Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-05
NEWS OF The BUSY HOME BUILDERS
Advice to New Builders

one Of the cardinal rules OF the life Of
Thomas JEFFERSON was this Buy nothing
because It is cheap You win find It dear
70 you"
There is probably no line OF industry TO-
day In which the need for the recognition
OF these truths is as great as In the world
OF building.
The man who buys a suit Of clothes for
3lb and thinks he is getting $40 suit is
not one BIT more deceived than Is the man
who pays an architects fee Of per cent
and thinks he Is getting per cent service,
or who cuts a contractors price Is per
cent and thinks he Is getting 100 per cent
service, or who finally pays for a completed
building 5000 and thinks he is getting
building that Is worth $1,000
one OF the most astonishing things TO the
observer Of building operations is the
method whereby the contracts for buildings
are made and let on the basis Of competl-
ton under certain specifications, with prac-
tically no regard to the business character
and normal reputation Of the contractor
who secures the work.
Nowhere does the maxim that appear
ances are deceiving'' apply more fully than
it does in the business Of building This
is particularly true because the very nature
Of the finished building is to cover up, to
enclose, to conceal
More particularly so, because we are
accustomed TO the Judging OF buildings by
the eye and from appearances.
1t is an easy thing for the owner Of a
building in prospect to say OF two methods
Of construction, one at price over the
other, that the iower-priced one is "just
aa aa1 t. l.
many building owners, who know abso-
lutely nothing of building, have never
studied it, do not realize that It is a pro-
fession and business In itself, stu AFRO
gate to themselves the judgment as to what
is just as good Us something elese.
The average new builder seems to for
get that the prime requisite Of a building
of any kind Is durability. He seems TO
forget that in saving $1,000 on the CON
struction OF a 5000 building. he may be
losing 5000 in the life Of that building.
More. he seems to forget that, even in the
same length Of time, he will be put 70 an
expense for repairs and replacing of half
dore work and half-made material In the
cheaper building that will more than equal
the additional sum he would have invested
to secure frst-class work and hrst-class
material.
The average man who has his mind made
up to the construction of a building for any
purpose usually goes to an architect and
about all he has in mind is that he wants
a certain type OF building at certain cost,
say. for example, $4,000. He happens to
know that his friend Smith put up a similar
building for that sum, and he also happens
10 know that his friend Jones put UP an
apparently similar building at a cost OF
s12 800 and he thinks that Jones was beat
and is not a good buyer.
The plans are drawn, sent out TO the
contractors for bids, and the bids run all
the way from 5000 to $1,000. 1t is ten
chances to one that Mr.. owner Immediately
figures that he has gotten into the building
market at a time when he is little better
on than either Smith or Jones was, and
he promptly instructs hts architect to ac-
cept the lowest bid, because in each case
Mr.. Contractor has put up a bond that
seems to cover all the necessary guarantees
that the owner could exact
Nine times In ten he gives no thought
to the character OF standing OF the con-
tractor securing the business, no thought TO
his experience makes no investigation OF
the character Of his previous work, does
not know what he has done and does not
seem TO care. He knows only that the
contractor has agreed to put In certain
kinds and quantities OF material in GER
tain way at a specified price and has given
an acceptable bond for the fulhlment OF
this contract
The architect perhaps has mentioned 10
the owner that he would prefer to favor
particular contractor at a higher price
because he feels that his work will be bet
ter but the owner says Wen, this man
=
fers a good bond for the work. don't