Evening Star Newspaper, May 18, 1929, Page 15

REAL’ ESTATE. THE EVEXNIXNG STAR. WASHINGTON, 0 TOBUILD SAFE STRUGTRES T0LD Engineer Gives Methods to Withstand Fire, Wind and Flood. Fditor's note: The following article. written by Carroll Beale, local censtruc- tion engineer. was inspired by the umerous recent catastrophes. partici- ariy_those caused by wind and flood. in many sections of the countrs. Mr. Beale seeks {n show why these natural agen- eies cause such great damage to build- ings and tells of methods of construc- tion which should be employed to with- stand them. Hurricanes, floods, fires and earth- quakes are justifiably regarded as in- evitable. These, within themselves, would become reiatively harmless to life ‘ | | | Brick storage plant at 62 Florida avenue northeast, under lease to the Treas- ury Department. which was recently sold through McKeever & Goss to Dr. Thomas A. Groover for C. C. Calhoun and James Sharp. | and property if man properly provided |\ it story by reason of its extreme |materials to be used in the making of against them. The reason for the un- told millions in losses annually is not due to what we have come to regard as a scourage, but to man’s failure to prepare for the inevitable. ~Whole cities and districts are wiped out by | flood. fire or hurricane. Immediately we begin to rebuild and for the time be- ing the catastrophe is forgotten. The more far-sighted realize that there will be another visitation some day, but in our haste to repair the devastation we | adhere to the same flimsy methods as of old, knowing when we do so that in the general order of things it is only | a matter of time before there will be a repetition of the disaster. The prop- erty loss in the United States from fire alone was nearly a million dollars per dav in the year 1927. Unduly thin walls of unsuitable ma- terial insecurely anchored to the foun- dations and floors, if indeed anchored at all: roofs flimsily put together and tied | in with the walls, improperly braced and improperly anchored, are some of | the details which constitute what may be termed flimsy and construction, and the primary cause of failure when the building is called upon to resist any special strain. In- vestigation shows conclusively that at least 80 per cent of all property damage is due to the failure of such details as deseribed above and to an even greater degree if combustible floor construc- tion be used. How to Build Good Walls. A proper wall for a building should be strong enough to carry any floor and wind loads that may be imposed on it. unsubstantial | | density. Put’ a silver spoon in a cup of hot coffee and it immediately becomes too hot to touch, because silver is one of the densest materials known and therefole one of the best eonductors of | | heat and cold. Put a wooden spoon in | the same cup of coffee and the change in temperature is hardly noticcable. Take, for example, & pitcher of ice water | on a hot day and you will find the out- side of the pitcher damp. The damp ness did not come through the walls of | the pitcher, of course, but was formed | by the condensation of the atmosphere | due to the difference in temperature on | the opposite sides of the pitcher. This is exactly what happens to the concrete wall—or wall made of any other dense | material. A wall of china, glass, vitre- fied brick or metal would do the same thing. It is this condensation that gives rise to the expression that con- crete walls “sweat” and are damp. Any dense wall wouid do the same thing. As a matter of fact, concrete walls will | stop water from coming through them better than any other form of masonry Aside from being fireproof and wind proof, & good house wall should be con | structed of a material that is a poor | | conductor of heat and cold. Such a material can not be had in any densc material. The best insulated wall is | constructed of some form of material | offering the greatest number of voids, | | such as provided for in nature by the | wool on a sheep, the hair of a dog or | the feathers of & fowl; in other words. | a honey-combed mass ‘of material, just | as ground cork forms an excellent in- | sulator for refrigerating plants The concrete, with the result that we have today an ideal material and one which seems about perfect from every stand- point and which can be had at a mod- crate cost in every locality. This ma- terial is a concrete made of a mixture of cement and cpke braize, slag or a | rods, giving h concrete a transverse |and tensile strength many times that | of brick or stone. Tests made on coke | concrete at the United States Bureau | of Standards gave values of about 1,500 ! pounds per square inch in compression. A wall of such concrete as described, properly parged on the exterior, is ab- solutely fireproof, dampproof, wind- | proof, earthquake-proof and ‘can be rolled down a hill without falling apart. It can be nailed into for base boards and picture molds, and is the best in- sulator of heat and cold known in the building arts. Such a wall will con- sistently hold a stucco and plaster fin- ish and is capable of any exterior treat- ment. One of the highest known to concrete today is that con- crete ships only three inches thick have been riding the seven seas for the past tributes ‘ | | slight increase in cost is more than off- set by the‘annual reduction in fuel bills, depreciation of the property and | insurance costs. Add to these economies | the feeling of security attendant upon |the occupancy of an indestructible | house, the knowledge that your roof | will be over your head when you wake up in the morning. no matter what hap- | pens during_the night, and you will j | find such a house a very profitable in- vestment from both a financial point | lof view and the feeling of comfort and | !l‘(‘\afltv afforded in time of storm, fire | or FIFTH BAPTIST CHURCH. Dr. John E. Briggs will preach on | special type of hard coal cinder. There | is no sand used in its manufacture. | Coke swells in the burning. and as the gases pass off it leaves the coke a mass { small_air cells, which makes it ighter than water taken in bulk. Rolled in an ordinary concrete mixer with cement, each lump, large or small, is covered with a_thin film of cement like an eggshell. These lumps lock to- gether, and, if there is not enough fine material to fill, will produce an open concrete, but one strong enough for all structural purposes, particularly so when reinforced in both a horizontal and ver- jcal direction with steel FIRST TIME OFFERED THESE BEAUTIFUL HOMES WINDCM PLACE decade, subject to all of the shocks, | “Seeking the Best.” tomorrow morning stresses and strains known to engi- | at Fifth Baptist Church. At night the neering science, compared with which | subject will be “The Question of the the most violent wind or earthquake is mediocre in_intensity. | Walls such as described above add but slightly to the cnst of the house. ATATARTTL LR LRAR LR RN R CRRREENN DISCOVERED— A SR RS SRR R AN N AR A A AR R A A AR AR R A N FORT STEVENS to Colorado Ave. to Tuckerman, then one block east. 1437 K St. reinforcing | ZHSSASELEREELELLTLELLELLELETLLETEN S VS SEARUERERUURULE Ages.” The twentieth anniversary of Dr. Briges as pastor of the church will be ‘This | observed May 2. | aahasaa S SRS S AR R AR S SR AR SR SRR ANNSRNN BY OVER 500 OWNERS A HOME—A REAL HOME FOR_$350.00 CASH $55.00 MONTHLY The beautifully furnished model exhibit home will be open today and Sunday. Go out Gi ia Ave. to Tuckerman St.. or 16th St., or 14th St. WARDMAN Main 3830 NORTH CLEVELAND PARK It should be proof against fire or any |greater the number of small volds in the ordinary settlement or shock. It should | wall the more difficult it is for heat to be absolutely dry, and a poor conductor | radiate through it. ~This is made of heat and cold. The walls should be | plainer when it is called to mind that properly tied together and anchored to | heat, to travel through such a mate- floors and roof and buried a part of |rial, can do so only by jumping alter- their height in the ground. Such a | nately over spaces by radiation and wall, of incombustible materials, can- |through the thin partitions by conduc- not be destroyed. Concrete, in the true | tion, which reduces the loss in direct gense of the word a mixture of cement, | proportion to the number of alterations. sand and pebbles, is not suitable | The knowledge of these principle: material for house above t led to the testing of a great variety of CHEVY CHASE HOME Taken in trade. Priced to sell instantly. srd St. B 2 Blocks 204 K. ‘taylor Street st of Comn. Ave. NEWLY DECORATED THROUGHOUT HOT-WATER HEAT CE! GAS RANGE EENED COMPLETELY BEST TERMS ARRANGED If vou want a pick-up, come early Sunday. Open 9:00 a.m. THE MORSE-GOODNOW COMPANY owxers - 1103 Vermont Ave. N.W. Telephone District 6220 JHEEHAL » Beautiful Shepherd Park Home 1437 Iris St. Just off 16th Open for Your Inspection Sunday and Daily Till 9 P.M. Built of best material obtainable and personally super- vised by builder, insuring best possible construction. As to location, it is without doubt one of Washington's most beautiful restricted sections. This artistic new home is situated on large lot, surrounded by fine shrubbery, and con- tains every modern appointment desired. Besides the splen- did