The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-08-02
HOME BUILDERS
HOUSES BEYOND
THE ESTIMATES
Cost of Constructing Houses
Estimated at 20 Per Cent
Beyond Figures Given
LAWSUITS MAY RESULT
Many Builders Declare They Will
Not Pay the Added Cost
and Plan to Fight 4

Investigation of the situation with
respect to houses built in Bismarck by
the Home Builders Association, af-
ter intimations were made in Judge
Nuessle's court here yesterday that
the houses would cost considerably
more than had been anticipated by the
builders, revealed this to be the fact.
How much more is not certain at
this time.
J. B. Adams, manager of the Home
Builders Association, who was placed
in the position after disordered state
of affairs was found to exist admitted
that the average cost will exceed the
estimates by about 20 percent.
In some cases. it is said the excess
will run 40 percent or more while IN
others the actual cost will be close to
the estimate.
No Contracts Signed
Very few of the persons in Fargo,
Bismarck and Mandan who had houses
built by the state have obtained actu-
al figures. The costs are being re-
checked by Adams now with view
of determining If mistakes have been
made. This work is now complete and,
except for the legal questions arising
in the Lemke house case, the associa-
ton is about ready to sign contracts.
No contracts have been signed on
houses built by the state, except for
the first house built here about two
years ago. There were 54 houses built
by the state and four purchased.
It is expected that lawsuits will re-
suit from the situation. The Home
Builders Association will insist the
builders of houses pay the entire cost
charged against them, which includes
overhead Of the association. Some OF
the builders have already consulted
attorneys and are planning to wage
a court battle to maintain their con-
tention that they should pay only the
estimated cost, or approximately that.
All estimates were said to have been
verbal estimates. Gs...
Complete figures are expected to be
announced soon by the Industrial
Commission. The costs of few houses
only are known. In one case house
was estimated to cost $4,000 and the
final cost is 5000, including $500 exc
tras. In another the estimated cost
was $5.433 and the final cost is $1,000.
Including 1886 extras In another the
estimated cost was $1,000 and the fin
al cost is said to be $71S9, no extras
being charged. In another the estl-
mated cost was said to be $500; the
final cost $4,000 to which is to be
added an unknown amount of extras.
Question Of extras"
The question of "extras" is one
which is causing considerable trouble.
According to some local builders the
builder was asked to select stand
ardized plan of architecture, and then
was permitted to alter to suit his fan
cy, it being the plan OF the Home
Builders Association to have a few
standard plans and have quantity pro-
duction bases on those plans. The
usual method of ordering an extra
was to ask the superintendent of con-
struction how much the extra would
cost, receive verbal estimate and
have the work done. The cost of the
extras" exceeds the verbal estimates
in most cases, 1t is said.
The Home Builders Association Is
dong little work now, although 1t Is
said that numerous applications for
state-built houses are being made.
Cost Of Lemke's Home.
The actual cost of the home of Will
liam Lemke, in Fargo, which }. W.
Brinton estimated in his lawsuit as
s25,OOO, is understood to have been
$4,000 spent through the Home
Builders Association, not more than
$4,000 of, state money being in the
house at one time, and additional pur-
chases were made by Mr.. Lemke which
we're not reflected in the Home Build