Part 1

Chapter 13,455 wordsPublic domain

Bennett's Small House Catalog

1920

Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co., Inc.

Bennett Homes Better Built Ready Cut

RAY H. BENNETT LUMBER CO., INC. NORTH TONAWANDA--N.Y.

LUMBER LATH--SHINGLES WINDOWS--DOORS MILL WORK

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y.

Dear Friend,

We send this catalog to you with just one thought in mind, Service. As you turn the pages and study the various houses, remember that we are planning and building for YOU. No trouble is too great, no detail too small, if by personal consideration and supervision we can provide you with your ideal home.

Our architects have studied the requirement of comfortable, convenient, up-to-date houses. In the designs shown in this catalog, you will find embodied their ideas--the results of considering the greatest convenience at the least cost.

Not only do we supply you with blue prints of the house you select, but our special service department is ready to assist you in your interior decorating. Then too, our service department can give you any information you require in regard to the erection of your house.

You naturally will want to know the approximate cost of erecting the house of your choice, the cost of the mason work, plumbing, lighting, heating, etc. This we shall be glad to furnish you, if you will write to us for such information.

In buying a Bennett Home, you are really gratifying your individual tastes. You have infinite choice of designs, any of which can be slightly or moderately altered. You can choose your own color for outside paint and inside finish. Cupboards and closets of convenient size and situation, bay windows, French doors, fire places, stairways, colonnades,--all these are yours to command.

We have already selected for you the best framing materials, lumber and hardware. The little touches that make the home and radiate the personality of the owners--these we leave to your individual choice.

It is YOUR home that you are to build, and we offer you our assistance and co-operation.

Cordially Yours,

RAY H. BENNETT LUMBER CO., INC.

JAS|RN

Bennett Homes Better-Built Ready-Cut

PRICES OF BENNETT HOMES DECEMBER 1, 1921

PRICES ARE NET F. O. B. CARS NORTH TONAWANDA, N. Y.

DELIVERED PRICES QUOTED ON REQUEST.

TERMS: Net Cash with Order.

TERMS:

=1. Cash with Order.= 5% discount from gross amount allowed when Cash in full is sent with order, or

=2. 25% Cash with Order.= Balance sight draft with order bill of lading attached. No discount from gross amount allowed under these terms.

WE GUARANTEE SATISFACTION OR MONEY BACK.

5% Cash Name Page Gross Discount Net

Aberdeen, Plan A 30 $1944.78 $ 97.23 $1847.55 Aberdeen, Plan B 30 2418.89 120.94 2297.95 Arcadia, Plan A 31 1610.33 80.51 1529.82 Arcadia, Plan B 31 1907.57 95.37 1812.20 Atherton 32 2481.17 124.05 2357.12 Auburn, Plan A 56 1074.09 53.70 1020.39 Auburn, Plan B 56 1273.94 63.69 1210.25 Avon 10 2940.28 147.00 2793.28

Beverly, Plan A 60 1142.60 57.13 1085.47 Beverly, Plan B 60 1224.00 61.20 1162.80 Bison 22 2342.62 117.13 2225.49 Bryant 12 2465.12 123.25 2341.87

Charlotte, Plan B 11 3184.52 159.22 3025.30 Clarendon 39 3345.17 167.25 3177.92 Cleo 26 2313.83 115.69 2198.14 Cloverdale, Plan A 55 1380.97 69.04 1311.93 Cloverdale, Plan B 55 1519.36 75.96 1443.40 Concord, Reg. 61 1317.45 65.87 1251.58 Concord, Plan B 61 1585.31 79.26 1506.05 Colonial 44 4243.05 212.15 4030.90

Delaware, Plan A 58 1747.45 87.37 1660.08 Delaware, Plan B 58 1949.84 97.49 1852.35 Dover, Reg. 50 2120.89 106.04 2014.85 Dover, Plan B 50 2275.89 113.79 2162.10