reception hall, the first floor contains large living room, with open fireplace, extra-large dining room, sun parlor and kitchen equipped with one-piece sink, white enameled range, built-in fixtures, etc. Off the kitchen is a large pantry, with splendid large Frigidaire. The second floor contains four large, bright bedrooms and two baths, one complete shower. Floored attic over entire house. Slate roof, large front porch and rear service porch. Splendid front, side and rear yards. Built-in garage, light, dry basement, new model ‘hot-water furnace, automatic hot-water heater, extra toilet, etc. Your heart's desire in this beautiful home. Priced right for im- mediate sale. Don't fail to inspect it today or Sunday. To Inspect—Drive out 16th past Alaska Ave. to Iris Street, thence east one house and see the finest home in Washington for the money. METZLER Realtor—Exclusive Agent 1106 Vermont Ave. Dec. 58 " 0 EXHIBIT HOME v ar, built-in ga- 2-story brick homes containing 8 large, sunay rooms; 2 tile baths; large attic: de, 42 ft. deep. rage; cold storage room and coal bin under front porch. These homes are 24 ft. : FEATURES: BRONZF_LIGHTING PIXTURES BEAUTIFUL PAPERING FIREPLACE CONVENIENT TO SCHOOLS AND TRANSPORTATION 4 LARGE BEDROOMS—each rntered separately off hall ELECTRIC REGRIGERATION AND, IN FACT, EVERY MODERN APPOINTMENT YOU MAY DESIRE TO INSPECT: Drive out Conn. Ave. to Van Ness St.; then west to Reno Rd.; out Reno Rd. to Windom Pl. and see our sign OPEN Sundays—10 AM. to 9 PM. Every Day—1 P.M. to 9 PM. WENGER BROS. INC. 1627 K St. NW. Real Values in Real Homes IN THE COUNTRY ¢LUB SECTION B -6 B vt R R R T R R ST —— A Revela!tion In Modern Home Construction Built by and under the supervision of ORVILLE L. RICE Here is a home that was built by the most advanced methods—having oak floors laid over re-enforced concrete sub-flooring, copper gutters and down spouts and other features not usually found in a home so moderately priced. Ideally situated, too, just one square beyond Chevy Chase Club. Center-entrance hall plan having 8 rooms, two tile baths, library and adjoining tile lavatory OPEN ALL DAY on first floor, electric refrigeration and two-car SUNDAY brick‘garage‘ Set on a 75-ft. front lot with effective planting, this home would appeal to the ° most discriminating buyer. HEDGES & MIDDLETON. Inc. Realtors 4 Rosemary St. Just West of Conn. Ave. 1412 Eye St. NW. Franklin 9503 Main 3174 D. C. SATURDAY, MAY 18 1929. CLEVELAND PARK i : 34th AND most beautiful homes on today’s market. Individual in design, spa- PORTER STS. cious in floor plan. Brick and stone " construction, - tile roof. 9 rooms, 3 baths, 1st floor lavatory, oil burner, electric refrigeration, cold storage room. 2.car brick garage. Large shade trees, terraced lawns and a profusion of evergreens and shrub- bery. Combined frontage of 207 {t. on two streets. $23,750 QUESTIONABLY one of the ncy,cansfiury CWANY ING, 1418 Eye St. N.W. Owners-Builders Nat'l 5904 James E. Cooper Architect Small Builders —New Eng}r'sh type brick homes— —Planned as you'd plan yours— —Built as you'd build for yourself— A group of individual artistic homes that will immediately impress you with their substantial construction and sense of space—radiating cheerfulness and livable comfort. ‘The tasteful interior decorations, cut-stone fireplaces and oil-tex finished walls—all em- phasize a certain character and quality that you would only expect to find in much more expensive homes. You will readily note an appreciable difference in a simple way. Different types, different plans—six and seven rooms, three and four bedrooms, two tiled baths, three porches, attics, outside pantries, oak floors throughout, electric refrigeration, garage—in fact, the very latest equipment and every convenience, Offered at a Popular Price Range All Under $16,000 Open for Inspection All Day Sunday Week Days 1 to 9 P.M. Schwab, Valk & Canby 1704 Connecticut Ave. 611 Gallatin St. N.W. OPEN SUNDAY Open Every Day and Evening Until 9 P.M. Facing the South and a completely sold and occupied group of Dunigan-Built homes. Big deep lots with ample room for a garden. Well designed homes with big rooms, plenty of closets, three porches, fine bath. The streets are paved and paid for. There will be no special assessments. An exceptional value at $8,950, on easy terms. EASY EASY TERMS $7 9 1 50 : TERMS 5229 5th St. NW. An attractive home at an unusually attractive price. splendid size, three big porches, an exceptional bath. streets and alleys—all improvements are made and paid for. home is a “good buy.” D. J. DUNIGAN, Inc. 1319N. Y. Ave. National 1267 ON ON Rooms of Concrete This DUNIGAN-BUILT