Evening Star Newspaper, September 13, 1930, Page 19

REAL ESTATE. SMALL HOUSE OFFERS GREAT TIME DECLARED RIGHT 70 BUILD National City Bank Calls At- tention to Cheap Money and Materials. Mortgage money has become chepp and plentiful during the past several months, material costs are somewhat lower and real estate authorities have | urged that the present is an opportune time to build, the National City Bank of New York states in its September sue of its bulletin on current economic nditions. “On the other hand,” the review con- tinues, “there is still reported a surplus of space In many localities, including office buildings, factories and high- priced apartments, the demand which is slack because of depressed busi- ness conditions. Public utility and en- gineering projects are proceeding in Jarge volume, partly as a result of the efforts of business leaders to push this class of work so as to relieve unemploy- ment, but where they have involved a further increase in the steadily rising tax burden the reaction of taxpavers has not been altogether favorable. Current Expenditures. “Meanwhile, the total current expend- fture for all classes of building con- tinues to sag, and the contract awards | from January 1 to August 1, 1930, amounting $3,005,542,000, compare with $3.667,083,000 in the corresponding riod of 1929, $4,028,300,000 in 1928, | peak in recent years, and are the Jowest since 1924. “These figures, compiled by the F. W. Dodge Corporation, cover the 37 States east of the Rocky Mountains and repre- sent more than 90 per cent of the build- ing for the country as a whole. Cumu- lative totals for the first seven months have run 18 per cent behind last year, but there has been a striking change in for | POSSIBILITIES FOR LANDSCAPE| ‘ Planning and THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, %0, Arrangements for Uniformity Enhance Beauty of City as Well as Property. ! BY RUTH DEAN. | The house of moderate size and the | smallest of cottages have many possi- 4blmlel for landscape charm that the | big house, because of its very size, ‘is | likely to miss. A fisherman’s shack at Cape Cod, with its dooryard spilling flowers, or & white house on & village | street framed by well placed trees, may have an informal charm that is even more satisfying than the impressive beauty of the large estate. It is a mistake to leave this beauty | | to' chance and to think the setting of the smgll house and its detailed land- | scape treatment is unimportant. Thou- | sands of small and medium-sized houses are built for every big one, and it is the sum total of these thousands which makes up the general impression of the landscape in which we live. House Should Fit Landscape. | Intelligence in planning a house so| that it fits the site and placing it so| that it forms a picture in the land- | S — condition and is likely to be overempha- sized when a survey is made in a time | of business depression, are not the only | determining factors in the outlook for | new building, and that the key to the | future is to bs found in the changing trends in mode of living. “During the past 10 years there has been a marked growth in the larger | citles, the census of 1930 showing 93 having a population in excess of 100,- | 000, while 1 1920 there were but 68. | | This group now makes up 36,000,000 | people, or more than one-fourth of the | tire country. Whereas the population | o as a whole increased in | | the decade by 16.1 per cent, no less than 47 cities now in the 100,000 class increased at a more rapid rate than this_average figure. | “The continued growth of our large) scape are the first sle? ing uniformly beautiful towns. This is an approach to the building problem which is adopted less often than what might be called the indoor approach. ‘The prospective house builder is likely to plan his house winter evenings with the help of our charmingly illustrated magazines, drawing plans that attempt to embody all the points he likes best about his friends’ houses and all those inspired by the photographs he admires. The best way to begin to plan a house is to go and stand on the property it- self, look at the houses around about, and decide what sort of achitecture would look well, not only on your par- ticular lot, but also in conjunction with, the neighboring houses, because you never approach your own house without seeing the others at the same time. Uniform Architecture. A certain uniformity of architecture on a street is desirable. - One reason the of such cities as Baltimore and New Orleans are so delightful is that they present a unified, harmonious picture to the eye. An informmal English cottage next to a house of the French chateau type, a piece of mission architecture be- side a stald New England farmhouse, are common occurances in our individ- ualistic life and form the chief reason for our suburbs having the spotty, ag- toward realiz- | old New England towns or the old parts | RICHARDS REVEALS APARTMENT DATA | Enter Into Competition With | Home Ownership, Says Tax Assessor. | “Apartment houses have become a | necessary ancd fixed part of the eco- | nomic life of modern eities. They af- | ford a degree of comfort, freedom from drudgery and relief from property care. | They must and do enter into competi- | tion with home