Evening star., 1934-04-28
$1,000 Prize Offered by
Star Sharpens Longing
for New Comforts.
SUBURBAN SECTIONS
BACK IMPROVEMENTS
Costly and Modest Residences
Given Chance to Win Awards
Through Modernization.
BY VINCENT TUTCHING.

Prompted by civic pride, and in
spired by desire to win some of the
$1,000 in cash prizes offered by The
Star for the best home improvements
made this year, Washington home
owners have demonstrated during the
last two weeks keen interest in the
Better Homes Contest being sponsored
by this newspaper.
In the suburbs of Maryland and
Virginia, too, the urge to better the
home environment by making addi-
tions, alterations, renewing or redeco-
rating. is spreading with increasing
rapidity, spurred by activity in civic
and trade organizations anxious to
promote the campaign in every neigh
borhood.
The success of this home modern
ization movement in the metropolitan
area of Washington, it is generally
conceded, cannot help but benefit the
city as whole, from the standpoint
Of increased employment, greater VOL
ume of business and-most important
from the viewpoint of citizens-raise
the standard of the city's beauty.
Early Action Advised.
It Is, Of course, to the interest of
home owner to get in ahead of pea.
prices by starting his work imme-
diately. There is reason to believe that
prices Of labor and materials are to
continue their upward trend toward
the levels of 1925 and other normal
years. But right now they are several
percentage points below normal.
1t is no criticism of the most exact
ing home owner to suggest that he
improve his property. No one can live
in a home any length of time without
realizing that there are added COM
forts that can be installed in almost
every room.
No sooner does the home owner
realize this than he begins to plot and
plan and talk about what he is going
to do some day But he fears the
slight changes will cost lot of money
instead of finding out how much they
actually will amount to. and thus de-
prives himself of lot of comfort that
as rule can be had at sums ridicu-
lousy low.
All Changes Considered.
Now that The Stars Better Home
Contest offers the incentive of cash
prizes for remodeling projects, it is
particularly advantageous for the
property owner to undertake improve
ments. Any project of home remodel
ing, renewing, redecorating, or re-
painting may be entered in the con-
test, no matter what the cost of the
operation may be.
1t is important to remember that
one dollar spent in painting or redec-
Grating house, or installing better
plumbing, or doing any one of the
hundreds of odd jobs that need to be
done around the house, means two
dollars worth of economic value add
ed to the home.
Putting the house in order is no ex-
travagant esthetic adventure. 1t is an
investment. The skilled architect or
contractor knows this, but very few
home owners do.
Furthermore, when turning thoughts
to moderniZation of the home today,
the task is not nearly as appalling as
1t was some years ago. The inventive
skill of manufacturers and even per-
sonal ingenuity on the part of home
owners have developed many ways of
saving time, money and labor in the
improvement of the home.
Water pipes can now be replaced
without extensive cutting into walls,
ceilings and floors. Air conditioning
can be installed without expensive
new duct work or piping. Bath rooms
and kitchens can be brought up to the
minute without the expense of tearing
walls and ceilings apart
Because it is essentially movement
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