Emerson 62 1697.23 84.86 1612.37 Erie 45 2281.00 114.05 2166.95

Flanders 35 2024.85 101.24 1923.61 Forsyth 38 3049.37 152.46 2896.91 Franklin 17 2550.71 127.53 2423.18 Frederick 46 3669.70 183.48 3486.22 Fulton 25 2552.78 127.63 2425.15

Genesee 41 2202.63 110.13 2092.50

Hamilton 24 2994.63 149.73 2844.90 Harriet 33 2776.88 138.84 2638.04 Hartley 43 2753.12 137.65 2615.47 Harvard 14 2071.13 103.55 1967.58

Ideal 23 2654.70 132.73 2521.97 Ilion 13 2440.36 122.01 2318.35

Janis 40 3088.00 154.40 2933.60

Kenmore, Plan A 54 804.91 40.24 764.67 Kenmore, Plan B 54 1039.82 51.99 987.83

Lancaster 34 2905.94 145.29 2760.65 La Salle 21 3076.84 153.84 2923.00 Lawton, Plan A 53 1647.97 82.39 1565.58 Lawton, Plan B 53 1825.67 91.28 1734.39 Lincoln 16 2849.67 142.48 2707.19

Madison 66 2510.10 125.50 2384.60 Maidstone, Plan A 52 1131.47 56.57 1074.90 Maidstone, Plan B 52 1386.96 69.34 1317.62 Monroe 59 2100.69 105.03 1995.66

Nelson 47 1728.63 86.43 1642.20 New Hartford 19 2185.30 109.26 2076.04 Niagara 20 2459.91 122.99 2336.92

Olean 42 2012.08 100.60 1911.48 Ontario 64 2051.56 102.57 1948.99

Potomac 18 3124.68 156.23 2968.45

Raymond 15 2305.83 115.29 2190.54 Richard 48 2045.57 102.27 1943.30 Rochester 49 2340.15 117.00 2223.15

Salem 28 2538.93 126.94 2411.99 Shamrock, Plan A 57 1124.27 56.21 1068.06 Shamrock, Plan B 57 1429.11 71.45 1357.66 Sherrill, Plan A 51 1551.68 77.58 1474.10 Sherrill, Plan B 51 1898.22 94.91 1803.31 Stanley 65 1230.88 61.54 1169.34

Tremont 67 4051.07 202.55 3848.52

Waverly 63 2006.09 100.30 1905.79 Woodward 29 1723.77 86.18 1637.59

York 27 1914.00 95.60 1818.40

=SUMMER COTTAGES=, Pages 68-69

Wenona 68 $842.07 $42.10 $799.97 Newport 68 786.86 39.34 747.52 Ivernia 69 702.34 35.11 667.23 Linwood 69 800.36 40.01 760.35

=GARAGES=, Pages 69-70

Buick 10 × 14 $170.12 $ 8.50 $161.62 Buick 10 × 16 182.48 9.12 173.36 Buick 12 × 16 196.45 9.82 186.63 Buick 12 × 18 210.21 10.51 199.70 Buick 12 × 20 217.08 10.85 206.23

Cadillac 18 × 16 275.84 13.79 262.05 Cadillac 18 × 18 293.09 14.65 278.44 Cadillac 18 × 20 306.98 15.34 291.64 Cadillac 20 × 18 306.98 15.34 291.64 Cadillac 20 × 20 325.52 16.27 309.25 Cadillac 27 × 20 417.76 20.88 396.88

Hudson 10 × 14 169.83 8.49 161.34 Hudson 10 × 16 181.72 9.08 172.64 Hudson 12 × 16 199.97 9.99 189.98 Hudson 12 × 18 208.73 10.43 198.30 Hudson 14 × 16 212.73 10.63 202.10 Hudson 14 × 18 226.63 10.33 215.30

Peerless 18 × 16 288.10 14.40 273.70 Peerless 18 × 18 301.76 15.08 286.68 Peerless 18 × 20 315.26 15.76 299.50 Peerless 20 × 18 315.26 15.76 299.50 Peerless 20 × 20 327.42 16.37 311.05

