The San Francisco call., 1913-10-04
THE OWNER AS A
II ANDY MAN


sity demands? Yet in truth how few
there are who have even the ability
TO impress their credulous women
Iolk with their skill The average
business mans life has taken him far
away from any connection with arti-
sans tools. He feels that he can hire
Whatever labor he needs having the
brain to make sufficient money, his
time may be used to better advantage
than putting up shelves in the cellar
lor empty bottles or wiring for an
extra light in the laundry. And he is
right IL he excludes the primitive sat
lsfaction OF working with the hands,
the relaxation and the fascination
of it.
There is hardly any branch of sim
pie carpentry that a man cannot mas
ter by experience and self-teaching. If
you are thinking of having book
shelves built in that front upstairs
bedroom, If you will figure the amount
of lumber necessary, carefully plan on
paper it's construction and go ahead
with it in your odd moments, it is
quite likely that afterwards in figur-
ing your time at union rates, you will
find that you have done wise thing;
you have enjoyed the work, saved half
the price, gained in experience and
secured set of very interesting
shelves. There are window seats you
could build in The Ideal House,
flower boxes, settles and garden
benches for out of doors. You can
seal with "compo board" that un-
finished attic space over the kitchen
making a second maids room, or en-
close with Stats little workshop for
yourself in the cellar near an area
light. There is the dove-cote you
might erect in the hedged-in yard be-
yond the garage. AS your own. chauf-
feur many conveniences will suggest
themselves. Hot frames for seed
starting, trelliSes for vegetables and
planking for celery, all will give the
handy man something to do. A wood
box for the living room, plant stands,
porch furniture and even the putting
up of. curtain poles in the closets for
dress and coat hangers will be inter
esting enough work and give endless
satisfaction when in use. From the
carving of wood block for printing
on curtain stuffs - all is absorbing to
the handy man. The refnishing of fur
niture, repolishing and repairing and
the restoration of old pieces, is an art
not at all out of the reach of every
man and woman and fascinating
enough. Walls and floors can be done
by home talent at a great saving.
The handy man should be his own
plumber to very small extent. He
should at least familiarize himself
with the different pipe lines in the
house that he may know just where
the cutoff valves are located, for in
The Ideal Home the water supply to
each fixture may be separately shut
off without stopping service on the
rest of the system. To be able to put
in new washers is an accomplishment
little thought of, but quite saving in
the plumbing account. The water
closet tank is of simple enough con-
struction and easily adjusted by the
layman.
AS an electrician, the field is in
teresting and expansive. A working
knowledge and observation of the un-
derwriters' rules and requirements
and the willingness to have your work
inspected by them is all that is neces-
sary to the average man of brains
and some constructive ability.
TO be able to attach the necessary
nlupS and sockets and extend cords