October, 1921 
9 
\/?ie $o/ne fiailder 
AsenatK Leavitt 
JZditor 
OCTOBER 192-1 
Win. Hart Bought on. Architect 
Associate Editor' 
Puhlished Monthly by NORTH WESTERN EXPANDED METAL CO 
937 Old Colony Bldg 
CHICAGO 
Little Features which Help Make the 
Home 
L ittle conveniences are concealed electric 
lighted porch columns, package receivers, 
J garbage burners, meters read from out¬ 
side, plunder rooms and many other features 
easily incorporated, which add wonderfully to 
the comfort and joys of home owning and are 
not very costly. 
Of Interest to Every 
Home Builder 
The announcement of such a thing as a fire¬ 
proof wood house is startling to most of us— 
and it’s joyful news, too. Previously we have 
thought of the wood house as offering an ever 
PREDICT FIREPROOF 
r WOOD HOUSE SOON 
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Chicago .Underwriters Develop 
Methods of Protecting 
Frame Homes. 
FINAL TEST SATISFACTORY 
Flame-Safe Plaster for Danger¬ 
ous Spots Plan to Pre¬ 
vent Blazes. 
present fire risk. Statistics show that over 70 % 
of the fires in 1919 occurred in residences. 
It’s appalling when you stop to think about 
it—over 23,000 people killed or injured by 
lath. Lise metal lath by all means if you want 
attractive, safe and all around satisfactory 
ceilings and walls. 
For Stucco Too 
The most economical and satisfactory 
method is to apply the stucco over Kno-Burn 
Metal Lath, back plastered—omitting wood 
sheathing, this not only saves considerable ex¬ 
pense but the web of steel underlying the plas¬ 
ter keeps the stucco from cracking. 
This construction is endorsed by prominent 
architects. It is also recommended by the high¬ 
est building authorities. The satisfactory con¬ 
dition of homes—built of stucco on Kno-Burn 
—after years of service bears tribute to the per¬ 
manence and attractiveness of this economical 
construction. 
Suggestions 
fire in 1919 , of whom nearly 80 % were 
mothers and children under school age. These 
figures are according to official records. 
Yet the cost of making a home fire-safe is 
only about 1% additional—$100 for a $10,000 
home—an almost insignificant figure. No 
doubt your architect is familiar with the use of 
metal lath for this purpose, but it won t hurt to 
remind him about its use at the juncture of 
floors and partitions as well as a foundation 
for interior plaster (and stucco if you build of 
this inviting type) in order to make sure that 
your home furnishes you protection against the 
ravages of fire. We shall be glad to send him 
or you complete details. 
Lots of letters are 
coming in to my desk 
from enthusiastic home 
builders who are build¬ 
ing their first home and 
will soon have the in¬ 
numerable comforts and 
joys of homes of their 
very own. 
It’s a great pleasure 
to offer them what sug¬ 
gestions my staff and I 
can on arrangement, design, selections of mate¬ 
rials and other details. I have a real interest 
in their homes. I’d like to help you with yours. 
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A wooden house so constructed that 
it will be practically fireproof is being 
developed and tested at the Underwrit¬ 
er’s Laboratories in Chicago. 
The possibilities of this development 
are tremendous. Instead of burning 
down a large part of the houses which 
are constructed every year, flre-safa 
construction, even with tho ordinary 
wood joists and partitions, is seen. Ohly 
a few of the danger points need be given 
special attention. 
It has long been the desire of the 
Underwriters to develop economical 
ways for protecting the lives and prop¬ 
erty of people ar J for » J*'**"' 
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What an Architect Said 
“I wouldn't think of using ordinary lath,’’ 
said an architect, “as a foundation for interior 
plaster”. 
He was a man with some twenty years of 
home building experience, too. He knew that 
the sure way to get smooth, attractive walls free 
from cracks and discolorations was to use 
metal lath. No doubt you have observed how 
wavy and streaked ceilings look after a year or 
so when they are formed of plaster or ordinary 
North Western Expanded Metal Company: 
Please send me your home building booklet No. 937. 
Name . 
Street . 
City and State. 
Remarks . 