Bennett Special 8 × 12 90.94 4.54 86.40 Bennett Special 8 × 14 97.61 4.88 92.73 Bennett Special 8 × 16 110.18 5.50 104.68 Bennett Special 10 × 12 99.22 4.96 94.26 Bennett Special 10 × 14 109.25 5.46 103.79 Bennett Special 10 × 16 122.23 6.11 116.12

This book is the story, in word and picture, of actual homes proven by living people to be Beautiful, Practical, Substantial. ¶ The designs and plans are the final creations, after years of study and experience, of Foremost American Authorities on Home Architecture and Construction. ¶ Economy is the controlling thought in these plans--not economy that merely cheapens but that which eliminates all unnecessary costs without sacrifice of appearance, strength or utility. ¶ Bennett Homes are truly Better-Built--better to look at, better to live in and better to last.

CATALOG No. 18

=_Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co., Inc. NORTH TONAWANDA - N. Y._=

ESTABLISHED 1902

INDEX

Page

Bennett Advantages, 7

Bennett Economies, 4-7

Bennett Method, 4-7

Bennett Plant, 1

Cellars, 9

Chimneys, 9

Colonnades, 36-37

Decorating Service, Inside Back Cover

Doors, 36-37

Double Home, 46-67

Duplex Home, 46-67

Economies, 4-7

Foundation Plans, 9

French Doors, 36-37

Garages, 69-70 Buick Hudson Peerless Cadillac Bennett Special, 69

Guarantee, Order Form

Hardware, 36-37

Heating, 71-72

History--Home Building, 3

Houses, 10-35 and 38-67 Aberdeen, 30 Arcadia, 31 Atherton, 32 Auburn, 56 Avon, 10 Beverly, 60 Bison, 22 Bryant, 12 Charlotte, 11 Clarendon, 39 Cleo, 26 Cloverdale, 55 Concord, 61 Colonial, 44 Delaware, 58 Dover, 50 Emerson, 62 Erie, 45 Flanders, 35 Forsyth, 38 Franklin, 17 Frederick, 46 Fulton, 25 Genesee, 41 Hamilton, 24 Harriet, 33 Hartley, 43 Harvard, 14 Ideal, 23 Ilion, 13 Janis, 40 Kenmore, 54 Lancaster, 34 LaSalle, 21 Lawton, 53 Lincoln, 16 Madison, 66 Maidstone, 52 Monroe, 59 Nelson, 47 New Hartford, 19 Niagara, 20 Olean, 42 Ontario, 64 Potomac, 18 Raymond, 15 Richard, 48 Rochester, 49 Salem, 28 Shamrock, 57 Sherrill, 51 Stanley, 65 Tremont, 67 Waverly, 63 Woodward, 29 York, 27

Kitchen Cabinets, 36-37

Landscape Service, Inside Back Cover

Lighting, 71-72

Linen Closet, 36-37

Lock Sets, 36-37

Masonry, 9

Medicine Cabinet, 36-37

Mirror Door, 36-37

Paints, 9

Plaster, 9

Plumbing, 71-72

Prices, with letter

References, 2

Reverse Plans, 8

Specifications--general, 8-9

Specifications--detail, with each home

Stairways, 36-37

Summer Cottages, 68-69 Wenona Newport Ivernia Linwood

Two Family Home, 46-67

Trim--interior, 36-37

Wardrobe, 36-37

Windows, 36-37

"_=Home-keeping hearts are happiest; For those who wander they know not where Are full of trouble and full of care; To stay at home is best.=_" --LONGFELLOW

The first home was purposely built beside the "Sacred Fire".

The story runs that fire came as a gift from the Gods to Man. And so heavenly seemed its qualities of beauty, light and warmth, that Man reverenced it--ceased wandering and built his abode around its glowing radiance.

Through the ages--from the rugged cave, the rough tent of animal skins, the crude log cabin, down to the Home Beautiful of To-day--home building has been the strong primal instinct. Men have practiced all the pursuits of peace and war for those things for which home stands--love, family, hospitality, security, worship. Indeed, the home building spirit is the very backbone of civilization. Intelligent, thoughtful men always desire their families to live the home life, because they know that the best of physical, mental and moral powers are developed under home's benign influence.

