Evening Star Newspaper, July 25, 1925, Page 15

REAL ESTATE: THE EVENING CONTRACTORS TO BARE ABILITIES ON ALL BIDS Action of Association Would Eliminate Delays and Loss in Completion of Building With Full Data. Builders hereafter will Judge read: the abilitie fractors to handle constr lons succes: This is the conclu- made following a study of the dction taken at the meeting of the As- sociated General Contractors of | c America recently held at Washington. The conference considered the sub- Ject of a reform in bonding practices | end received from one of its cor mittees the draft of a_ questionnaire | and financial statement for contra tors. This draft, with amendment approved. It was then passed on for referendum approval to the nine national assoclations, whose repr sentatives, together with individual surety officials, were present at the meeting. The questionnaire and financial statement, which contractors will sub- mit with their bids, were later ap- proved by the executive board of state highway officials. Application of the questionnaire and | nancial statement to the construc- ion industry will mean that the irre- sponsible contractor will be forced either to lie or to expose himself be able to of con- tion oper: that information presented in them is given under the oath. The ma- terial in the questionnaires and finan- cial statement has been drawn large ly from forms already in use and s been subjected to careful criti- m by engi architects, con- tractors, s Is and bankers. ‘‘Some division of opinion exists with respect to the practice of using such forms, as, for example, whether the financial statement should be re- quired from every bidder with his roposal or from the three low bid- ders only, but the conference is unani- mous in the belief that adoption of these standard forms and their appli- ation as may be preferred by con- ruction agencies will go far toward removing irresponsible and dishonest concerns from public construction. “Among the significant benefits to be derived from a standard form are: The ease with which reliable informa- tion can be exchanged by public of- ficials, and the saving of time and expense to- construction companies who bid on the work in many dif- ferent departments. Uniformity in g financial statements is considered es- being irresponsible. Should he falsify, | pecially important, not only because he will not be able to get ver r|of the economy factor, but also be- without being “‘caught up,” according |cause of its influence in encouraging to the association uniform and adequate accounting et of (Qbaation: among construction companies “The accompanying forms are un The text of the ques qualifiedly recommended by the joint financial statement, prefaced by a |conference for use in connection with group of explanatory paragraphs by |the award of either public or privat , the association’s offi- | contractors, and it urges that they organ, follows {be given an immediate and thorough “Though the laws governing public Any modifications shown by ex- contracts provide, with few excep : ble can then be tions, that such contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bid der, there has been no generally rec- ognized interpretation of the bidder,” and it ning any bidder who can supply a surety bond. That the furnishing of a bond does not necessarily indicate responsibility is generally known. The surety com- pany has not presumed to guarantee that the bidders whom it bonds are responsible, but merely that their con- tract obligations will by ome means be fulfilled. Consequently the ability _bidder to execute hls obligations s in general reveived insufficient at- t_enuun and each year public construc- tion ha been subject to I and de- la-s from thousands of defaulted con- tracts. “In response #o the needs generally voiced by engineers, architects and public officials, for some means where- by they may gauge the responsibility of bidders, this subject has been ex- tensively investigated by the Joint C umerenee on Construction Practices, representing practically all of the ele- ments concerned with the design, management, supervision and finane- ing of construction. It obtained information from practically every State with respect to the methods in se for ascertalning a bidder’s char- acter, experience, organization and financial condition. ire. ionnaire and TRADE IS GROWING. Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers’ TUnion Personnel Increases. Official figures recently given out by the Bricklayers, Masons and Plas- | terers International Union show that the number of journeymen and ap- prentices in this trade is rapidly in- creasing. This is undoubtedly largely the result of the concerted effort on the part of contractors during the past few years along the lines of adequate apprentice ining. Following are the figures: July, 1921, 83,634 journey men, 1,437 apprentices; July, 1922, 85,000 journeymen, 3,623 apprentices! July, 1923, 97,300 journeymen, 7,263 apprentices; July, 1924, 108,484 jour- neymen, 10,656 apprentices; June, 1925, 111,304 journeymen, 11,516 ap- prentices. WAGE RATES STABLE. Slight Upward Trend Noted in June in Building Trades. During June, 1925, there was a| greater stability of wage rates than | during the same month in any pre- vious year since 1921, according to re- ports received from 41 cities out of the list of 60 surveyed by the American Contractor. While the wage changes still show an upward movement | among the bullding trades, the num.- | ber of wage increases is insignificant | compared with previous months this vear or the same month in the four Information Required. ““The forms consist of a financial statement, which indicates the bid- ders’ financial standing, an experi- ence questionnaire designed to revea his past record, and a plan and equipment questionnaire giving cer- tain information with respect to his qualifications for undertaking a spe- | is pleas | building with trelli; f!fic project. Each of these forms accompanied by an affidavit, so! preceding years. A Garage Attached To a Lovely Home A “Two-Story, Narrow-Lot” House That Looks Well and Is Spacious. It is a hard problem to design a small two-story house with the inte- rior as complete as possible, and make the walls rise from the required ar- rangement pleasingly and symmetri- cally. The easiest and least expen- sive form of construction is the box type, of course; but to a very expen- many this form does not satisty, and | to obtain an interesting silhouette | something must be done to get away from the box effect. Now add_the further restriction of a narrow lot, and you indeed handed the architect a . Very often the fault of a tory, nar- row-lot” house is that it looks too tall | and narrow, and, therefore, out of pro- | portion. We belleve that this house cannot be condemned for any of these rea- sons. It is not a “box’ looking designs | nor does it look petty or cramped or as if the rooms were awkwardly a ranged inside. Its whole appearance ntly generous. The garage is another hard problem for the architect when it i3 to be built as an integral part of the house. The wide doors are often unsightly and proclaim a_workshop effect. In this case, to make the wide doors less con- spicuous, we have indented them | slightly and covered the face of the | o that vines may | fringe the doorway and break the | evere outline. This arrangement also makes an in- | teresting porch for the kitchen. The steps up to the kitchen porch start from the driveway, which makes it very handy when parcels are to be removed from the car to the house. By such an arrangement also the upper bedrooms gain a few feet in size and the house gains in beauty. The main entrance to the house is through a lovely doorway and hall | leading to the living room.” The stairs ascend to the second floor from this hall and can be made a most interest ing feature of the house. The space under the stairs as they turn is used for a coat closet. You will note that where the plan has suggested a group of windows on the inner side of the sunroom the owner of this home we have photo- graphed chose to place a French door, | thus making an entrance from the drive directly to the sunroom. The_dining room, on the opposite side of the hall, is distinctly separate from the living room, yet within con- venient reach. The kitchen is amply large for a house of this size and the arrangement of all kitchen details has | been so carefully thought out that a larger kitchen would be entirely necessary and but waste space. The lovely garden (both vegetable | and flower garden) one would expect | with a_house of this type stretches some distance to the rear, just where milady or the maid may enjoy it to her heart's content while dishes are being done or food is being prepared on the kitchen porch. The flower garden has been placed directly back of the dining room, to afford as much loveliness for {hat room as possible. And as if trying to do their part to make this room the pleasantest in the house, trees have spread their branches across the roof here, bringing coolness and shade al ways to this room as well as to the bedroom above. As they turn and lany sway in the breeze the effect of light times D. C., SATURDAY, JULY 1925. REAL ESTATE. 