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PAGE 10-HOME IMPROVEMENT SUPPLEMENT, APRIL 20, 1973 Improving home seen as better way to modern living The national concept of home ownership appears to have achieved a maturity over the years that opens the way to a better life for more families through im­ provement of their existing properties. Or, as Edgar V. Hall, Ex­ ecutive Director of the Na­ tional Home Improvement Council, an organization with chapters almost every­ where in the United States, puts it: "The home owner of not so many years ago parted begrudgingly with a few hundred dollars to keep his home in good repair. "But now, home own­ ers look upon outlays of moneys which may amount to much more, as an investment in better living." In addition, it is generally recognized that money spent for home improvements in the modern sense -- which means up-dating their ap­ pearance and their facilities for living -- can contribute substantially to the value of a property. Thus, should a time come when the owner may want to or havQ,to dispose of the home, it is going to be a lot more marketable than it might have been without improvements. Impressive total All this accounts for the fact that an estimated $17 million a year is now being put into home improve­ ments by more owners of existing homes. Their objectives are made easier to achieve by an in­ dustry that has innovated new materials, by contrac­ tors who have extended their capacities and skills beyond the basic "fix-up paint-up" jobs into the creative areas of home improvement in terms of planning and in­ stalling modern new kitch­ ens, luxurious bathrooms. Yet more assistance is available to the home owner who has the opportunity through the development of an exciting variety of power tools to actively engage in making many home im­ provements himself. Advancing skills In fact, the advancing skills of many do-it-your­ selfers, further assisted by the new materials now on the market, have graduated them from making bird houses and installing stor­ age shelves, to artisans in their own right, able to ex­ ecute their own original ideas. The considerable variety of easily handled wall-board decorative panelling and tiles available from building supply stores, come to mind here. Yes, the day is here when the home without its "work­ shop" fitted out with basic tools for use by the head of the house may no longer be considered completely equipped. Apartment department The advancing skills of the do-it-youselfers -- and they now include many women as well as men -- spill over into the apartment house. Whether the apart­ ments are condominiums, cooperatives or just rented, there are many opportuni­ ties for improvements the do-it-yourselfer can accom­ plish to reflect the person­ ality and enhance the way of life for the occupants. For the individual home owner there are overwhelm­ ing reasons why home im­ provement should go be­ yond the essential need for maintaining the property in good condition by making repairs as required by wear and tear and the weather. Among these reasons is one that is social in its sig­ nificance, economic in its importance. Not at all unique is the widespread interest on the part of many people in good homes that have been "lived most modern up-dated homes they can find. And in reverse, these same young couples, who no doubt have already acquired a home in the city from which they are moving, will be better off when it comes to disposing of it, if the home they are leaving has been improved, up-dated to the moment of their depar­ ture. The concept of home im­ provement opens wide the opportunity for a new and improved way of life for all families -- to serve some practical need, some inter­ nal urge toward bettering one's way of life, to enhance one's economic security. It's as simple as measuring for a pattern, so explains Joyce Hartwell, the Lady Carpenter, as she instructs one of her apt pupils in the art of measuring for wall paneling. In the above photo, they prepare to panel a mini-kitchen area using U.S. Plywood's new Surfwood pattern. Autumn Smoke. In keeping with the times . . . The carpenter may be a lady! llv test of family life. The only other requirement of these people is that such homes be "up to date" in appear­ ance and in built-in facilities that are in step with mod­ ern living. Keep pace Obviously the home that has kept pace with this trend is going to be a lot more marketable. Among such homes are the ones that come on the market when the children have grown up and moved away, to make a home of their own. Similarly the mobility of young couples with one or more children--young cou­ ples on the way up who find it necessary to move from city to city as they advance in their careers -- consti­ tutes a market for "lived in" homes. They will want the As more and more of to­ day's modern women, for­ merly adept at wielding a crochet hook, knitting nee­ dles and sewing machines, discover that the same skills and techniques can be read­ ily adapted to using small hand power tools, their en­ thusiasm for home reno­ vation projects grows, ac­ cording to Joyce Hartwell, known professionally as the Lady Carpenter. Carpentry teacher Mrs. Hartwell recently ini­ tiated a series of carpentry classes in New York City. "If registration for the course is a sample of the ladies' interest, they are even more enthusiastic to learn carpentry than they were to jump in the family car and head for the de­ partment store or shopping center on 'daisy sale' days." The Lady Carpenter com­ mented that those enrolling in the course do not seem to be content with plans for "puttering projects." Most of them have a definite in­ terest in carpentry. The interest is partly be­ cause of their own creative urge and also the problem of hiring a professional Realistic Remodeling The National Home Improvement Council cautions the homeowner who expects to recover his investment in home improvement when he sells his present home not to put more money into the remodeling project than he can realistically hope to retrieve. For example, if a homeowner's house is presently worth $50,000 on the market and his remodeling in­ vestment is $25,000, he will most likely not find a buyer for $75,000. The Council also provides a rule of thumb estimate for various remodeling projects. Naturally, costs vary from region to region. Also, the variety of work done under the various classifications and the size of the space affected will influence costs. Kitchen Remodeling Bathroom Modernizing; Adding a Room Finishing Basement Recreation Room Residing, Aluminum, Wood Adding an Outdoor Swimming Pool $2,500 to $6,500 $1,500 to $4,000 $20 to $40 per square foot $1,000 to $4,500 $75 to $150 per 100 square feet $5,000 to $9,000 carpenter for the home projects they want done. The ladies are interested in learning to build, to panel, to decorate a wall, to handle a partition. They want to learn how to create dividers, custom­ ize closets and how to as­ semble furniture. They want to know how to seal, stain, varnish and paint their fin­ ished products, too. They are tackling these projects with the same gus­ to and verve that they once used on the mound of baby diapers, the family lunch boxes, the draperies and bedspreads that they whip­ ped up on the trusty family sewing machine. Mrs. Hartwell, whose ap­ pearance is a constant sur­ prise to people with a pre­ conceived idea of what a carpenter should look like, is a statuesque, striking bru­ nette usually attired in a flowing feminine maxi skirt with turtle necked sweater. Her long, jet black hair hangs midway down her back and is normally held back with a colorful head­ band. She, herself, has had a most interesting and diver­ sified career in carpentry. As early as grammar school she took shop courses usu­ ally confined to the boys in school. Early start Because of a family ill­ ness, Joyce was forced to go to work earlier than usual and found herself in a series of boring, unexciting jobs that rarely utilized her natural creative talent and ability for carpentry. At one point, as a pho­ tographer's assistant, she discovered that she could build better props for pho­ tography than she could buy. She then decided to open her own shop where she both designed and sold fur­ niture. Before long, how­ ever, the customers began to look more at her custom carpentry and cabinet work than at the furniture for sale. And so, ten years ago, The Lady Carpenter was born. In discussing the role of women in the field of car­ pentry, Joyce feels very strongly that many women only need the right oppor­ tunity and the chance to become acquainted with the tools. Lady genius She insists that many show real genius once they learn to master power tools, which in her opinion are as easy to operate as the sew­ ing machine and the elec­ tric knife in the kitchen. Although the Lady Car­ penter's scrapbook is filled with photographs of rooms she has created and built, although she handles the tools of her trade with ease and great efficiency, Joyce ruefully admits that some customers are reluctant to hire women for major projects. In the classroom, The Lady Carpenter moves eas­ ily from student to student calling out advice and sug­ gestions. Seeing her ma­ nipulating the power tools almost effortlessly, the stu­ dents gain confidence. Once that happens, the ladies are ready. In the event women feel that the world of carpentry might damage their win­ some feminine appeal in the eyes of their menfolk, they can take note the tall, striking brunette with flashing eyes and classic profile is indeed a Mrs., a carpenter -- and, a lady! SAFETY FACTOR The most important in­ gredient of any home im­ provement project should be safety, especially when power tools are used. Do-it-yourself window shade booklet offered Do-it-yourselfers take heart! The Window Shade Manufacturers Association has published a new book­ let, "Do-It-Yourself Ideas For Window Shades." It is available by mail from Window Shade Manufac­ turers Association, Dept. 161, 230 Park Ave., New York, N. Y. 10017. Please include 25c to cover post­ age and handling.