The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-11-05
FALL Is GOOD
TIME TO BEGIN
Modern Methods Of Home
Construction Overcome
Cold Weather.
EXC VATE N 0 W

Home construction can safely be
carried on throughout twelve months
of the year. With modern materials
and building methods substantial
savings can be effected in the cost of
house construction through adoption
o. cold weather work. This is the
consensus of opinion which has been
directed toward finding means of re-
ducing the cost of building homes
The study is summed up in the re-
port of the Hoover committee on
seasonal construction work.
Summarizing the effects of winter
construction on home owners and
home builders, the committee says:
"Home owners are the largest single
class of building owners, and resi-
Dental building forms the largest
single class of construction.
''The. man who builds a home for
himself wants to get the best pos
sible house for his money, and in
some cases he has to defer building
until his savings accumulate. He is
work performed economically than
almost any other class of owners,
but in all too many cases he follows
the crowd and not only pays extra
for the privilege but has to put up
with slower and less satisfactory
job. Most home builders suffer from
not having their plans and other ar
rangements made in advance Of the
time when they are ready to go
ahead. The man who builds a house
serves his own interest and public
interest by starting work at the right
time. The right time usually means
when other customers are not rush
ing into the field. Since the building
of the home requires only few
months, it is not ordinarily difficult
to plan the work with reference to
probable labor conditions"
Great Winter Construction.
The committee reports that there
are many reason why winter con-
struction can be carried on at less
expense than the customary good
weather building. The first and most
noticeable result of winter building
is the reduction in costs resulting
from the saturation of the labor mar
ket. Good men can be had for less
money and also the builder is not
compelled to pay bonus for labor.
This results in substantial savings
especially in the wages paid skilled
workmen.
Materials, the committee finds, are
generally cheaper in winter, due to
the falling off in demand. Today,
many materials manufacturers such
as the cement plants encourage the
purchase of materials during slack
seasons for such a demand enables
them to keep their plants running at
capacity during all the months of the
year.
Manufacturers Of such products as
concrete block and tile have long en-
couraged winter building and other
materials distributors are following
.suit.
Figures compiled by some of the
country's largest construction COM
panies show that labor's efficiency
increases from to Is per cent dur
ing colder weather.
Excavating Is Costly.
Excavating work is more costly in
cold weather, the committee finds,
and because of this recommends that
this work be done during the late
fall. September and October, before
the frost has entered ~the ground,
can be used for this work. Much of
the exterior work can be completed
before severe weather sets in, al
though the building of exterior walls
with brick and concrete products
can be carried on without interrupt
tion from the weather through the
employment of simple precautionary
measures.
With the exterior completed be-
fore cold weather the interior work
can be done during the. winter. In
as, much as interior work is largely q
matter of skilled labor the home
builder profits by the surplus of such
workmen in winter seasons.
Winter construction, the commit
tee reports, has been successfully
followed for years on large projects
and is common practice in the north
ern sections of the. country and Can
ada. If feasible under these condi--
tions, the committee finds no reason
why it should not be equally sue
cessful under the simpler conditions
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