New-York tribune., 1921-10-30
By II. II. Hobart
Of Curtis Compa,lies. Ine.

o. CARTS Coa'feAaes, Iiae.
nnee let it be known that you may
la one Of these days and you imme-
ssssiv learn of dozens of places where
NAV secure plans for anything
W., a tvo-room s'unit" house, to be
IA ss garage when your "hoat" comes
70 ten-apartment house of the
'.sst ~ modern tendencies. What you had
.s-s supposed was very complicated
sss,ut;on OF the dream home that ex-
..siv suited the needs and tastes of
ssmr own family group, and no other,
:,sa, the dream stage to the reality is
..srsrently very simple thing. 1t has
4 heen worked out for you, it seems
ID all you need do is to fit yourself into
,se proper pigeonhole. as you would
ss;.et a ready made suit. There's just
| t;age OF regret at foregoing the long
.x,nings Of covering sheet after sheet
s;sh choppy little lines-which means
susthing to you--of making little
.rtsrior views, and Of fitting roof to
~ aoor plan, which most homebuild-
* don't remember to do until they
ssvs become so settled upon a certain
;,,sr;or arrangement that it is too late
"a ihink Of changing elevations.
Have an Architect il Yoa Can
II vou are in position to have an
.,ehifect draw your plans for you there
Lsuld be absolutely no question in
vour mind as to whether you should
ssve the architect draw them or use
srs. Of these ready-made plans. His
,,srsonal knowledge of your individual
rants and hsve-tos and can'ts, of your
snlding site, of local conditions of
l,bor and material. and of the limita-
ions Tor otherwise of your bank ac-
,aunt, gives him q handicap that
should make the 6 per cent fee a good
Investment, to say nothing of the saw
ing that will be effected and the re
ponsibility that will be shifted by his
mrsonal supervision of the construc-
Ton.
The consideration of ready made
ulsns-technicslly known as stock plans
is Of interest only to those to whom
the services of an architect are not
available, either through your location
or because his fee would cut down too
much the appropriation set aside for
.he home itself. You see, we are not
blowing for the possibility of your
craving your own plans or having
sour general contractor furnish them
The reason for this is self-evident. It
il based upon the average results that
have been obtained in the past from
he operation of those methods. The
houses you know OF which fall into this
Homemade class would doubtless
convince the most skeptical that this
plan had been tried and found wanting.
Il would be q very egotistical person
indeed who would think himself just as
capable of making his own plans as a
man who was making architecture his
life work. One would not call the
plumber to operate for appendicitis
any more than he would call a surgeon
to connect the gas heater. In those
cases one frankly admits that some one
else is better qualified to do n good job.
But when 1T comes to planning homes.
most owners and builders feel that
| they can do it '.just as good" AS a
natter. Of fact, it is much easier for
you to tell the architect or the
stock plan people, as far as that goes
Just the circumstances that enable
them to give your plan the personal
touch than it is for them to give you
The tschnical and artistic information
which they have spent years of study
and experience to acquire, and which
arc the sine qua non of the home that
hto be permanently satisfactory. And
siter all there isn't such thing as
iatisfaetion that isn't permanent when
Hcomes to homes.
Be Cautious Of Stock Plans
For those whose scheme of things
~ -nf,, d.. L
her then the matter is not one of
sock plans or not, but of which stock
pans! This decision is rot one of
ence, for most of the plans that will
ls offered you have very nominal
oss, and some of them are offered
sitnout charge to users of certain
ploducts, SO that the question of ex-
ense is negligible. Perhaps you have
.equifed an Impression that the plans
sOsten out by any one manufacturer
s ms inventions Tor selling his product.
iasher than with any thought of your
.shloft ~ and satlsfaction in mind; that
ia !ae orck manufacturers want TO sell
sIes; the lumber people, lumber: the
ssogowofk people, sash and doors and
saAt-in furniture; the hollow tile peo-
~, noliow tile. 1t would be absurd to
- s'aS -Hey uo ilOt WdIJ TO sell JneiT
Product, and that their plan services
!. ns wholly philanthropic But it would
. 2 business man Of some previous
sea1ury, certainly not the twentieth,
s sao would hope to Increase his busi-
ness by selling you a plan which was
~ ~ worthy one, not only from the
sa.snupolnt y Of his product. but in every
seer ;s way; lie might sell the materia,
ssi, .uf your, house, but you probably will
saa only one home. He must sell to
thousands ! of others also. If your home
"a poor advertisement, if you are a
ssssallsned customer. his one-idea plan
Is done him more damage than good.
M ~ twentieth century, business men
II. ~ iar-sighted enough to know that.
H. ,uc same thing is true of plans issued
!, hrms whose sole business is the
vans themselves.
Standardization Is Economy
t. vne advantage of the plans issued
l. mshu1aeturers of some product to
used IN the construction of the