Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 5 · column 5 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
value of $106,000. However, this is still below the average of $117,400 for 1989.
There has also been a tendency for more people to remodel or build additions on existing houses, Mr. Burke said. In 1988, 44 permits were issued for additions or renovations to houses. Figures are not available for 1989, but in 1990, 70 such permits were issued. So far in 1991, 34 permits have been issued for additions or renovations.
“When money is tight, people tend to remodel,” Mr. Burke said. “In some cases the additions are bigger than the original house.”
Tom Taylor, who does general contracting work, agrees there is more activity now. “There are quite a few people looking and pricing, and we’re doing a lot of bidding, but it is difficult to nail a contract down,” he said.
He also said that financing is a problem for some of the people interested in having him build them a home. “We’re very hopeful the recession is bottoming out, but it will be this time next year before construction really gets going good,” he said.
He said he had been hoping for a drop in the price of building supplies, but those prices are not dropping. He did add that competition is forcing subcontractors to submit lower bids.
“I’m*a very optimistic person,” he said. “I think we’ll be fine. This is going to weed out the guy who calls himself a contractor but doesn’t put in the effort or stand behind his work, and we’ll be back to normal. ”
94.2%