Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1895 — MODEL SUBURBAN HOME [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MODEL SUBURBAN HOME

For SI,OOO--LaborSaving Machines Responsible for Cheap Building. [Copyright 1895 by the Co-operatiye Building Association, N. Y.] During the last few years the proportion of families who own their own homes has been increased, owing to the multiplication of building and loan associations. It is no longer necessary that a man should be possessed of a snug capital before he can transform himself from a tenant into a householder. There is a mistaken idea very prevalent that a small house that shall be attractive enough for a man of taste cannot be built for less than $2,000 or $3,000. Less than half that sum is sufficient if it be judiciously expended. Any amount of money can be squandered in non-essentials and in decorations that areas useless as inartistic. In the main we only require from a house, as from a man, that it perform its duty well and do the things it was intended to in the best way and be pleasing and graceful in doing it. A model home, if it be skillfully planned, can be erected for a surprisingly small sum in these days. The inventiveness of Amiricans, which has devised all sorts of machines for joining and carpentering to replace the expensive hand work, has made this possible.

Wise men who look to the future are gradually availing themselves of the present conditions. The nearby suburbs of all cities are being built up with inexpensive homes, and the effect will soon be felt in the problem of municipal reform. The assertion does not need proof that the householder is a better citizen, in that he is more keenly alive to the administration of affairs, than the dweller in a rented house. He feels that it is not a mere privilege, but a duty as well, to exercise the franchise arid to give keen scrutiny to the acts of public servants; he has a personal interest in the affairs of State —he is a householder and a taxpayer; when he speaks of home—a veritable “home” as distinguished from the rented house —in his eye he has pictured a pretty cottage something like the one below.

To build this house would cost about $1,050. General dimensions—Width thro’ dining room and kitchen, 23 feet 6 inches; depth, including veranda, 33 feet 6 inches. Heights of stories—Cellar, 6 feet 6 inches; first story, 8 feet, 6 inches; second story, 8 feet. Exterior materials—Foundation, stone and brick; first and second stories, gables and roofs, shingles. Interior finish—Two coat plaster; soft wood flooring, trim and stairs. Interior woodwork painted colors to suit owner. Colors —Body, all shingles dipped and brush coated in oil. Trim painted white. Roof shingles dipped and brush coated red. Sashes painted bronze green ; blinds, Colonial yellow; veranda and porch floors and ceilings, oiled.

The principal rooms and their sizes, closets, etc., are shown by the floor plans. Cellar under parlor and hall. Loft floored for storage. Open fireplace in dining room. Double folding doors connect parlor with hall and dining room. Another chimney may be introduced in parlor. The alcove off front bedroom may be partitioned off for a hall bedroom with entrance directly from the hall. A bathroom with a full or partial set of plumbing may be introduced in the second story. The price ($1,050) is based on New York prices for materials and labor, and in many sections of the country the cost should be less. Mantels, ranges and heaters are not included in the estimate, being left for the individual builder to select. Additional signs of reviving trade

and encouraging evidences es improvement are seen in all directions. Since Jan. 1, 1895, up to the present time, the increase in real estate sales in the vicinity of New York was 40 per cent., and in building permits7o per cent. In Chicago the increase in real estate sales was 25 per cent., and their increase in building permits 40 per cent., a greater increase than there has been for the same period of time for the last five years. Figures in the last census present a striking picture of the home conditions under which the mass of wageworkers in this country live. One of - the recent bulletins shows that out of every 100 families in the United States 52 hire their homes or farms, 35 own them without incumbrance, leaving 13 in every one hundred who own them with incumbrances. The proportion of the dwellers in the cities who own their homes is, of course, smaller than this. In 420 cities and towns,having a population of from 8,000 to .100,000, 64 in every 100 families hire their homes, 12 own them with incumbrances and 25 without incumbrances. It may be predicted with confidence that the next census will show even a better record than this.

First Floor

Second Floor