Evening star., 1941-03-29
1941 Home Comforts
Called 259b Greater
Than in 1926 Models
Technical Advances
And Better Designing
Are Given Credit

In comfort, convenience and all
around "livsbiGty" the buyer of the
l94l home gets at least 25 per cent
more in value than was offered in
1926, Donald H. McNeal, appraisal
and reconditioning expert of the
Home Owners Loan Corp. declared
today. Increased attention to the
needs of the household and tech
nical improvements in the building
industry largely account for the
evolution according to Mr.. McNeal.
"In providing better living and
economy of upkeep for the same or
little more outlay. the industry has
made more progress in the past Is
years than in any like period in
our history" he said
Design Most Important.
"The longtime enjoyment the
home owner gets from his dwelling
depends first of all on how it is
designed. Today, hundreds of
architects throughout America are
turning their attention to planning
small homes, to giving the family
a house of permanent attractive
ness, more usable space and prac-
tlcal arrangement of rooms. and
the housewife.
"Out of the laboratories of the
building industry have come many
new developments undreamed of in
the early '20s for families of small
means. These embrace such varied
elements of the whole house as auto
matte heating systems with con-
cealed radiation, air conditioning,
f1re-resistant materials and wider
use of weather-Stripping and water
proofing; improved insulation to
cut down fuel bills in winter. to
avoid excessive warmth in summer
and to control sound, and the in
PRODUCTION of new Synthetics. More
and conveniently located outlets
for electricity are built in so that
the family can use all the new &C
cessories for the home.
Advances have been made in the
applicability to home construction
OF plywood, plastics, glass brick,
gypsum board, chromium plating,
quick-drying paints and other
newer materials. Acid-resisting
glazes have been perfected for bath
rooms and sinks. New manufacture
Ing methods have improved the
quality of window glass.
Prices Almost Same.
Figures maintained by the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics show that
wholesale prices of building ma
terials are almost exactly the same
as in 1926. despite the fact that
the building-supplies dollar now is
spent on specialized materials that
are much more suitable for their
use than those of the past Modern
manufacturing ingenuity and mass
production, further have given us
low-coSt units such as door frames,
windows. kitchen cabinets and other
assemblies for ready installation on
the building job. Other products
come in pre-cut sizes for quick as
sembly.
What attracts the person who
wants individuality in the exterior
Of his home is that now he can
obtain a distinction of design. set
ting his home apart from others
in the block without a penalty of
great added expense. At the same
time, basic fioor-plans of various
types are becoming standardized,
keeping the cost down. Because of
automatic heating. the basement of
today is easily kept free of dust
and CRIME. The space is light and
airy and can serve many useful pur-
poses for which the old basement
was not fitted.
'The architect. the engineer. the
chemist, the inventor. the building
contractor, the manufacturer and
trade associations, the testing and
building codes experts-all have
contributed to this advancement in
the American home"