Almost the first thought of the Pilgrims after they had landed on America's new shores was of a home. And so immediately they built themselves sturdy houses of the straight-shafted pine trees that stood everywhere about the rugged shores. And some of these homes are still standing, amazing testimony to the vigor and endurance of wood.

Today, more than ever before, people are seriously considering how they shall live. They realize that the dwelling place has a marked influence upon living and character--that the inspiration of home, next to religion, is the greatest in life.

Perforce, many must live part of their lives in the rented house. But however desirable, no family can ever acquire quite that deep-seated love and interest for, nor have the incentive to adorn and beautify, a dwelling place for which they pay toll to a landlord. But when the place which shelters the family belongs to them, when they know that every thought and every dollar they put into it is a permanent investment which pays big dividends in the family happiness and contentment--then that place, however lowly or humble, becomes truly a home. Naturally then, the tendency is strongly toward the owned private home.

The dainty cottage--the inviting semi-bungalow--the comfortable Colonial--the cosy story-and-a-half--these are the leading types of homes to-day. And when there is built into them that particular beauty, and those conveniences--modern sanitation, lighting, ventilation and heating--that will suit the taste of the individual family, their mode of living and their pocketbook--then indeed does the dwelling place become "a thing of beauty and a joy forever".

Bennett Homes, Better-Built and Ready-Cut, satisfy every desire and every need of home-lovers--for the dwelling-place which shall possess charm, convenience and endurance to the greatest extent consistent with the desired investment.

HOW SCIENCE SOLVED THE HIGH COST OF HOME-BUILDING

Up to the present, the great drawback to home-building has been the excessive cost, by the individually-built-house method.

Plans by experienced architects have been costly; the cost of lumber has been high; the amount of labor necessary to cut and trim rough and finished lumber has been a serious item; there have been endless worries--delays--extra costs; plans have looked good on paper, but have not worked out well; contractors have been known to be careless about the quality of the material and of the work on the job.

What will avoid all the usual waste, delays, disappointments, and--what will cut the cost of building a home? Science says--"_simplify_"--"_standardize_"--"_eliminate waste_."

"_This is the day of brains that plans for thousands_ at a time, instead of one. Why is it necessary to plan every individual home that is built? There's a wiser, more economical way. Once the plan for a house has been tried and proven true, use it many times over; let hundreds of people divide the cost--let hundreds of people reap the benefit of these plans."

"_This is the day of machinery_, the day for producing in tremendous quantities, thereby accomplishing in minutes that which would consume hours, days and weeks to achieve by usual methods. After having worked out plans to the highest point of economy, why not cut the materials by labor-saving machines _instead of the old hand method_, thereby reducing labor and waste to a minimum."

SCIENCE'S ANSWER IS THE BENNETT-WAY

The best designs and plans have been produced for hundreds to share the benefits--a huge modern mill in the heart of the lumber market has been equipped with labor-and-waste-saving machinery of the latest type--and YOU, who want to build a home, reap the advantages and savings of the Bennett-Way in securing one of finer design, greater convenience, and genuine durability.

Perhaps right here, it is well to establish the difference between a Bennett Ready-Cut Home and a portable house.

The object of the portable system is to produce a building construction which may be put together to form a temporary shelter--taken apart again--moved from place to place as desired. Manufacturers of portable buildings cannot and do not represent their products to be permanent.

But Bennett Homes, Better-Built and Ready-Cut, are built for permanency. Once your Bennett Home is completed, there is absolutely no difference between it and any well constructed home, except, perhaps, that our designs are more attractive and impressive than the average homes one sees.

HOW RENT-MONEY COUNTS

This table shows what rent amounts to in ten and twenty years, with six per cent interest compounded annually, and gives an idea of the value of the house one can pay for by applying rent toward paying for a home.

