Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 22, no. 554: October 26, 1878

Text version:

Real Estate Record AND BUILDERS' GUIDE. YoL. xxn. NEW YORK, SATÜEDAY, OCTOBER 26,1878. No. 554 ! Published Weekly by TERMS. ONE YKAR, in advance....SlO.OO. Communications should be addressed to C. \V. SWEKT, Nos. 345 AND 347 Broadway THE ETHICS OF BUILDING. At the risk of being cousidered the common scold of the buildiug trade, we will venture to advert to a topic Avhich it behooves all rep¬ utable and conseientious members of the craft to consider well —the moral obligatious of builders to the public. When n suit of clothes is ordered of Rock, Laws, Bell or any other reputable establishment, no misgivings as to the quality of goods or the style of garments are likely to be indulged; when a carte blanche is left w-ith Herter, Marcott or Pottier, or with similar establishments, for the furnishing and decoration of a house, or for the production of a special piece of furniture, no doubt is harbored that the goods, when supplied, will be any other than of the first quality and of superior work¬ manship. The purchaser at Tiffany's or Black's, of expensive jewelry, or diamond setting, or Chronometer time piece, invests his money under the assurance of an iroplicit and immovable con¬ fidence in the integrity of the flrm, and, forth- with, dispels from his mind any suspicion as to the genuineness and merit of the goods pur¬ chased. Of how many buildings in this city can it be Said that the builder's name is a trade mark and suflicieut guarantee of the quality and character of tho structure ? How many builders are there who habitually attend with conseientious and in¬ telligent devotion to the details of construction, BO as to be able to furnish at the sale of their pro¬ ductions a positive or implied warranty of the honesty and integrity of their workmanhip? There are legitimate builders who devote them¬ selves exclusively to the execution of order work. whose word is as good as another's bond, who can be and are constantly entrusted with the ex¬ ecution of expensive and responsible work, and have never been known to disappoiut or over- reach their patrons, whose reputation utterly precludes any such suggestions. When these men are employed to build by private owners, under the direction of experienced architects, the resulting products are apt to conform to the highest Staudard of excellence. But this method of building, though emiuently satisfactory and safe, is frightfuUy expensive, and practically out of the reach of a large majority of house-want- ers. The ordinary wants of average house-buy- ers can best be supplied b\- the industry and enterprise of speculative builders. In cater¬ ing for those wants, speculative builders find their chief employment, aud should find, under favorable couditious, reasonable compensation and commendation. After we have Hamed a score of acMve, speculative builders, we have well nigh exhausted the listof those whose namei aloue furnish au ample guarantee for the invest¬ ment of the snug sum usually involved iu the purchase of a home in this city. Dismissing from view for tho present the pro¬ ductions of the most meritorious speculative builders, we will venture the remark that all other houses, speculatively erected, may bo pro¬ perly divided into two classes; First, those that are positively unhabitable, and, second, those that may be made habitable by the outlay of mouey. We have before now drawn the distinction be¬ tween a good and a bad building, aud shall have no occasion to file auy fresh specifications here. Tue charact«ristics of uuhabitable buildings may be briefly told. They are those whose founda¬ tions are laid without suflicieut, or even without any proper preparation, and carried up so loosely as to be unable to bear tho superimposed pres¬ sure. If buildings happen to stand on a custard or swampy bottom, without proper treatment, they are sure to undergo prolonged settlement, which will fracture angles, dislocato joints. dis- order Windows aud doors and staircises, uusettle floors and throw down plaster ceilings. Likewise when brickwork is poorly done, that is wheu laid up with cheap, perishable brick and loamy mor¬ tar, füll of gapiug interstices, not onlj' can sounds of the human voice be distiuctly heard through such porous partitions, to the great annoyance of house occupants, bat there is imminent danger of fire being communicated through them from chimney flues to adjoining w-ood work. Where the roof is covered with paper-like metal, whose joints are innocent of solder, being only tempor- arily secured w-ith white lead, one severe storm is usually sufilcient to unseal all such joints, and leave the roof itself in the coudition of an op?n sieve. If front facings are constructed of in¬ ferior grades of stone, a brief exposure to atmos- pheric infiuences will disintegrate them into