Pre-Fabricated Houses For Australia

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 251, 23 October 1945, Page 4

Pre-Fabricated Houses For Australia

By MARGARET LAWRENCE . AUSTRALIA, like many other countries, faces an acute housing shortage as the result of the war years, when concentration of manpower and materials on the war effort brought building practically to a standstill. Before the war about 42,000 new houses were built annually in Australia. Cessation of building during the war means a present shortage of 300,000 homes. To-day housing nas urgent priority, and large numners of Australia's fighting men and war workers will soon be absorbed in the building trade.

Among the building programmes which will soon be greatly extended is that of the Victorian State Government Housing Commission. The Commission was formed in 1938, with a charter to provide houses for low wage earners, rebuild slum areas, and set minimum standards for new housing. Up to August, 1945, it had built 2421 houses (750 of them before the war) at a cost of £2,223,674 (excluding cost of land). An additional 1280 houses are in, varying stages of construction. The total income from rent of the houses is £91,630. The maintenance cost is about one-third of one per cent of the capital expenditure.

»Rents are based upon the total capi-< tal value of the property and provision is made to cover rates, administration, interest and sinking fund maintenance, etc. The Commission earns no profit from its building activities. Rents range from 15/6 for a two-person dwelling to 34/ per week for a 10-person dwelling.

A system of rentes has been put into operation whereby a person on the basic wage wijl not pay more than one-fifth of his weekly income in rent. Assuming that the economic rental is 30/ per week and the basic wage £5 per week, a tenant on the basic wage would obtain a rebate of 10/ per week. As the income Increases the rebate decreases, until the income reaches £6 10/ per week, when the full rental is payable. To enable rapid construction of houses in planned estates, prefabricate technique has been evolved by the Housing Commission's architects. Under this system, the site is prepared for erection of the house by excavating for the precast concrete stumps. These stumps are set on a concrete base and are levelled 'all round the house. They vary in type to serve different purposes. Concrete floors to bathrooms, porches and laundries are poured immediately after stumps are placed.

» The concrete wails are poured on steel casting tables in lengths verying from 6ft to 40ft, each wail being poured in its entirety. Before pouring, electrical conduit, switch boxes, holes for water, gas and waste pipes, ventilators, holes and fittings for bolting of walls, plugs for fixing door and window frames and sheetings are all placed in their correct positions. Steel reinforcing is embedded in the concrete and lifting hooks are built on tc provide for transport. Walls are not removed for at least 24 hours, after which the tables are tipped to a vertical position, and the walls are lifted to stands to remain for a further 24 hours curing. A'fter this curing period, the walls are transported by mobile crane to their position in the house, lowered on to stumps and bolted together. When lightly bolted, the space between the walls is packed tightly with mortar and the bolts are then tightened. Outside corners have a precast concrete column bolted to each wall.

Following erection 01 the walls, the house is completed and fitted in the usual manner. Approximately 350 of these houses have been completed by the Commission, and about 150 are in course of construc* tion at present.