New-York tribune., 1922-09-03

Hundreds of prospective home build
crs and buyers, realtors, suh-dividers,
speculative builders and others desire
to know what according TO the average
New Yorker, is the well-planned, popu-
larly priced, conveniently located
house TO own to-day.
Never before in any single year in
the history sthis worlds largest city
has there been such volume of small
home and apartment house construc-
ton. Since the spring of the year all
previous building records have been
shattered
Yet the correspondence pouring into
: The Tribune since the announcement
was made two weeks ago that-with
the cooperation of the Home Owners
Service Institute-several different
types of sample small houses would
be constructed to determine present
!. building conditions, costs and require
'-@nlents, indicates there are hundreds of
families desirous of either building or
buying homes which cannot be found
by them or which many do rot seem to
Eape able to finance with funds in the
bank sufficient to float the building of
a couple of houses q few years back.
From this correspondence The Trib-
une will determine upon sample houses
to be built during the next two months
to make tests which our readers de-
sire. Thus far summarizing of the
many letters received by The Tribune
mas resulted in the discovery that the
most popular type of small house con-
struction in the suburbs within easy
committing distance of the Metropoli-
tan district is the stucco surfaced
mouse. This is slightly more expensive
than frame, yet more FIRE resistive.
Then comes the frame house, second
seemingly in popularity. Third, in
order, IS the house OF brick Per-
maps the recent large advance in the
price of brick has had something to
do with the results of the CORES pom
dence reaching the Tribune thus far. :.
Bungalow Not So Popular
Two-story houses are preferred by
the vast majority of writer's who have
expressed their requirements. Per-
maps the bungalow is not so popular
near New York as it is on the Cali
fornia coast or in the south, because
OF land values. When six or seven
or more rooms are to be built all on
the ground floor, more land is re-
quired than when these rooms occupy
two stories. But many contend the
less expensive to- construct than the
bungalow
More families are hoping to build or
buy six-room houses than those that
are seeking four or five-room, or seven
or eight-room homes or larger; 80 the
letters advise. The eight-room houses
and the five-room houses appear to be
about. equally in demand. apart from
those containing six rooms, which
usually means three bed rooms, living
room, dining room and kitchen
The ff0sf diHic1rlf hausas - I>,,,-
to-day, according to oar readers, are
those which cost to construct between
$4,000 and $4,000, not Including the
cost of the land they occupy. In con-
sequence, the Home Owners Service,
Inc, on behalf Of the Tribune. pre-
sumably will cause several houses to
be built within these figures, contain
ing Ave and six rooms.
There also is the request from many
readers htat one or two houses of sew
en- and eight rooms be built, if possible,
to determine relative costs. A few, of
course, desire to know more about
bungalow construction; homes of this
architectural type of from four to six
rooms.
Persons who want to own their own
homes expect to live away from the
metropolitan district in suburbs where
train, subway or other committing serv-
Ice will take them to and from their
business or shopping in between 30 and
80 minutes. An hour or more con-
sumed in travel, one way from home to
the metropolitan district, seems to be
more time than the majority of per-
CONS desire to aliot for committing ira
vel; therefore, houses built further
than SO minutes ride from the center
of things evidently are not in greatest
demand.
Most OF the home seekers expect,
however, to pay more than sc fare to
reach home in the suburbs. When
they get there they want a house on
hit of ground, with shrubbery and a
tree or two, if possible.
Forty-foot Front Plots Desired
Lots of forty-foot frontage, 100 feet
deep, appear to be the most sought
after. Hardly any writer wants twen-
ty-foot lot. The majority had rather,
apparently, 60 out further into the
country to procure thirty to forty feet
OF frontage--or more land, if possible
than live where property is much more
costly and have only twenty or twenty
five feet fronting on the street and, in
consequence, q narrow house with little
lawn and no driveway at the side.
With most prospective home owners
wanting an automobile and small ga
rage, as we'll as the house, usually
there must be sufficient land for house
and driveway.
4 Among the eonveniences desired
within the house by most families 8
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