Home Builders Exchange Trade Secrets

Tu'elrre of the nation's leading home builders, in a move unprecendented in the building industry, met October 19-20 at Midrvest City, Okla., to exchange trade secrets.

Public stenographers and wire recorders recorded the important disclosures for use throughout the entire industry.

"Operation Trade Secret," the first of a series, was callcd by W. P. "Bill" Atkinson, of Midwest City, president of the National Association of Home Builders. Purpose of the conference was to give future home buyers more housing for their dollars.

Builders in attendance includcd Al LaPierre. Seattle: E. J. Burke, San Antonio; Ned Cole, Austin, Tex. ; Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Johnson, Memphis; R. G. Hughes, Wesr Texas operator; Thomas E. Poore, Oklahoma City; Albert Bach, Seattle; Vernon S. Smith, Dallas; Frank Burns, I)enver; Dave Slipher, Los_ Angeles.

Also in attendance were C. W. Smith of Southwest Re search lnstitute, San Antonio; Joseph Orendorff, Housing and Home Finance Agency, Washington, D.C.; Leonard G. Haeger and Conrad P. Harness, staff officials of the National Association of Home Builders.

Each builder brought construction cost data, blue prints, rvorking drarvings, specifications, photographs and other descriptive informational data. Each explained his entire building operation and answered questions concerning building techniques and costs. Trade secrets were divulged at the rate of one per minute, .ivith technical ex1>erts putting the information down for immediate publication.

It was found that 90 per cent of the productior-r of thr: attending builders was concentrated in the $5,000 to $10,000 price brackets. Operations fell into the following pattern: l. Market surveys were made by each builder to determine housing leeded in his area. luilders at this particular conference 'rvere from the Pacific and Southwest states. The next conference t'ill include builders from eastern and mid-rvestern states. A final conference, to include high government housing officials and Congressional leaders, is planned for the second lveek in December.

2. Operations \\'ere on a large scale, from 2W to 2,50A homes annually.

3. Operations were pre-planned down to the last cletail. Before a project r,r'as 5O per cent complete, ground alread,r. had been broken on the next subdivision. Workers produced faster because they kneu' they lveren't going to rurr ont of work.

4. Emphasis was placed on speedy construction N{an1, builders finished homes in ten working days.

5. Much importance was placed on architecture providing good circulation within the house, with minimum of labor required by the housewife to keep homes clean. Ever1. builder featured a large variety of storage walls and built-iir furniture.

6. Most popular home style was the "contemporarv look" rvith simple lines, lou' pitched roof with overhangs, large rvindows and less "gingerbread."

7. Expandability was a feature of nearly every housc shown. While minimum priced homes can. be financc,l more easily, builders.looked to the.future when the homc owner might need and could afford more room.

8. Hornes in the average subdivision had ar-r average of len different exteriors and 50 different color schemes, eliminating the "peas-in-a-pod" type cf monotony.

9. Builders used land planning experts, landscape architects and engineers in their fight to lower production costs and provide more attractive, livable homes for the housing clollar.

10. Builders invariably paid the highest rvage rates irr their respective cities and, in return, received top performance from labor.

Other "trade secrets" outlined included extensive use of power tools, quantity purchasing, close liaison u-ith civic officials, establishment of research departments, maintenauce of scientific cost accounting systems, profit sharing incentive plans for foremen, suggestion boxes at job sites, free insurance and hospitalization for workers, ar-rd oper:rtion of apprentice training schools to insure an adequate flow of efficient rvorkers.

NAHB President Atkinson, at the close of the n'reetir.rg, said it was a milestone in the NAHB's drive to cut <lon'n on cost and use of critical materials rvhile improving the quality of homes.

To save critical materials the builders decided to cr.rrrsider in their individual operations : l)ress for a re-examination of local building cocles to permit use of certain non-critical building items.

IJetter grouping of kitchen and baths to save pipe. Simplified roof designs to reduce the amount of metal flashing.

Use of protective coatings for bathtubs, sinks, ranges, etc., to reduce damage during construction period In nern' sub-divisions, the platting of strper blocks to reduce the number of cross streets.

On design, all agreed that in building lorv-cost homes, in the $5,000 to $10,000 bracket, it is better to throrv out all superficial ornamentation, such as false gables, trellises, bird houses, and put the money instead into useful living space.

The builders also agreed that often local regulations on sub-division developments are far too strict, sharplv ir-rcreasing final housing costs. They pointed out that most local governing bodies do not differentiate betr,veen a der-elopment for lorv-cost homes and one for millionaires' mansions.

The result, the builders said, was that after the extensive land, street and utility improvements are paid for, there often isn't enough money left to provide of house the lorv-income buyer really u'ants.

The builders felt it rvas foolish to require that "a11

(Continued on Page 150) the kind Chevro-

PINE

SAVE-A-SPACE

Interlor Sllding Door Unltc llodel ll90 low Gost Unlls

-No longer an extraaaganceDOORItrASTER

Exlerior Sliding Door Units