Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1918 — HERE'S FIVE-ROOM SHINGLE BUNGALOW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HERE'S FIVE-ROOM SHINGLE BUNGALOW

Perhaps This Design WiH Aid Young Married Folks to Decide on Plans. BEST POLICY TO OWN HOME? Under Normal Conditions Property Holder*' Get on Better Than Renters—Practical Talk About Expenses. Mr. William A. Radford will answer questions and give advice FREE OF COST on all subjects pertaining to the subject of building, for the readers of this paper. On account of his wide experience as Editor, Author and Manufacturer, he is, without doubt, the highest authority on all these subjects. Address all Inquiries to William A. Radford, No. 1827 Prairie avenue, Chicago. I IL, and only enclose two-cent stamp for reply. By WILLIAM R. RADFORD. Probably there are few people'other than those who have actually made a start in the planning of a home, who consider the relation between the much-discussed “high cost of living” and the question of relative cost between owning and renting a home. During the strenuous period, the “bread and butter earner” will probably concentrate his attention so strenuously upon ways and means of Increasing his income that many of the Items of “outgo” are not given sufficient analysis. There will probably be an occasional conference with the good wife which will result in the substitution of "oleo” for butter or the elimination of the more costly cuts of meat from the bill of fare —because eating is such a persistent expense that variations In the cost of rations are emphatically noticeable. Various other temporary savings are resorted to, and that is as far as the analysis goes. First, consider the fact, in connection with the renting of the home, that the owner of the building Is living under the same conditions as the renter.

He may, by his manner of living, vary certain of the conditions which under another manner of living appear to place him in a position of advantage, but fundamentally his living expenses are on the same basis as those of the renter. If the owner of property encounters an Increase in living expenses, he will naturally expect to meet it, all or In part, by an Increase in his Income from this property. When property is successfully rented, the rent must Include Interest on the total Investment, taxes and all other assessments levied against the property, an allowance for depredation and an amount equal to the average expenditure for repairs and improvements. The owner is benefltted by an increase

In the value of the property. If there Is any appreciable increase in the value of the property, the owner is likely to feel that he is entitled to interest on the actual value of the property rather than on the amount of his original investment. If he does not receive bls increase, his income is less than he would receive by selling the property at the Increased figure and putting his amount out at the same rate of interest which the rent is figured on. Is there a saving brought about by owning the home rather than renting It? The answer to this question Involves the good judgment of the owner, and if we aqpume that be is capable of a reasonable amount of discretion in handling his affairs, adverse influences of a serious nature not being •onsldered, the answer is “yes.” Mcney invested In the home does not pay interest, but it eliminates the payment of rent. .For a given piece of property on which the home is built, the saving of rent which would be paid must be greater than the amount of interest which might be obtained from the money invested In the home, in dter that a financial gain be made. An Increase tn the value of the property

amplifies the saving; a decrease Id value reduces the saving or wipes It out. The man who owns his home also saves a small under normal conditions, in that his depreciation charge and expense for repairs is actually less than the average owner would figure into the rent for these items. In localities where abnormal conditions have forced rents down to a figure such that owners are forced to thke low incomes from “their property Investments, the savings would not hold true. Such conditions, however, cannot usually be considered permanent. Perhaps the greatest value of buy* Ing property and building a home is in the creation of an estate. Too many of us will not save unless we are forced to. This is especially true of the young man who has little thought for the “rainy day." There is, perhaps,

no better nor more profitable training for a young man than the experience of buying a piece of property, which good judgment indicates will Increase in value, upon which to build a substantial and well-planned home. The idea of building cannot be started too young. The property may be purchase) fit any time, but the house Is ordinarily selected with the assistance of the person who must eventually be of primary importance in it» transformation Into a comfortable home. The Illustrations offer a suggestion which might be of assistance in making such a selection. This is a stylish little bungalow, 40 feet 6 inches by 26 feet 6 inches in size, not including the porch 'projection. It contains five large rooms and a bath. The walls are finished with shakes or shingles which would look very pleasing when treated with white stain. The attractive roof Is of the gable type, which is given.

added ornamental value by a very slight upward curve of the ridge above the gables. A rather massive extension toward the front covers a porch 16 feet by 7 feet 6 Inches. At the sides of the porch are places for swinging seats. Everyone likes a large, comfortable swinging porch seat, but there is no article of furniture more In the way than a swinging porch seat when it is hung In the wrong place. The downstairs plan of this house offers a good deal of comfort to the square foot. The living room, with the big fireplace and book shelves, is carefully laid out for the comfortable placing of large pieces of furniture. Rooms differ greatly in regard to the accommodations for modern furniture. A living room must be light, at the same time considerable wall space is required, otherwise large pieces of fur* nlture must be expensively built to look well when placed some distance from the walls of the room. This plan places the stairway in the rear of the house. It is a combination stair with a grade entrance at the back. This grade door is a convenient feature. From the back hall the stair goes up to tho floor above. On this floor there is a large hall, with a bedroom on one side and the bathroom on the other. The arrangement of the kitchen and pantry is intended to place the kitchen entirely away from the front part of the house, which eliminates cooking odors from the living rooms. There is a great deal of built-in woodwork in the pantry. This adds greatly to the convenience of the design and, since the pantry is between the kitchen and the dining room, this characteristic is strongly emphasized.

Second Floor Plan.

First Floor Plan.