| Show BUILD D GOOD HOUSES FOR LESS MONEY HOW TO DO SO I Master r Builders Builders' Exchange b by G. G II H. Angel President The he building business of this city if not the most important it certainly is among the most important branches of industry There are approximately six thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand men engaged In the business not six thousand men ment women and children children chil chil- dren as would be the case in other lines but six thousand strong robust healthy men In the building business there is no room f for r the weaklings but the demand is for tor the best there is in brain and brawn The cost of ot building operations runs Into millions of ot dollars annually the greater part o of this money remaining in Utah The percentage remaining inthe Inthe in inthe the state is not uniform in all buildings build build- buildings ings running from 60 BO to 75 76 per cent in most buildings This percentage should increase as we d develop our own resources and as we learn to appreciate appreciate elate home products It would seem that a business of such vast proportions and effecting asit asIt as asit it does th the whole people should be understood by those building in Its essentials that it Is not understood Is self evident when we look at the manifold evils that encompass the business It is the object of this article to point out some of these evils and I how bow tow to eradicate them Contractors and builders are specialists special special- fists in their line not in the broad m meaning of the word but Taut in the technical technical technical tech tech- sense In the thO sense that thata a real contractor must have skill and ability in his line of business Experience has taught the Investor that the better and cheaper way to ob obtain obtain obtain ob- ob tain certain specified results In the form of ol a building is t to engage engage by contract an experienced builder The Theman Theman Theman man who is willing to invest his skill and business ability in the building One of the Evils One On of the great difficulties in ob obtaining ob- ob ob taming good results in building operations operations opera opera- 1 is the suspicion that exists be between between between be- be tween owner architect and contractor No one can deny that there are rea- rea will any deny that evil feeling neither will any deny evil results there there- from The question aris arises s what can be done Eliminate the cause of ot all this suspicion and with the cause re removed removed removed re- re moved the suspicion will cease to exist Then business may be transacted for forthe forthe forthe the best interest of all concerned Every one will admit that the contractor contractor contractor con con- tractor should receive some compensation compensation tion for his time and services We FIe submit that none have received more than a fair compensation for their sei services vices and and H 1 If proof is desired reference reference ref rel- is made mad to bank accounts tax records etc as s these Uiese records usually show how much aa a a. man man has has gained In Inthis inthis this worlds world's goods That many have not received ived fair compensation or 01 a any y I compensation for their services we need only to call your attention to the fact that many efficient men have been I forced out of the business entirely some to re-enter re their trades working workIng working work- work Ing as Journeymen If It they lacked lacke ef efficiency efficiency ef ef- it was the efficiency required to tp surmount the mass mass of evils surrounding surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding the business and ana not the business itself Should Have Confidence in Builder In the first place the owner should not for his own good goodlet let a contract to any man in whom he lacks confidence And while he is considering the re responsibility responsibility re- re integrity and honesty of the contractor he should ask himself the question Am I willing to give to the contractor the same honesty and integrity that I require of him These virtues should be mutual The lack of them have caused as much grief griet on the one side as the other If It It it is obligatory upon the contractor to have havethe havethe havethe the ability financial and otherwise to complete his contract certainly the owner should also have the means to fulfill his part of ot the contract For the owner to ask aale for bids with certified checks and then award award the award the contract to a bidder requiring surety bond guaranteeing that the contractor will fulfill every covenant made or pay t the e heavy penalties Imposed when the he owner is unprepared and financially unable to fulfill his part of ot the contract contract con con- tract is certainly right fair fair fairand and honest honest honest hon hon- est if it the dollar doUat matching game is right fair and honest Some may say that this is a risk that the contractor assumes when he offers I to bid It is true we must confess it I The sarrie same is also true of the citizen n I who goes up town after atter dark and on his way home a gun is placed to to his I breast with orders Hands up up This is a risk he voluntarily assumes when he dares to venture out of ot his domicile after dark But says one You dont don't have to bid on work Neither does the citizen have to go out after atter dark darlL He could stay in his house until starvation starvation starvation star star- released him from further dan dan- ger Both arguments are identical draw your own conclusions The writers writer's idea is for tor the owner architect contractor and all subcontractors subcontractors subcontractors' subcontractors subcontractors' tractors tractors' to work together harmoniously harmonious harmonious- ly to obtain the best building possible for the money invested Candor on the part of all will wUl improve conditions wonderfully The net result of ot fairness fairness fairness fair fair- ness and candor on the part of the owner and contractor will be better buildings for less money As an illustration il illustration il- il with which we ar are all familiar fa- fa fa familiar we will say that Jones and Smith fail fall to pay the butcher What is the result The people pay pay Jones Jones' and Smiths Smith's bill Indirectly In higher prices The same is true In the buildIng building build build- Ing b business The honest owner is compelled in a a. measure to pay for tor the tricks and scheming of ot the other man We Ve have no defense whatever whatever for for the dishonest contractor he hurts the honest honest honest hon hon- est contractors the same as the dishonest dis- dis honest lonest owner hurts the honest owner We simply ask the help of the fair fall minded owner to the end end that fair conditions may prevail We Ve have no wholesale charges to hurl at anyone neither have nave we any ulterior motives in this article or will have in future articles we may publish but the sole motive is the betterment of at the bull building build build- ti ting Ing ng business In every legitimate lineIn line In our next article we wish to discuss discuss dis dis- cuss the contract ural relations of the owner architect and contractor and enow that a fair fall contract will wUl result In better buildings for less money |
