAGES 3
Home Buyers Find Good Returns for
Their Money.
SUIT TASTE OF THE AVERAGE
In Spite of Increased Cost of Building
Operations Go on With
Profit
'UIT TASTE OF THE AVERAGE

| The course OF the market for BUILDING
material has a good deal of interest to
large number of people in this city. Their
| plans for the coming season depend very
| much upon whether the present scale Of
| prices remain unchanged or whether there
Is to be the hoped-for reduction in the
| cost OF lumber and of iron SO that those
| items which enter into the cost OF building
| can be had on more favorable terms than
| was the case last year. There is no ques-
| ton that the increase I'm the outlay neces-
| sary In order to put UP building of any
| sort has had marked influence on the
| volume Of building that has been done
| during the past year
| There is also no question but that the
| situation here at this time would be quite
| different If the outlook in regard to prices
| In the material market was not quite so
| strongly directed toward a continuance OF
| the advance made during the present year,
| and also perhaps a still farther upward
| movement. 1t Is true, however, there is
| some hope that prices for lumber and OF
| iron will be forced down by the condition
| OF the market, which not only In this city,
! but elsewhere, has come almost to a stand
/ still owing to the practically prohibitory
| range of prices.
The Cost of Material.
| There is good deal of talk about the
| lumber trust and the steady tendency of
| prices has seemed to point in that drec-
| ton. well as more tangible evidences
| of the existence of such a combination.
| For some time the effect of this centering
| the business In few hands did not have
| much influence in reducing the volume of
| business for the reason that the great por-
| ton of building is done nowadays by the
! wholesale and the increase in the cost of
| one of the items simply meant pairing
down in the profits of the builder.
| The practice of building houses in rows
has been followed here for some time past,
| but perhaps never to the extent it has
been done for the past two years. 1t Is
| probable more men have been in the bust
| ness and more groups of houses have been
put up than in any other period in the
| citys history. 1t is also true that the clear
| profit the individual house was never
| as small as IT is at present
Improvement in Methods
| In way this latter circumstance explains
| how 1t Is that on a rising market II has
been possible to maintain such volume of
work. and how it has been possible for men
| engaged in speculative building to go on
paying out increased and increasing rates
| for building materials. to say nothing of ad-
| vances in wages every now and then, and
| still be able to make their accounts balance
| on the right side.
| In this connection it is noted that the
| method of building is partly responsible for
| the success with which those in the busl-
ness have been able to continue their
tivities and still meet the increase in the
cost, with no balancing appreciation in the
market price of their commodity. Building
| is now done on a large scale. but all the de-
| tails are made the subject of careful study,
| and are brought under a system by which
| the greatest amount of work is done quickly
and economically.
Increase in Building.
Every one adnlires the system displayed
| in the erection of large buildings, not only
in the orderly assembling of the materials
so that when needed everything is in place
and ready for the hand of the workmen,
but in the rapidity with which the work
goes on. The same system is applied by
the up-to-date builder In undertakings
smaller scale, and the economies thus Sc
cured show in the totals and balance to
some extent the added cost of labor and
materials.
1t has been a matter of surprise all
through this period of ascending prices in
the building market that the volume of OPP
erations has continued to be so large, and
that in spite of apparent adverse conditions
so much work has gone on. There has been
much complaint heard all along about tho
cost of building. and 1t has been Wen
founded. for the increase has been a great
one. At the same there there has been an
actual increase in the amount of work done,
not only in this city, but throughout the
country.
By Smaller Profits.
Wages and material have never been
higher, and it is also only stating the fact
which is amply supported by statistics Of
the building trades that there has never
been a more active period than the past two
wears along these lines of business. The
explanation of this seemingly contradictory
state is found in part If not In whole, In the
economies in building brought about by
large undertakings. under one supervision.
improved methods in doing the work, ana
tha ata ri al and I'M
least the willingness of men who do this
sort of thing to scale down their profits
profit of two or three hundred dollars
on each house in a row sounds rather small
as COMPARED with similar figures in former
years and under different conditions, but
that is what has been done right along in
handling enterprises of this character. In
spite of the market for building supplies
and wages 1t can be also said that never
before has so much been offered in the way
of houses to the buying public In this
sense houses have been sold cheaply and
that continues to be a feature of the maS~
ket.
A Good Deal for the Money.
For 5000 and sometimes slightly less
and also perhaps for something more II is
possible to buy house In this city with
facilities and adornments which a few
wears ago could only have been found in a
house offered at twice that figure. This
consideration has had no doubt much TO do
with the great demand for houses when
has been experienced In this city during the
past few years and while the general pros.
perity of the country and the growth OF
the population of the city ngure also as
explanations of the market, still after alDls
said and done there is something stlmulat-
ing to the real estate market in people be-
ing able to get a good deal for their money
The aim has been and Is sun TO pl
and build houses that will meet the tastes
of the general public and this is being done
more and more. A few years ago not only
the basement kitchen. but the basement
dining room was found In the house that
was supplied for this market. Gradually
the dining room was moved up stairs ana
now the kitchen has followed, although as
can be easily understood when the increase
in the number of cubic feet is considered
| both of these changes involved aoditlohai
cost.
The Semi-Detached House.
Just now in localities where the ground IS
not too expensive what is known as the
semi-detached house is being built and that
arrangement of WINDOWS opening the entire
depth of the house on a side lot does away
with poorly lighted rooms and Railways.