Now is the time for those HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Press, 28 March 1980, Page 22

Now is the time for those HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Loans from the Housing Corporation are available for improvements to older houses. The limit is usually $lO,OOO but if you have existing mortgages, total borrowings must not exceed 90% of the Corporations valuation of your property. Loans apply to both owneroccupied and rented properties. The loan term can be up to 15 years. Loans may be given for worthwhile improvements to vour house, such as:

♦Replacing worn out parts, such' as piles, roofing, interior linings, exterior wallboards (that is, making good of deferred maintenance!. Generally, improvements in quality that, will extend the life of a house will qualify for a,loan.

♦Building a garage or carport to provide off-street parking. ♦lmproving the interior layout. ♦Fitting adequate basins, baths, toilets, etc. The rest of the loan can be used on deferred maintenance, su?h as painting, but you cannot get a loan only for regular maintenance. At least- half the money must be used on improvements. To get Corporation approval of your loan you have to fillin an application form and submitt ♦Building plans. ♦Specifications. ♦Quotations for the work. This may involve paying a professional to draw up Jans and specifications.

Thermal Insulation Insulation is one of the most effective ways to save energy—and to improve your home. For this reason Government has introduced a loan assistance scheme for home owners to insulate existing or new houses. From funds provided by the Housing Corporation, local electricity and gas authorities can make advances for insulation that meets required levels of thermal resistance. Where to insulate: Investigations have shown that the greatest heat loss is through ceilings and it sometimes enough to insulate ceilings only. A home with ceiling insulation is 25 to 30 percent

cheaper to heat to a set level of comfort than a home without it. In fact the cost of insulation could well be recovered in a few years by savings in fuel bills and the saving applies, though to varying degrees, no matter what type of fuel is used. To insulate walls the material should be put in while the house is being built. There is no easy way after the walls are lined, however, walls can be insulated quite easily when re-lining is done. Alternatively walls can be battened and relined with Gib-foil. Recommendations: •Thermal insulation is worth installing in old houses as well as new.

•When you have insulated where possible, fit a thermostat control on your heating system. •When in doubt seek expert advice from your electricity or gas authority. Lighting If you buy an existing house it is not uncommon to find rooms fitted with a single lamp dangling from the centre of the ceiling. This tradition of inadequate lighting is kept up in many new houses without good reason. Lighting should be practical, placed where it is most needed or most decorative—complementing the furniture and colour arrangements. It should also be designed to reduce glare. This is best done by balancing brightly lit work areas

with the surroundings. For example it is often tiring for you eyes to read under a single lamp or watch television without, a reasonable amount of background light. A good rule of thumb is to have about one third of the light you need kept in the background.

Unshielded lights also create glare so bulbs and strip lights should be screened. If a light is too close it may catch your eye constantly and become a strain. Move it away. Light intensity falls off rapidly with distance: 3 metres from a light the intensity is only L2sth of that at 1.5 m. from: ’buying or Building a House’ by Consumers’ Institute of New Zealand.

Home Improvements