COST OF A HOUSE.--SCHEDULES OF COSTS.--WHAT GOES INTO A
HOUSE.--SCHEDULE "B."--COST DETAILS.
What makes the cost of a house? Everything that has been placed on the
lot when the structure is completed. Below is a form or schedule, with
blanks, filled out by an architect for a gentleman for whom he made
plans.
JOHN SMITH,--As I understand your wants, would estimate the cost of
improvements contemplated on No. Delaware Street as follows:--
Building--1st floor finish hard wood, 2d floor finish poplar, $3,000
Privy and Vault $35
Cistern and Connections 50
Well, Connections, and Pump 35
Walks, 40 yards at 70 cents 28
Fences--Tight board, 160 feet at 25 cents, Picket none, 40
Illuminating-Gas Pipe 30
Plumbing--Cellar sink 1, Kitchen sink 1, Bath-tub 1,
W. C. 1, W. S. 1, St. Washer 1, City and Cistern Water, 275
Natural-Gas Pipe, without burners or burner fittings 35
Gas Fixtures 50
Mantels and Grates 3, Average cost $40 120
Furnace 250
Plate Glass 50
Cathedral Glass 25
Electric Work--Door bell 2, Kitchen bell 1 25
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1,128
------
Without Architect's fee $4,128
Everything that goes into a house should be fully represented to the
owner. Thus the costs may be fixed and the aggregate understood. If this
were universally done, there would be less said about the unreliability
of architects' estimates. If the architect is very careful to make
known to the owner the quality of everything that he is to have, and, as
well, the general quantities and costs, he is doing his full duty in
this matter. Anything less than this is a neglect of duty. Furthermore,
this should be made a matter of record, so that if changes are made and
the cost altered, a basis for comparison may be at hand. It is the
practice of the writer to use a specification which describes everything
which may be a part of a brick or a frame house, and to stamp out the
parts omitted. For example, in that specification there are specified
brick and cemented floors for cellar. It is the custom to stamp the word
"No" before the words brick floor, so that it reads "No brick floor in
cellar." In other cases it may be "No lattice work in side yard," etc.
Thus the owner of the house knows not only what he is to get, but what
he is not to get, and the exact quality of that which is included as
well as that which is omitted. He has positive and negative information
with respect to his house. This form of specification has been in use
three years, and has been uniformly satisfactory.
The schedule filled out for Mr. Smith is a printed form, which is handed
to the owner as soon as the building cost is determined. It is in
addition to the detailed specification. In the schedule the cost of the
building is put down at three thousand dollars. The appurtenances are
the items mentioned below the line which gives the price of the building
proper, and in this instance are estimated at $1,128. The house estimate
is $3,000. This makes a total cost of $4,128. The house was a
well-finished building of nine rooms. The parlor and hall were finished
in quartered oak, the dining and sitting rooms in quartered sycamore,
the rear hall in quartered oak, the china-room in sycamore, kitchen and
pantry in plain oak. It would have cost about $125 less to finish the
first floor of this house in soft wood. It is not possible to give
general statements as to the difference in cost of finishing between
hard and soft wood. Twenty to thirty-five dollars a room is generally
ample, though the difference may be greater.
The privy building was figured at twenty dollars, and the vault at a
dollar a foot. The cistern and connections at fifty cents a barrel. Thus
a hundred-barrel cistern costs fifty dollars. The well pump, which was
located in the kitchen, was a cheap form of horizontal force-pump
fastened to the floor, with the handle coming up near the kitchen table.
It supplied water to the kitchen sink. It, as well as the cistern pump,
was included in the plumbing contract. The walks were ordinary brick
walks laid in sand. Tight-board fence was figured, as shown, at
twenty-five cents a lineal foot. The illuminating-gas pipe was figured
at a little less than the price given on schedule "B," but was ample.
The same may be said of the plumbing work. The gas fixtures were neat
brass goods that looked plain in the store surrounded with very
elaborate ones, but were entirely satisfactory when in the house. The
mantels and grates, as may be judged by their cost, were not very
elaborate. However, they were of wood, the same style and finish as the
room. There were bevelled-glass mirrors above the shelves. The hearth
and facing were of unglazed tile, the grate-frame of brass, the grate
itself club pattern, and altogether it was simple but pleasing. The
furnace was of wrought-iron, riveted joints, with galvanized iron
jacket. It would have cost about fifteen or twenty dollars more to set
it in brick. This price included registers, pipes in the wall, and all
connections. If the building had cost a thousand dollars more, or even
two thousand, the appurtenances need not have cost more than a hundred
to a hundred and fifty dollars additional. There would probably have
been a little more gas pipe, a few more fixtures, and the furnace would
have been somewhat more expensive; or, if the house had cost five
hundred dollars less, the appurtenances would not have represented in
all more than seventy-five dollars difference, providing the general
requirements had been the same.
