Practical Talks with Home Builders 
FIRST CONSIDERATIONS—THE THINGS YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR EVEN¬ 
TUALLY IN ADDITION TO A MERE HOUSE —A CHECK LIST OF ESSENTIALS 
by Alexander Buel Trowbridge 
[This is the first of a series of intimate, helpful talks with those who are about to build. The aim of the series is to offer 
untechnical suggestions to prospective home makers in the hope that many will be helped to estimate in advance, with some 
degree of accuracy, what they must have, what they can do without, and what they may put off for completion at some future 
time. The talks will be written mainly for those of moderate means rather than for those who would not be worried by an 
unexpected increase in the total outlay.'] 
T HE prospective home builder is often ignorant of the many 
conditions which should control his choice of property 
and assist in the preliminary calculations of expense. Carried 
away by his enthusiasm, by his desire to see the fulfilment of a 
long cherished dream, he is often impelled to begin work sooner 
than is desirable. Not until the house is well under way and he 
begins to learn of many important items which should be included 
in his contracts to insure the comfort of his family, does he realize 
that he has acted too hastily. 
So let us start in with the first problem that should come to 
the home builder’s mind, namely, the preliminary considerations 
in connection with the search for a piece of property. The 
writer has in mind the owner who expects to build in the suburbs 
or in the open country. He who chooses the former location is 
spared the necessity of bothering about many of the questions 
which are here presented, but the builder in the open country 
or in the newly developed communities that are springing up, 
mushroom-like, all over the country must consider them all. 
Therefore to such I would say: 
Don’t be carried away by the clever wording of an advertise¬ 
ment or the plausible story of a salesman; by the ease of payment 
offered as an inducement; or by the most alluring and difficult 
to resist of all influences, the beautyof the site under consideration 
and its environs. Instead, write on a piece of paper the following 
eleven questions and apply each question to the site which 
attracts you. This will guide you in a selection and if the property 
does not possess all of the advantages inferred in the questions 
and you still feel like purchasing, you will at least be able to 
conclude negotiations with eyes wide open. 
i. Is the property provided with a good water supply, or 
must a well be driven and engine, pump, tank, etc., be installed? 
2. Are the schools in the vicinity modern, sanitary and in 
charge of trained teachers? 
3. Can good milk be obtained easily or will it be necessary 
to buy a cow, build a cow barn and provide for the cow’s pasturage, 
daily care and milking? 
4. Can clean ice be bought at a fair price, or must an ice-house 
be included in the calculations for total cost? 
5. Are you to have the use of a public sewer or must a sewage 
disposal plant be installed? 
6. Is the site so far from the nearest railroad station as to 
compel the use of horses or an automobile, thus rendering neces¬ 
sary a stable or a garage? Remember that if you visit the prop¬ 
erty in the real estate agent’s automobile, the distance from the 
station to the property will seem about one-half its true distance. 
7. How does the railroad rate compare with other roads? 
8. How does the local tax rate compare with that in other 
communities? 
9. Will electric light be brought to the property or must you 
calculate for a gas generator? 
10. Does the proposed site need much grading, planting, 
seeding, etc., with numerous loads of new top soil? 
11. What road building, if any, will be needed on the property? 
It would be possible to add other pertinent questions referring 
to the character of the ground, its exposure to the sun and to the 
prevailing breezes etc. These questions are omitted because it is 
assumed that a piece of property would not be under consideration 
which was not high and dry and had not good exposure toward 
sun and breezes. 
In this first talk it will not be possible to discuss in detail all 
of the eleven questions. The most important to emphasize is 
that concerning water supply. No matter how attractive a 
location is found it will be a total failure without good water and, 
many would say, plenty of it. If it comes from a country lake 
bordered by farms and cottages, avoid it as you would the plague. 
If it is pumped up from driven wells or comes from flowing wells, 
as it does in many parts of Long Island, it is likely to be the best 
that can be had. Also, if one has children to be educated, what 
greater mistake can be made than locating a home in a place where 
the children must attend an unsanitary, badly lighted and badly 
ventilated school, in charge of partially educated teachers? 
One cannot expect to change these things by agitating the ques¬ 
tions locally. The schools are supported by local taxation and 
many rural communities are unable to raise the money needed for 
improvements. The milk question is also of importance, par¬ 
ticularly where young children are concerned. How many 
families have gone to the country only to resort to the absurd 
custom of sending to the city for milk at fancy prices! In con¬ 
nection with the ice problem the writer has in mind a commuter 
whose ice bill in a certain rural community, not many miles from 
New York City, varied during the six warmer months of the year 
from 1 14 to $28 per month. This was due to local high prices 
and to an inadequate and totally unsatisfactory manner of keeping 
the ice after it was delivered. It is cheaper and better to build 
an ice-house and to stock it in winter, but the cost must be 
included in the first calculations if one wishes to guard against 
this form of unexpected expense. The question relating to 
sewage disposal is the next in importance, as it also concerns the 
family health. The old-fashioned cesspool should not be used, 
no matter what the farmer neighbor says on the subject. The 
health of your family demands that, in case you have not the 
use of a public sewer, a modern sewage disposal plant be installed. 
Such plants may be built for moderate amounts and ought to be 
a part of the general estimate. 
The remaining six questions are important even though they 
do not directly concern the family health. Any suggestion which 
will aid an owner to see ahead clearly the various 1 steps in his 
home building project, will contribute to his peace of mind and 
incidentally to his health of body. It will not do to put off'these 
considerations through recourse to the old saying “Sufficient 
unto the day is the evil thereof. ” If they are left to be’solved when 
they arise an embarassing situation is sure to occur. The owner 
will find either that he is located in the wrong place or that he is 
obliged to go much deeper into his pocket than he had expected. 
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