ownership and the fam- ily residence.” ‘These are conclusions reached by William P. Richards, District tax as- | sessor, on ‘the basis of a lengthy and | comprehensive study of many phases of | apartment house construction, manage- ment and operation as a guide to the District in levying assessments against apartment properties, For this pur- pose he has gleaned from the study a | group of formulae. | Assessor Richards finds that differ- ences in construction cost, management of buildings, design and location will make great variations as to the revenue accruing from apartment houses in re- lation to the amounts invested in them. Income Is Owners’ Factor. | From the point of view of their own- | ers, " the construction of apartment houses, Mr. Richards states in a lengthy ! booklet compiled ‘during the survey, can be justified only by thelr income-pro- ducing resuits. “In general,” he states, “apartment houses owe their existence to the fact that there is a degree of economic inan- agement in the combination of certain functions. One plant furnishes the heat for several units and the ordinary distribution of many activities are lo- calized. Repalrs, running expenses and management are on & more economic plane than in the case of various segre- gated units incident to separate dwell- | ings.” 3 In an examination of the economic worth of an apartment house there| must be recognized the fact that rev- | enue derived from this source competes | vith interest obtained from stock, bonds, | es, or the rents from business es, Mr. Richards points out. Three Angles Covered. “Hence in approaching the subject enue we have the question of analy- presented from three different ' angles,” he adds. “First, the cost of the rty, based on the initial cost of the bullding and ground, including financing charges and the so-called overhead. Second, what the economical handling of the property will entail in the way of expenses, including depre- clation and taxes. Third, what is the utmost sum that can be obtained yearly as gross rentals. Naturally, the dif- ference between gross rent and the incidental expenses will give the earn- ing capacity of the amount invested. “It follows, however, that differences in construction cost, management, proper design and location will make great variations as to the revenue in relation to the amount invested. “Correct appraisal of an apartment can be made only after a long term of trial, by which time all factors of debit and credit may be ascertained fairly. The complete data in every case can- not become known to the assessor, and, in fact, he is generally called upon to assess an apartment property for Two Distinctive New CHEVY CHASE, D. C. ‘ ' OPEN ALL DAY TODAY AND SUNDAY UNTIL 9 PM. REAL taxation purposes before its true net| earning capacity has been discovered. IL thus becomes necessary for the as- sessor to have factors of value based on average results; that is, a composite history of the results attendant upon several apartments, well situated and well managed. This data should show cubic content, cost per cube, cost of land, cost of lcan, overhead expenses, depreciation, taxes, cost of heating, loss from vacancies, water rent, commis- ;'I::;‘ "rep-lrl. labor and miscellaneous Data Come From Records. Data for the study was obtained from land records of the District, appeal cases, sworn statements, from past rec- | ords of the Rent Commission, examina- | tion of original accounts, data volun- teered by reliable buflders and owners | and from various records on file in | the assessor's office. The survey was made by Mr. Rich- Detached ESTI ATE, * B—-S§° ards and the following assistant assese sors: Fred D. Allen, Livingstone 8. Johnson, Daniel H. Bdwards, Lioyd T. Gaines, John T. Bardroff, Charles A. Russell, Prank A. Gunther and Augus- tus Wil Porch Furniture Enamel in 4 hrs. All colors. Hard, enamel-like surface. MEtro. 0151 BUTLER-FLYN 607-609 C St. Phone for Color Card Drie Homes SHEPHERD PARK their three component parts, residential | cities is making it necessary to rebuild building being 48 per cent behind and | them almost completely. | non-residential only 13 per cent behind, | “Such growth of the larger cities is | while public works and utilities are 20 | all the more remarkable when it is con- per cent ahead, a considerable portion | sidered that there is a very definite of the gain being due to highway con- | counter-trend in the movement for ‘de- struction and pipe lines. Changes in Living Mode. “It is quite possible that present con- | ditions in the building industry, such as | cheap money, et the reported | surplis of space, temporary | Excellent Residence Property On Mass. Ave. Between Sheridan Circle and the British Embassy. This property contains 14 rooms and 8 baths, attractively arranged and in fine condition. Can be inspected any time on request. FULL COMMISSION TO BROKERS ‘Thomas J. Fisher & Co., Inc. 738 15th St. N.W. ° New Detached Brick Home LARGE CORNER LOT 3319 Fessenden St. N.W. No Better Construction Can Be Found No Prettier Floor Plan Can Be Designed oo 3 Bed Rooms 2 Full Baths Large Cedar Closets Open Fireplace 2.Car Garage Electric Dishwasher Kelvinator Porches Attic Tiled Entrance Hall . One Open for Wm. S. Phillips, Builder Phillips & Canby, Inc. AGENTS Nat’l 