San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-29
BUILDER PAYS
! 80 PER CEN I .
| FOR CONF ORT
Modern Home Costs More
but It's More Livable,
Happiness Result.

Romance and tradition have invested
isiae dear old homes OF our ancestors
~ It'll O wealth Of poetic charm. How
we love TO enter the vine-encumbered
garden gate and give free rein TO rap
turous imagination over the subtle
beauty of the westher-worn buildings.
From room to room We wander, re-
eliminating them with the life and laugh
ter Of by-gone days. What q thrill
rthe great kitchen gives US with its
ssmoke-darkened beams, its deep worn
tiles and the roses peeping in at the
quaint old easements. There through
an arch doorway we have glimpe
of the dining room that many times
rang with bounteous hospitality. Be
yond in the ancient "parlor," darken-
ed and austere, with its stiff haircloth
furniture frowning out of the chill
of a seldom-invaded sanctuary. And
above are the low-ceiling bedrooms.
prim and precise, yet with an air of
restful invitation to untroubled slum-
Der.
Yes, we rhapsodize over these rare
old homes of our forefstbers, but would
we live in them as they are? We
would not. Bill and Mary Of the mod
ern day view the old home from diff
ferent angles, but both agree that n
lot of things must be done" to the
place to make it livable. Bill looks
sadly at the garden and speculates
about the garage. 1t would have to
. be where the withered grapevines cling
? to weary old trellises.
: COMFORTS WERE FEW.
Z The driveway must run straight out
: to the street, and that would require
cutting down some apple trees. Mary
begins with its plumbing. There isn't
any, and Of course it must be put in.
Then there is no wiring or electrical
fixtures, no heating system, no screens.
sno kitchen gas and no sun room. The
J kitchen range is picturesque but that
won't do. And the tile floor must be
covered for comfort Indeed, there is
% much to be done that the task
seems almost hopeless.
Z Romance and sentiment are all right
when the poetic fancy is on, but living
/. in the place is distinctly something
else. The comforts and convenience
Of the old house were few, while they
are distinctly dominating in the mod
ern residence. And just here we have
practically the exact ratio of the cost
of modern homes over old ones. Most
. of us have little patience with cost
j statistics, which ordinarily are as drab
I and prosaic as a row Of milk cans
But we are compelled at times to take
a furtive peep at the price tags.
80 PER CENT FOR COMFORT.
, Mrs. Grace J. Landon, statistician
{. of the National Lumber Manufactur-
ers Association, snaps us back to Ger
2 TAIN "fhets and figures" that are
quite significant. She says, after q
! study Of dwelling cost data made by
I competent authorities, that nearly 80
per cent OF the cost Of the present day
home is expended for modern conve-
nienees"-comforts that the last gen
Grafton did not know or was just be-
ginning to learn about.
According TO one such tabulation
which averaged the cost of nine or
ten houses. costing from $4,000 to $685.
900 each, the following percentages
were spent: Per cent of
For: total cost.
Sanitary ware and plumbing. -. SO
Electric wiring and fixtures. 80. 81
Heating system ............... 10
ccNens ...s.s...ssss.sss -
Handspring .......ss......... 80
Architects fee ................. As
PA
Al q, ,Ls. 49,. ,.-+ 80 e.. oar