The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-28
WHAT ONE MAN DID
WITH HIS So A DAY
Supporting Wife and Two Children, He Paid for Home
and, with His Brother Built Two Other Houses Finally
Selling Entire Property at Gain Of 100 Per Cent.

has hGt lncFefse4 ST. shes spss NV Nv
in 1864. 4 Then We paid SO a thou
sand for common brick for which we
now pay only 81. Pressed brick is
about the same price as formerly, but
there is more Of variety in the mar
ket. Eat that time it was all st. Louis
brick. t,s.
There has been a. so per cent in
crease in the cost Of sash and doors in
the last ten years, and large increase g
for which we, were paying SO thou
sand, we are now paying $l8s to 500
for. Glass is cheaper now than it has
been for some time, even with the raise
Of the last few: days. Last year it was
cheaper than for 2. long time. Nails,
down, but the advance, has been, prob
ably 10 per. cent in the last five years.
Stone has gone up about 10 per cent in
five years. Carpenters seven years ago
were getting SO, now So. ,Bricklayers
1 aow years ssF ssgo' had g cents yard and
Tendency Of Prices.
This was Just a short run thru the
list by, Mr.. Leighton to show the tend
ency Of prices for materials and labor.
It is shown to be a fact also that in the
last five years the total expense Of a
small structure, costing about $4,000,
has increased Is per cent in five years.
While labor formerly amounted to 26
year it was figured at 48 per cent. This
| Is believed generally to follow hold
ing down Of production, rather than
in the actual increased wages to
laborers. rig. &: . ;;.s
The concrete construction is going to
1 reduce the cost Of building this year.
Even in small, 1ow-priced dwellings 1t
can enter into the construction with adj
vantage by replacing the stone founda-
ton with one of the, new material. 4
considerable saving is in the labor as
common workmen can. build the con.
crete foundations, without the aid OF
skilled laborers. :, {. ii e i,
i Early in Season.
! The fact is cited by Mr.. Leighton te
show that early in the season is the
\ time to let contracts as we'll as the
present year being the time in which
to build, that there is possibility OF
trouble in getting help, to do the, work
later in the season. i Mr.. Leighton II
not advertising a scarcity OF labor, bu1
experience last year showed that Z t. there e
; in getting men for all the work tina
is planned He says that a $4,000 com
mon dwelling can be finished in ninet.
days. time. It could be finished in less
but ninety days is advisable. Thus tn
man who determines to build his owl
. home can secure his lot, make his al
r rangements for financing his propert,
and occupy his new home IN lou
/ months time. ~
In commenting on the advantage t
! a city to be home owners municipal
+ ity, Mr. Leighton referred to his ez
. perience in Baltimore, which is simila
: to Philadelphia in the. reputation. 0
! being city owned by its citizens.
People Are Educated.
2 The people there, he says, seem
!, have been educated to owning the1
I homes. In one district ne found roM
5 and rows Of three-story houses, b b!
Q twenty-fve-foot grass boulevard an
y twenty -six-foot- driveway in from
Y which were being snapped up pract
I, lcally as fast as they were ready. Thl
2: had no reference to the Baltimore fiji
I (which Mr.. Leighton was invests atin
% but seemed to be a natural growth 4
g the city. It was prospe rOus look1n
lneighborhood, and Sundays the broa
n walks were filled with the people wall
j, ing about, making neighborly visits an
l. having good time, such as prospero1
Is people can enjoy.
d offered in Baltimore, as in Minneapoli
$, Some houses are erected by huildin
s. associations; such as the North Side fu
is nishes in Minneapolis, hers by co
is tracing companies who build houses
sell on monthly payments
it ! Mr.. Leighton suggests as nelghbo