4600 Sample House—Aurora Hills, Va. (1) Paved Streets. (2) (4) Cement Graded School. (7) Several 200 properties have already been sold. Prices Range From $7,000.00 to $15.500.00 Come out Sunday or Take Alezandria car or bus at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. and get off at AURORA HILLS, or drive out either road to Alezandria and look for our signs. Phone Clarendon 1057 East Conn. AVG. (5) centralization’ on the part of many con- cerns, which have found that by moving their plants out into the smaller towns | they could secure better working condi- | tions and lower costs, although the ex: ecutive offices are usually kept th commercial and financial center: Dist. 6830 Lot 63 Ft. Front House 32 Ft. by 36 Ft. 6 In. Heavy Slate Roof Hot-Water Heat Hardwoed Floors Gum Trim Colored Tile Zonta Wall Finish Even Heat Range Block Inspection Decatur 5000 (3) Sewers. (6) New (8) Over City Water, Street Lights. Stores, Churches. any day and inspect. Rittenhouse St. and Piney Branch Road N.W. NEW 5.-ROOM BRICK $8,750 (For one week) it o Sell for $9,500 An ideal home all family. High elevation, convenient to schools stores, churches and tr tion. The cha in their attr: por rm of these homes les i tive and varied architecture, tasteful interlor decorations and convenient features. . Until the direct approach vic 13th street extension is completed, drive out Georgia avenue to Rittenhouse sireet, turn left one block to development. 415 Cedar St. N.W. Phone Ga. 3399 or Ga. 0277 By C. H. Small & Co. Michig’an Manor A Delightful Community’ of Moderate Priced, Semi-Detached Homes Drive out Sunday and see a real home. It contains 6 large rooms, two tiled baths. Large open fireplace, 4 cedar closets. Big kitchen with electric refrigeration in airy pantry. Concrete front porch and two screened rear porches. Close to schools, churches, car and bus lines. Only $10.500 On Very Attractive Terms 1 DIRECTIONS Drive out Michigan Avenue to 16th St. N.E., and morth one-half| block to houses. Beitzell Tower Bldg., 14th & K Hornino > Dist. 0853 A New Detached Brick Colonial Residence in Chevy Chase, D. C. 5346 —that offers every detail of finish, 2 construction and equipment ordi- 32nd St. narily found only in much higher Just Below Military ~ Priced homes. Rd. All-brick construction. Six livable rooms, two tile baths, attic with stairway, 4‘ room, facing covered Tront porch private bath: complete bath. cess. refrigeration; fixtures of latest design. WOODED 3933 Legation Street (2 blocks west of Conn. Avenue) Stone and Stucco Colonial HOME you will be proud to own, affording many comforts and conveniences. south, opens on a livable and usable Master's bed room with its own two additional sleepi; All sleeping rooms sj cross, ventilation With good wall story, easy of ac Two-car level and well planted screened: all equipment of the best; attr: The ' attractive living rooms and s 5) brick tive electric SETTING Alfred T. IDEALLY LOCATED 7704 Mormfiési&e Drive (2 blocks south of Kalmia Rd.) Center-Hall Brick Colonial OWHERE can you find & more livable and de- ailable at the price and possess| iting the fortunate purehi Four bright, spacious sleeping afforded in this home. d two complete baths on’ the second tractive wall space: room on the second an upstairs living room or f the fine g iser, fod¥os of t points in the cits Unsurpassed view of besutitul R INDIVIDUALLY PLANNED Newbold OWNER—BUILDER Cleveland 1948 5626 Conn. Ave. streets, sewers, water, companiments of city the calm and restful beautiful trees, grassy open fireplace, colonial lighting fixtures, automatic storage water heater, and built- in fireproof garage. Conn. Ave. to Mil tary Rd., east to 32nd St., south Y3 square. An Amasing Value! 7, Smithy, Gomp Open Sunday . BUSINES N;C/Kansbwy COMPANY INC. 1418 Eye St. t/ Natl. 5903 to Ke Lane, under the entrance wood thi Main Entrance West of Wiscon- sin Ave. on Bradley continuing squares on the left. It's vistas such as this that make for interesting home sites in Kenwood. It is so close to town as to be easily accessible, over Washington's wide arterial highways. It enj;ys every utility of the city, paved gas, electricity. Instead of the discordant and diaturbing ace trade and traffic, there is peace of nature. with its slopes and ainqing birds. The ideal environment for a home, where the nwood viaduct to to Ken- ree short 5 desired. Has Many Convincing Advantages children can romp and play without danger to themselves or disturbance to one's neighbors. A safe community for home investment, be- cause the character of Kenwood's future is definitely assured by such restricting regulations as protect not only through supervision of archi- tectural design, quality of construction, but in the generous minimum frontage of building sites, providing that spaciousness which is the rule laid down by ‘he developerl, -fl'd a ifi-‘“fe fflr whic}l Kenwood is famous. You are invited to visit Kenwood, to motor along its avenues, catching the inspiration of its natural beauties and carefully harmonized development. Mr. Charles H. Jerman, sales representative in charge, will be at 301 Brookside Drive fhroughout Sunday from 10 a.m. to dark—at your service to give any information Kennedy-Chamber]in Development Co. 2400 Sixteenth Street Columbia 7280