15 STAR, . WASHINGTON, - DINING YoM Py f H [ O\ UL Iié\l e e “MAIBS T My et cLos. A glance at the floor plans will convince one of the convenience of this design, just as one glimpse of the photograph of this house built from these plans convinces one of the charm of the exterior. lot problem, even with the desirable but often troublesome attached garage. 3 T shade on the multi-colored |unseen to give an extra brush to the | of the roof is charming. | hair or don a different gown quickly house is of stucco on metal| Then, too, a back stairway like this th and has been toned a deep |gives a way for all supplies to be cream—almost a light tan. By leav- |brought to the second floor and for ing the last coat of stucco rough, a|things to be taken to the garret for play of light is obtained here also |storage. that gives the house almost a blended | Ir one chooses to carry out the effect. The woodwork has been paint- | color scheme of the exterior in the | ed a bright green, and the result is' interior furnishings, tan could be one of l!\(- most ples ng we have ever | ysed in the overstuffed furniture in soen. Fne wholeyhiive, -baih the livipg room. Yellow hangings rior and interior, gives an impre: would carry out the idea of light and of light and airiness. would go well as a contrasting c There are two way with the green of the trim, for ex floor, as you will see by terior effect. i plan, This is a great convenlence in | ‘The sunroom furniture may be | house, as there will always be |either gray or green, and hangings of when one must slip upstairs | either of these colors may be obtained and shingles The to the upper studying the Meeting an Unprecedented Demand Five Magnificent Buildings—100% CO-OPERATIVE New York Avenue, First and M Streets Northwest A. You have, too, an Occupancy Agreement, giving you, your the exclusive right to the use and occupancy of your apar ship of land and building. formed? A. poration is organized. Q How is the corporation managed? A. The tenants own all of the stock of the corporation, A. his share of this budget in proportion to the stock he holds Q ‘What assurance is therc as to satisfactory neighbors? A. purchasers of these APARTMENT HOMES. Business of Directors must approve all subsequent tenant-owners. Q What do I own when I buy a CO-OPERATIVE APARTMENT HOME? You own capital stock of the corporation having title to the entire building, in an amount proportionate to the value of your particular APARTMENT HOME. copy is given you of the official certificate of title, showing the corporations owner- Must all of the APARTMENT HOMES have been sold when this corporation is Yes, this is a 10% CO-OPERATIVE OWNERSHIP plan. There will be indi- vidual responsibility for payments on each APARTMENT HOME when the cor- of Directors and Officers who must be owner-occupants. Q How is the cost of operating the building determined and apportioned? The Directors prepare annually in advance an estimated budget of expenses, cov- ering taxes, janitor, coal, water, etc. Fach tenant-owner pays monthly in advance The greatest care is used by the Wardman organization in selecting the original required and thoroughly investigated. Then, after the corporation is formed, the Board heirs and assigns forever, tment. Finally a certified electing their own Board in the corporation. and social references are e e t———ee...... .. n0oo . . .LL.___ " 1430 K Street in fast colors. Whatever is chosen for the sunroom should of course be | used in the sleeping porch also. We need not features of convenience which plan shows so plainly and which cannot escape vour notice if you give the separate room a moment's study. Suffice it to say that this is a home no one passes without commeat and | exclamation. For_information as to the procur- ing of the building plans of this de- 49, send a stamped, self- envelope to Real Estate Editor, The Star. Next week—A Five-Room Bungalow. (Copyright George Matthew Adams.) | proportion | urally CAPITAL’S FUTURE RESTS IN REAL ESTATE FIELD Operators Utilize Conditions as They Are for Future Improvement of City, and Direct Growth. BY MORTON J. the future LUCHS. of Before my eral Penn time, the bullding of sev- vania avenue hotels was considered ridiculous real estate though they have proved a sle undertaking for many years since. During my time, I recall the awful things said of the development of other hotels and, particularly a number of well known office buildings erected on H street, then thought too far removed from the business