=143.= No other material entering into the construction of a building
will pay a larger return in satisfaction, comfort, and permanent
economy for the time and care devoted to its selection than the
finishing hardware. The range of choice and quality has become too
great for the selection to be left to the general contractor under an
omnibus specification, and the practice of according to it the benefit
of careful and discriminating selection by the architect or client, or
both in consultation, is rapidly becoming general. Hardware has become
a factor of utmost importance in the interior decorative scheme of the
modern building, and its selection demands at least the care accorded
to other elements of interior decoration.
The method that should be employed in the selection and purchase of
hardware depends primarily on the existing conditions. If the building
is intended for the purpose of sale or renting, or if cheapness is
the dominating factor, then a competitive method may be expedient;
but if the client intends it for personal occupancy or for permanent
ownership, then competitive bidding is sometimes not productive of the
best results.
In all cases, a preliminary examination should be made of the makes
and grades of the commercial hardware available, and the amount that
it is desired to expend on this item should be decided on. The process
of selection is greatly facilitated by the elimination of articles
outside of the grades selected. When the maker’s grade of goods has
been decided on, the next step is to select in detail the articles,
designs, and finishes to be used in each room, floor, or division of
the building, making such notes of the decisions so reached as will be
convenient in framing the hardware specification, or schedule.
=144. Allowance for Finishing Hardware.=—Architects are constantly
called on to prepare preliminary estimates on proposed buildings, to
assist clients to determine whether they can afford to build. For
this purpose, the architect possesses an approximate knowledge of the
cost of excavation, masonry, woodwork, etc., so that the necessary
expenditure may be computed with a fair degree of accuracy. Builders’
hardware, however, does not readily admit of accurate preliminary
estimating, and in many cases the architect merely specifies the sum
to be expended for finishing hardware, stating that selections are to
be made by himself or his client later, as the work progresses. This
system is found in many instances to be satisfactory to all—architect,
client, and builder.
The cost of the hardware usually bears a fairly constant ratio to
the total cost of various types of buildings. The following figures,
which are based on experience, indicate the range in this ratio under
ordinary conditions. This schedule gives the ratio of cost of finishing
hardware to the total cost of the building, land excluded.