HOUSE OF LOGS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20272, 25 June 1931, Page 4

HOUSE OF LOGS.

innovation at north BEACH. larch from lIANMER. The first dwelling to bo built entirely of logs cut from trees planted, grown, and sawn at the Stato Forestry Department's plantations at Haniner, is to be found in a street leading from the Parade at North Leach. Tho material used is larch, a good house-building wood, very durablo under both wet and dry conditions, and •i tji-ineo at various bare-cut end pieces lean's to the assumption that most of the timber is Irom twenty to thirty vears old. Many of tho tlanmer trees dating from that time .were planted under" the supervision of the present Conservator of State 1' ojx.'sts lor Canterbury, Mr W. O. Morrison. Work is ao present proceeding at the plantations at thinning out, and most of the lone pieces used in the house are almost as they were cut from the bush; the half-pieces were passed through a sawmill at Haniner, which is being run on a co-operative basis by a syndicate of men there. Altogether a matter of 400 logs went to tlie making of tho house. Surface of Bark. The inner walls as well as the outer present a surface of bark, light brown in colour. A foot or so of each is allowed to overlap at corners, so that a curious crenellated effect is maintained on each side, llien, (surmounting tho roundness of tho logs, quite naturally, but as if it had been artificially veneered there, is the rough bark. White window frames provide respite Irom tho pervading brown, while a cedar .dated roof tones off well, and completes tho harmony. The house is built on an eminence, and a .sunken garage facing on to the pavement, aliso built of logs, and a small log shed at the rear, are part of the etfect, which is both pleasing and unusual. Although intended primarily for holiday habitation, the house is of ample size. There is a large sun porch, witli supporting pillars of young larch, and the hall inside is quite sufficiently roomy for its purpose. The main room is also large and long, and it is dominated b.v a great stone fireplace, stretching from floor to ceiling in medieval fashion. The sweep of the fireplace .directs attention in turn to tho character of the ceiling itself. Tin's is composed of alternate logs and pol- j ished wood. . . ! When this unusual house, built with the crude product of the forest', has been inspected, it is impossible not to contemplate tho erection in years to come of many more of its type in NewZealand NEW HOUSE-BUYERS. EFFECT OF DEFLATION. The deflation in business and in tho prices of securities during the last eighteen months has taught the man of average means a valuable lesson, says Leon Wolosoff, president of Wologoff Brothers, a big United States building firm. Men and women who have put every spare dollar into securities, cither on margin or by outright purchase, find themselves either wiped out or holding a lot of "frozen assets." They have learned that in times of stress a home acts as an anchor. "During the boom years people gave little thought to the fundamentals nf living," said Mr Wolosoff. "Nearly everyone was making money. Wages were good, jobs secure, and tho stock market soaring. The .result was that men and women of moderate means went 'hog-wild,' spending more than they should. "To-day it is different. The 'middle class' is .learning to appreciate the security a home offers in time of business depression or reduced income. People who have had their salaries cut, or who were wiped out in Wall street, and even those who bought slocks outright, only t.f> see values slump to a fraction of the original cost, aro straining every effort to buy n house. "The security of a. homo is beyond description. A man may fall behind in his rent for a month and he dispossessed but if he ow r ns a home lie is safe. In rimes of stress expenses may be reduced to a pittance, but tho rent payable under a lease always remains tho same. Men and women who had never before considered tho question aro now eagerly turning to small homes. They have learnci their lesson —pri'.nfully to be sure;, hut well. "We are firmly convinced that tho next fow years will see !> remarkable increase in tho number of small homes own el by wage earners. Tic result will be a more substantial bedrock for society and vastly greater satisfaction and a rn'iro complete life for the individual.''