center of the cit The success of all these undertak ings stands today as a monument to the wise judgment of the buflders who simply saw Washington of tomorrow instead of as yesterday. Washington has grown in spite of Congress, and no one person or a body of person matter how important, can hold back futur® Washington any more than | they can hold back the general de- | | Prognosticating community b may be cla opinion. ch a ification might even make any further statement almost unnecessary, except for the | very important and recognizable fact that it has been *the real operator and developer in the who has foretold and h: built pres- ent Washington. He has dealt with conditions as he found them and used conditions as_they are. ‘ There can be no great development in real estate that is devoid of critl- cism or that is sometimes, during its origin, proved by some experts or | s to be impractical and out of | and ‘reason to the city’s | general development. This has nat- operated to curtail develop- ment, though it may be a sort of nec- essary evil thit works to the general | good velopment of the Nation, because the (Continued on Eighteenth Page.) Roofs Are Weather-Proof important factor in roof satisfaction after all, is “who does the work.” And that's just where Rose success has come—which has made R roofs famous. Rose H T We have no set formulas—for roofs, like people differ in the character of their complaints—and the necessary mode for treatment. We diagnose the condition of each rooi—study the causes con- tributing to its faults and flaws—and then apply the remedy best suited to meet and overcome these conditions. It's a combination of science, common sense and practical skill. All of which costs no more—but insures continued satisfaction. o OMPANY Phones North 847-848 Massachusetts Park An ideal solution of the narrow- mention . the many | the | Washington’s most beautiful residential section of detached homes. Containing seven million feet of forest-covered land, with six miles of improved streets. Includes what remains of The Triangle of Increasing Values —between Connecticut, Massachusetts and Cathedral avenues. Over 200 homes from $15,000 to $200,000 built and under con- struction. Actual improvements and home values exceed $8,000,000. Wooded villa sites, lots, central and side hall homes, with lots from 50 to 115 feet front. Park Office, 32d St. and Cathedral Ave. Middaugh & Shannon, Inc. ESTABLISHED '1899 Riggs-Semmes Bldg., Dupont Circle, Potomac 2200 for these delightful new apart- ment homes that SELL payments much lower on monthly than RENT —AS, FOR EXAMPLE— 2 Rooms and Bath — $22.40 3 Rooms and Bath — $31.60 4 Rooms and Bath — $40.40 The monthly share of operating cost is proportionately small; i. e. — $593 for the $2240 apartment THE WARDMAN ORGANIZATION, amazed at the rapidity with which the APARTMENT HOMES first offered three weeks ago in the new building at 55 M street northwest have been seized by enthusiastic pur- chasers, now takes drastic steps to meet this growing demand. FOUR MORE IMMENSE BUILDINGS, now being constructed adjacent to 55 M street, will be offered for sale along similar lines. THIS MAMMOTH APARTMEMT OWNERSHIP- OPERATION WILL BE ENTIRELY COM- PLETED BY OCTOBER FIRST—and some of the buildings will be ready for occupaney as early as the MIDDLE OF AUGUST! APARTMENT HOME NOW! SELECT YOUR NEW YORK AVENUE, FIRST AND M STREETS N.W. Open Daily, 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. EDMUND J. FLYNN Authority on Co-operative Apartments ° Representing the, WARDMAN Organization 0 THOSE WHO Py m: Since the tntrosuc Apertmente n Washington D: C.r orer It nesinganing priviless to explotn o 8ges of this plan of homesow tho: eeking un svi e ue of o ofgrent payzenta. €o-0p the result of y of high intellligence who have devoted th h ir tin exclusively to this subjeot. et ot therefore, that you camiot in & moment grass ito fu1] " possibiliites or visualize the smosthors by which 1t is opersted. Figrate o e countless Pe from the s ts oxperionce by men Réed the accompanying anncunces: vofull snslyse 1t thorouchly and then cose to ses e Soitill: parsonal explanation o 3% Parscanl explane % any points thet may not be quite Cordially yours In five y ould ctuwlly pay 1 IICLUDING INITIaL PALENT, to own ono of sheas: Spartments, than it would cost you to rent a stm- tlor one fir the meme meriod of times < Phone at Apartments Main 8516 Wardman Again Announces FOUR MORE NEW BUILDINGS TO BE SOLD AS 100% Co-Operative Apartment Homes Largest Development of Co-Operative Apartments I South af New York