im- palpable dust, causing incurable blemishes and unsightly scales and spawls. The misery o£ occupying a poorly-built habita¬ tion embitters life, destroys its zest, and forbids ordinary comfort. Fortunately, grossly inferior and unhabitable houses are for the most part the productions of notorious and disreputable build¬ ers. A strict enforcemeut of, the present build¬ ing laws would spare our city the infiiction of such disgraceful structures, and our Citizens the unfortunate experience of living in them. The existence of such buüdings is not altogether chargeable to the greed and rapacity of the builder. Generally he knows, or thinks he knows, a class of buyers for whom his trashy productions are fitly suited. He seeks for, and is apt to secure his customers among those who are either unable or unwilling to pay the prico of a meritorious building, or among bargaiuj hunters, who are never contented tobuy except at a ruinous reduc¬ tiou from the price asked, or even from the actual cost. In these cases diamond cuts diamond, and the legend is repeated of " the biter bit." Many an innocent and unsophisticated person, however, has been tempted into investing his money in these flimsy aud forlom buildings, only to find to his soiTow that the purchase price was only the beginniug of a loug train of expense from which he had uo escape except through utter sacrifice of the property. There are buildings existing in this city, not by the score bat by the himdred, of which it may safely be said that they degrade and encumber the ground ou which they stand. It will be a fortunate day for the improvements of the city w-hen a strict and vigorously enforced building law not only prevents the erection of such buildings, but coudemns^to demolition those already existing. Under our second head we approach the consid¬ eration of avery large class of respectable-looking buildings. These houses are apt ^o be furnished with a profusion of costly woods, richly veneered and highly polished, set off witb a startling array of mirrors aud all the other api)oiutmeuts of first- class propertj-. Through ignorance, neglect or downright dishonestj-, faults of w-orkmanship are allow-ed to creep into the construction of such houses, for which all their beautif ul appointments afford no compensation, but merelj- furnish a gaudj- cloak. Üf what satisfaction can it be for a man to be surrouuded with costlj- woods and bril¬ liant mirroi-s, wheu at everj- opening of his Croton fixtures, a stream of vile aud poisouous gas is being belched forth? Of what advautage to him to boast of motleru improvements when the fur- nace in his cellar is searcely adeciuate for heating a Single room, and when in use supplies only viti¬ ated and gas-laden air? Why encoui-age a confid¬ ing Citizen to embellish and decorate his house, when, perhaps, upou the flrst trial of it, he finds his ceilings deluged from leaks in the plumbing, and from the absence of proper protecting safes? Why attempt to regale him with a gorgeous flre- l)!ace, done up in all the brilliancy of nickel plat- ing, and tiled witb the rarest patterns of antique pottery, when the fiue above the fireplace is utterly choked and incapable of service, the remedy of which perhaps involves the kuocking out of hugh masses of brickw-ork to the demoralization of the whole household? We are well aware of tho almost iusuperable dif¬ ficulties which block the v/ay of a conscientiousand paiustaking builder in the execution of his work. We have no disposition to hold the craft to any higher accountability than is commonly recog¬ nized among all legitimate manufacturei-s. We do Claim, however, that for the liberal outlay which the purchase ofa home in this city involves, whether a large or small establishment is in view, the purchaser is entitled to an assurance amount¬ ing to a wan-anty that the house which be buys is in good, tenantable working order; and when found to be faulty or deficieut in any essential respect, such fault or deficiencj' should be rem- edied and supplied by the builder promptlj- and at his own expense. The consciousness that such a warranty is expected and will be exacted from him would stimulate a builder who works for rep¬ utation to bestow scrupidous cai-e und systematic effort to ensui-e the perfection of his buildings. There are many speculative builders, we know, tc whom these words of expostidation need not be addressed—whose Systems of workmankship al- i-eady inelude those precautions which command success in all the minor appointments and details of building and whose names alone are accepted as sufilcient voachers for the excellence and sub- stantiality of their workmanship. There is a dis¬ position prevalent, however, eveu among reputa¬ ble builders, to hun-y their work along at tho expense of its quality, to finish up and try to effect a sale, and after a sale is made to shake off respon-