[II]
THE IMPORTANCE OF USING LOCAL MATERIALS
(Extract from “Country Life,” November 9th, 1918)
300,000 Cottages would Entail the Transport Of 60,000,000 Tons of Material
In carrying out any considerable scheme of house building two difficulties will have to be met. The first arises from the scarcity of building material; the other from the cost and difficulty of transport. These, to some extent, can be obviated by the use of local material, which is to be commended on other grounds as well. Local material fits into the character of the neighbourhood in which it is found and maintains its traditions.
Very few people realise the bulk of materials, and in order to help them the following statement has been prepared to show the materials needed for each cottage and the total for 300,000 cottages:
| Materials. | Weight. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per One Cottage. | Per 300,000. | ||||
| Tons. | Cwts. | Qrs. | (Tons.) | ||
| Ballast, sand, gravel | 78 | 17 | 0 | 23,655,000 | |
| Lime | 5 | 18 | 0 | 1,770,000 | |
| Cement | 12 | 8 | 0 | 3,720,000 | |
| Bricks | 85 | 0 | 0 | 25,500,000 | |
| Slates for D.P.C | 0 | 10 | 2 | 157,500 | |
| Chimney-pots | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11,250 | |
| Tiles | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2,137,500 | |
| Carcassing timber | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2,100,000 | |
| Complete joinery timber | 1 | 12 | 0 | 480,000 | |
| Cast-iron rain-water goods and sundries | 0 | 9 | 0 | 135,000 | |
| Stoves, copper, ash-bin, etc. | 0 | 5 | 2 | 82,500 | |
| Nails, screws, etc. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22,500 | |
| Hair for plaster | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15,000 | |
| Lead flashings, etc. | 0 | 2 | 1 | 33,750 | |
| Sink, waste pipes, draining boards, etc. | 0 | 2 | 1 | 33,750 | |
| Sanitary goods | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15,000 | |
| Whitening, distemper and paint | 0 | 3 | 1 | 48,750 | |
| Total | 199 | 14 | 2 | 59,917,500 | |
It will be seen that to carry out the scheme for 300,000 cottages a total of close on 60,000,000 tons of material will have to be shifted. In addition to that, it must be remembered that the cost of material is very small in comparison with that of building. This will be apparent from an analysis of the items employed for actual cost and the percentage which that cost bears to the total cost.
Cottages erected 1912 (semi-detached): total interior area of cottage, 772 ft. super, (parlour, kitchen, scullery and three bedrooms, coal and W.C.):
| Per House. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Item. | Actual Cost. | Per cent. of Total Cost. | |
| 1. | Sundries | 8 | 2.66 | |
| 2. | Foundations | 16 | 5.28 | |
| 3. | External and party walls (a) | 77 | 25.41 | |
| Windows and doors (b) | 23 | 7.59 | ||
| 4. | Internal partitions | 36 | 11.88 | |
| 5. | Ground floor | 18 | 5.94 | |
| 6. | Upper floor | 22 | 7.26 | |
| 7. | Roof and rain-water goods | 34 | 1.22 | |
| 8. | Chimney and fireplaces | 30 | 9.90 | |
| 9. | Sanitary fittings, water supply and drainage | 19 | 6.27 | |
| 10. | Staircases | 11 | 3.63 | |
| 11. | Fittings | 6 | 1.98 | |
| Total | £300 | |||
These facts help to clarify the problem. The weight of the building materials required for an ordinary cottage with living-room, parlour, scullery, three bedrooms, etc., the house containing cubic contents of about 11,500 ft., would come approximately to 200 tons per cottage; and even assuming that there is only an average transport of fifty miles, this would give 10,000 ton-miles per rural cottage, which is taking it at a very low average. In each cottage the weight of the brickwork represents about 42 per cent. of the total weight. It is, therefore, apparent that every effort should be made to lessen the transit of materials required for the external walling. If, on the other hand, local materials are employed, this carriage would be saved and a great economy effected. Even if this utilitarian consideration were not so important as it is, the desirability of making all possible use of local materials is very great from other points of view. It would stimulate local interest in building and, in addition to retaining the traditions of the district, give greater hope of retaining and maintaining the proper architectural aspect of our villages.