Evening star., 1920-03-13
H0ME ME-BU|LD|NG
OBSTACLES GROW
Lack of Stability in Prices at
Bottom of Present Diff
ficuItieS.
Section OF typical

With an "own your home" campaign
following closely on the heels of a
| natio wide thrift week. and with big
building projects announced f9r the
| spring and summer in greatly in
| creased volume. the individual builder
wishing to erect home to SUIT ms
| taste, needs and finances finds the
problem increasingly difficult.
| Absolute lack of anythingNeVen re-
motely resembling stability IN prices
of building materials, fixtures. etc. is
/ at the bottom of the individual home
| builders troubles.
| Lumber dealers are generally un,
| able to quote prices that viii stano
even for as long as fifteen days. Deal
crs in plum mbing supplies and hXtures
are not willing generally to estimate
| on Jobs most of them declining 10
make the attempt and saying TO pro
| spective patrons that the best they
| can do is to order the materials or
| fixtures and install them on cost
| plus" basis.
| Prices of cement. hollow tile ana
| some kinds of brick are on a more
! stable basis than most building ma
| terials. but even in these lines the IN ,
dividual home builder is confronted
with an unwillingness on the part OF
| dealers to quote prices Tor delivery
! in sixty or ninety days
Loan Making Difficult.
Financing home building propo-
| sition, under such conditions. has be-
| come matter great dlfncuity. III
| the first place, building and loan as
| soc:ations are unwilling TO loan on
! the basis of present cost or a nome
| If the prime condition, ownership 1ree
| of all incumbrance. of the ground. Is
| met. the building and loan ASSOCIATION
| when asked to finance nome ina,
| will cost under present materiai M anu
| labor conditions around $1,000 10
| build base their figures on the pre-
| war cost of the same building. when
probably will be about $4,000.
| That however, does not mean that
| they will loan the full $500 on the
projected building. The amount OF
about two-thirds of the estimated cost
on a prey war basis. or in the neigh
borhood of $500. Therefore the in
| dividual home builder must find the
| other half of the estimated cost OF
his home somewhere else. This
usually means that the man who
wants to build a home costing $1,000,
| on lot that he owns free OF any en-
cumbrance, must have at least $500
of the cost before he cam obtain the
other $2,5O0 and begin building.
4 Difficulties in the way Of getting
prices and estimates on materials and
labor, piled on top of the troubles to
! be encountered in raising the money
to finance the operation. In many
/ cases prove insuperable, and the re-
suit is that the man who owns a lot.
who has some money and who wants
to build a home for his family. gives
up in disgust and remains in the
ranks of the renters. or buys ready
made house that perhaps is not at all
suitable or what he wants. but which
is the nearest approach to his ideas
that ne is able to compass.
| At present there is proba bly, not one
building contractor in Washington
who will give an estimate on home
in the $4,000 or $4,000 class. with a
bond to fulfill the terms Of a con-
tract. No lumber dealer in Washing
ton. so far as can be learned. is in a
position to quote prices. even on or
binary siding. for as long as a month
in the future, and dealers in other
building materials are in the same
case.
This is not because the dealers
themselves will not make quotations.
but because these dealers are unable
to learn what the materials will cost
them at the time they are to be de-
livered. Conditions at the mills and
factories. as well as labor conditions,
transportation charges. etc. all are
factors in the creation of this state
of affairs.
AS a result of inability to obtair
quotations, and impossibility Of OBJ
tanning building supplies already pur
chased and even paid for, many indl
vidual home building operations il
the District of Columbia have beer
delayed for months.
il Washington man who began lat
last summer to build two small cot
tages on lots he had owned for severa
years has not been able to complet
them yet. Delayed first by the prob
lem of financing the operation. addi
tional delay arose through lnab1lit
! n hi !, RI ff.
finish. He was unable to obtain cas-
ings and sash for the doors and win
dows except after long delay and the
only at increased prices. When tn
houses-one for himself and the othe
for married son-finally were read
for installation of the heating plant
and plumbing no dealer in the cit
was able to quote prices or guarante
\ delivery. The best he could get was
promise to order the necessary ma
terials and equipment. demand de
II llivery at the earliest possible date, an
II charge a margin of profit over tn
Il actual factory invoices. with the usua
II labor charge and overhead
Result of Delay.
H The result of all this delay and EN-
H barrassment has been that the tw
small houses already have cost abou
II Isl, 500 more than the total original es
II innate. and neither Of the houses
n finished yet. although original plan
H were for their completion by Decem
H ber / last.
H Instances Of this kind might be cite
II in numbers. while scores of Washing
ton residents owning lots and wish
n ing to build on them haye abandone
Il the idea after canvassine contractor!
Material men and others and obtain
n ing a good idea Of the difficulties tn
II individual must overcome II he is de
H termined to go ahead with his plans.
us Dealers in materials all are hopefu
II that prices will become stabilized /
Il the next two or three months, an
Il also look for better conditions in tn
i labor market Beneficial results ar
i expected to come from the stabilize
H ton conference Of materials manufac
II turers and dealers to be held In Chi
II cago later this month. but 1T is &C
II knowledged that no marked improve
II ment Ia to be expected in the imme