Rent per Month In 10 Years In 20 Years $ 8.00 $1,265.35 $ 3,531.41 12.00 1,898.02 5,279.11 17.00 2,688.86 7,504.24 20.00 3,163.36 8,828.52 25.00 3,954.20 11,035.65 30.00 4,745.04 13,242.78 35.00 5,535.88 15,449.91 50.00 7,908.40 22,071.30

ATTRACTIVE DESIGNS

There are more than fifty designs and plans offered on the following pages. They have been carefully and expertly selected from hundreds submitted. These designs are not merely dreams of architects or artists. They are actual houses which have been built, lived in and proven practical and pleasurable in every detail. In considering a BENNETT BETTER-BUILT HOME, you are offered a very wide selection of various styles and sizes, so that you may choose a home that will suit your particular needs, tastes, locality, and pocketbook.

In building the Bennett Way you have this genuine advantage--you know, before you build, just exactly how your home will look after it is completed. Do you know _that_ when your local architect or contractor designs your home for you? He may convince you that his design is what you want, and induce you to accept it, even against your own better judgment. Though you may not be pleased with the design he has prepared, nevertheless you accept his ideas rather than submit to the additional expense and delay of a change. BENNETT BETTER-BUILT HOMES correspond in every detail with the actual photographs shown in this catalog. Should the design you select require some slight alterations, we shall be very glad to make such changes, if practical, at actual cost.

ECONOMY IN DRAFTING

The first of a series of savings for you starts in our drafting room.

It is quite necessary for the architect to charge a considerable fee for his drawings, for he must pay expenses and a profit. The drawings for our houses are even more elaborate, and the first cost of production is naturally much greater. Yet there is this gain for you: when the drawings are once made, hundreds of blue prints are made from them at practically a negligible cost. Therefore, we furnish you with blue prints from our drawings _absolutely free_ of fees or of any charge.

ECONOMY IN STANDARDIZATION

Next we help you realize a decided saving through standardization of materials.

In designing an attractive home, a professional architect can give little thought to standard lengths or shapes of material. Our Bennett Better-Built designers, however, put forth both thought and effort toward producing, not only an attractive home, but one which is economical of rough and finished lumber, millwork, etc.

For instance, there are certain standard lengths and widths of lumber, and certain standard styles and sizes of windows, doors, window frames, door frames--in fact of every kind of millwork. Standard items can be manufactured in tremendous quantities at very low cost while special styles and sizes require readjustment of machinery, and the waste (sometimes 33 and 1-3 per cent) of standard-sized materials to meet special requirements. We manufacture such an extensive variety of styles and sizes in building materials of so many kinds, that an appearance as artistic as you may wish can easily be produced without resorting to the expense of special materials.

Another important application of standardization lies in the spacing of windows and the like. Insofar as appearance is concerned, 6 inches one way or another usually makes but little difference in the spacing of windows. But from the standpoint of economy, it is decidedly better to have the spacing in even feet. For instance, windows spaced 12 or 14 feet apart permit the use of 12 or 14 foot standard length boards, without waste; whereas, if the windows were spaced 12' 6" apart, it would necessitate the cutting up of a 14' or 16' board with a waste on every board that goes to make up the full height of the window.

ECONOMY IN USE OF LABOR-SAVING MACHINERY

By the use of gigantic, powerful machinery, we save you a large percentage of labor cost, and inaccuracies that always waste hand-cut lumber.

The prices quoted in our catalog furnish you with material sufficient to complete every listed detail of the home which you select. In addition, it covers the cost of cutting every piece of material so that when it reaches its destination, it is ready to nail. There will be no wasting of time waiting for "something forgotten that must be ordered," waiting for one man to cut and fit a part before another can go ahead.

You cannot possible go astray, because--as we said before--our blue prints are thorough and complete, showing the exact location of each and every piece of material. It would not be difficult to erect the entire building with only the blue prints at hand. Nevertheless, to facilitate the work, we furnish a bill of material, itemizing each and every piece, and instructing where it should be placed.