The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-05
CONSTRUCTION
 ERA BRINGS OLD
 NAMESFORWARD
Survey Of Cities Shows Many Residences
 Rem0deled

In many of the older cities one of the most marked and interesting phases of home-making at present is the sys- tematic reconstruction and moderniza- tion of old homes. It is not only slav- aging process of much economic value, but it is also an absorbing and edu- cative enterprise and is having no lit- tie civic value in that it is restoring whole rundown neighborhoods, bring ing back real estate values, and is at the same time preserving hundreds of the specimens of the architecture pop ular years ago.
 It is almost invariably found that these solid homes of our forefathers were so well planned and built that any structural defects that have de- veloped have been due to the settling of walls and foundations rather than to any weakness of material or poor work manship. Recently s 200-year old house on the New England sea-coast was restored. It was found that the softwood under-floors, put down so long ago, were as sound as the day they were cut and 80 much hardened by age that when dressed they made excellent top-floOring.
 Lumber Cheaper
 Rehuilders are finding everywhere that almost all of the lumber in these old houses, whether they are of frame or masonry construction is as good as new, and wherever the dimensions per init it is being reused in the altera. tjons. When additional new material is required the renoyator finds that he has undertaken his work opportune- Iy as lumber is now about 40 per cent cheaper than it was in 1920, and even 10 per cent cheaper than it was in 10 per cent cheaper than in 1923. Other building material shows similar de- clines.
 In the smaller and also in the newer towns and cities of the country there is just now being developed q syste' matic drive to rebuild houses of a com paratiYely recent period. 1t is well understood that dwelling architecture was at low ebb in the last part of the nineteenth century and the first part of this. For nearly quarter of a cen- tury a small home that was not an eye sore from the day 1t was built was rare, and a majority of the large homes were atrocities perpetrated on defense less eyes.
 Many of these houses are lumber built and contain so much sturdy ma terial that to wreck them is apt to be sheer waste. Men, who, having grown into larger means and better taste, are examinging their old homes with view of improving their architecture by al- terations and extending them to meet new requirements. Thousands of peo-- pie who dislike to let the old home go are finding that simple external altera- tions and additions transform an ugly edifice into home of beauty and that the additional room required may be secured at lower cost by additions and rearrangements than by the erection of a new house.
 Auto Has Effect
 In the cities, unfortunately, hideous architecture appears to have been &C., companied frequently by '.jerry-build- ing" during the period of architectural twilight, so that there it does not al ways pay to reconstruct hOuFe of the first or secenod generation back. The good materials in such structures do not have the salvage value in place" which is realized in the building of careful workmanship. But that reconstruction and alteration are vastly improving the residence districts of the smaller cities is evident to every automobile tourist
 Incidentally, there is little doubt about the influence of the automobile in broadening the architectural appre- citation of the average citizen. Along with improved form there is also an advance in the use of color. Our fath- CTS and grandfathers seem to have gone color-blind about the time they lost their appreciation of proportion, so that inferior painting of iIl-assorted colors was often added to shocking architecture. The rebuilt houses are generally being painted in good taste.
 Rebuilding or altering are often ex- acellent investments even where not necessary from the utilization point of view. Selling values thus gained are frequently out of proportion to the ex- pense. This is particularly true of lum- ber-buiIt houses, which are peculiarly susceptible to alteration, and they are a large proportion of the houses which are available for renovation.
 Building material dealers throughout the country are actively assisting their clients in studying and planning altera- fions of m improving nature, both prac. tically and esthetically; and the local architect will usually be found to be very staunch supporter of any depart ure that promises better looking town.
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