‘Plumbing Styles Behind The Times’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31154, 2 September 1966, Page 1

‘Plumbing Styles Behind The Times’

Plumbing styling in New Zealand homes was “sort of antiquated”, the chairman of the international housing committee of the United States National Association of Home Builders (Mr B. Johnson) said in Christchurch yesterday.

Mr Johnson said that in some items, more especially in plumbing, New Zealand was deficient “in that you are behind the times.” Plumbing designs of Italians and North Americans were slightly superior to those of New Zealanders, he said. “But I think your wood products, by and large, are better than many of ours. 1 think your block products are very good here. Your roof products are excellent,” said Mr Johnson. Mr Johnson is one of 20 association members who have already made a study tour of many Wellington and Auckland homes, and will do the same in Christchurch. The associatio has 45.000 members, who are manufacturers, home builders and financiers. The 20 men visiting Christchurch have built jmore than 10,000 United | States homes. Mr Johnson said he was im- ' pressed by the standard of home building in New Zealland.

“You have good architecture and more important, I think, good land planning and communities,” said Mr Johnson. “It is nicely laid out with proper emphasis on green areas, places for bush, parks and statuary things that make for good, pleasant | living.” Houses in New Zealand lacked some of the competitive amenities that American builders had to install in homes.

“Home building in the U.S. is so competitive that we have to do much more in the way of refinements,” he said. For example it would be hard for a builder to sell a house in America without central heating. He was amazed that a country such as New Zealand which has a fairly cold climate, had so little central heating. American builders, said Mr Johnson, used more openbeam ceilings, more natural wood finishes, and many more ceramic and clay tiles than did their New Zealand counter parts.