The following schedule was prepared for Mr. Brown. His was an eight-room
house; smaller, less elaborate, but just as well built, as the one for
Mr. Smith. He did not have quite as much plumbing, and reduced the other
appurtenances somewhat. Altogether they represent $801. If his had been
a fifteen-hundred-dollar house, and the same general conditions had been
met, the appurtenances would not have cost any less. Likewise, if it had
been a two-thousand-dollar house, they would have cost no more.
Additions to size of rooms or a more elaborate finish would not have
appreciably affected the cost of the appurtenances. It is well to bear
this in mind when building.
WILLIAM BROWN,--As I understand your wants, would estimate the cost
of improvements contemplated on No. Alabama Street as follows:--
Building--1st floor finish hard wood, 2d floor
finish poplar, $1,700
Privy and Vault $40
Cistern and Connections 40
No Well, Connections, and Pump
Walks, 30 yards at 70 cents 21
Fences--Tight board, 100 at 25 cents, Picket none 25
Illuminating-Gas Pipe 25
Plumbing--Cellar sink none, Kitchen sink 1, Bath-tub 1,
W. C. 1, W. S. 1, St. Washer 1, City Water 200
Natural-Gas Pipe, without burners or burner fittings 30
Gas Fixtures 35
Mantels and Grates 3, Average cost $40 120
Furnace 240
Plate Glass 20
Cathedral Glass none
Electric Work--Door bell 1, Kitchen bell none 5
____
801
______
Without Architect's fee $2,501
The two examples given show the method of filling out a cost schedule,
which, by the way, is seldom presented in this form to the owner of a
house by his architect. It now remains to indicate, in general terms,
the basis of values as before given. It is not intended to form this
book on the "every-man-his-own-architect" principle, but it is
constructed on the idea that every one should know as much about the
business in hand as is possible, before calling for other assistance.
For this purpose certain prices are given which are a little in advance
of those charged in the section of country to which they apply. This is
done so that the errors, if any, may be on the side of safety. Generally
speaking, there will not be any great difference in the cost of the
appurtenances mentioned. It is the cost of the building proper which
varies. The cost of the buildings illustrated is given, unless otherwise
mentioned, on a basis of hard-wood finish for the first floor excepting
kitchen, and soft wood above, all finished in oil.
Below is the schedule "B," so frequently referred to in the description
of house plans.
SCHEDULE "B."
Building.--First floor finish hard wood; second floor, soft wood.
Where estimates are given in the book on the basis of schedule "B,"
they include only the building, as mentioned above, and do not
include the following items:--
Privy building, $20; vault, $1 per foot for each foot in depth.
Cistern and connections, $0.50 per barrel; pump, $5 to $35; well,
$0.75 per lineal foot; pump and connections, $5 to $35. (Force pump
included in plumbing contract.)
Walks of brick, $0.70 per square yard; cement, $1.80 per square
yard.
Fences: tight-board, $0.25 per lineal foot; picket, $0.50 per
lineal foot, painted three coats.
Illuminating-gas pipe, $1.50 to $2 per connection.
Plumbing--Cellar sink, plain iron set $10
Hot-water boiler and back " 25
Kitchen sink, city and hot and cold cistern water " 30
Force pump and tank " 50
Bath-tub, 14 oz. copper " 30
Wash-stand " 25
Water-closet "washout" " 40
Street-washer " 12
City service, $0.35 a foot, lineal, laid.
Drain connection, $0.30 a foot, lineal, laid.
[For other piping and connections add twenty per cent of above
aggregate.]
Natural-gas piping, without burners, $4 a fire.
Gas fixtures, about $1.50 per burner.
Mantels and grates, average cost, $40.
Furnace, for all pipes and connections, nine registers, $240; add
$16 for each additional second-story connection; $8 for first-story
connection.
Plate glass, $0.50 to $0.75 a square foot, according to size.
Cathedral glass, plain, $0.30 a foot; leaded, from $1 upward.
Electric work--door bells, each $6; kitchen bell, $6.