Christchurch townhouses come of age

Press, 26 January 1989, Page 29

Christchurch townhouses come of age

The growing popularity of townhouses during the last 20 years reflects changing lifestyles and social patterns. With most of the advantages of conventional homes, built in low maintenance materials on a small, easy-care landscaped sections, townhouses offer freedom from the hard slog of looking after a big family home on a large section. It also makes good economic sense to put two households on one conventionally sized section. Townhouse life appeals particularly to the single working person or to working couples. From young executives without children to retired couples whose families have grown up and left home, people are opting to live in townhouses so that they have more time for leisure activities or leading a full working life with more freedom from gardening. As one and two-person households become more common, so do townhouses. Today, 25 per cent of all households consist of two people, and the number of one-person households is increasing. And as the demand for townhouses has grown, style and individuality have evolved so that the experienced eye can probably pin-point, an accurate construction date.

The early approach to townhouses in the 1970 s saw many older homes, especially in the Merivale area, demolished to make way for five, six or seven units. This was seen as a way of using old, established gardens to get the maximum value from the real estate.

On the eastern side of Christchurch, the “sausage” developments —

the units all in a row — were not as successful, says a Christchurch architect, Mr Gavin Willis. “Many people felt this kind of group housing was too big. The individuality of living in one house was lost,” he said.

Two or three townhouses on one site are now more common, particularly in the popular north-west.

Design has changed as awareness of the quality of the environment has grown, so the long sausage shape has given way to a more varied layout and small landscaped gar-

dens. Townhouses now must have outdoor living areas with privacy. “Local authorities have listened to architects,” said Mr Willis. Fashions in the materials townhouses are built in have changed, too. Brick and stained weatherboard have given way to the more avantgarde art deco white with a smooth cement plaster finish.

Early townhouse usually had two bedroosm and one bathroom. Today, they are more likely to have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, perhaps a conservatory and a double garage.

The age of the townhouse couple has a good deal to do with design. The young executive couple will probably want to entertain, so they need flexible living areas and indoor/outdoor living. The older couple is more likely to want fixed living areas.

Townhouses are not necessarily cheaper; very often they are more expensive. The size of the section is smaller but the home itself may not be — 1500 to 1600 square feet or 174 to 183 square metres is a common size.

Both single and two storey townhouses are common — two storeys make good use of land. Two units joined together are also popular, but the demand for two self-con-tained units on one section, with separate access, is increasing. They can be the same style, or quite different, as long as they are compatible. Even if the two have a very similar design, each should have some kind of identification of its own, said Gavin Willis. The term “townhouse” is not strictly accurate and neither is “flat.” “Home unit” is more correct. It can be defined as a dwelling on a small area, the exact size varying according to local body requirements. In the Christchurch City Council’s R 1 zone, two home units may be built on 25.7 perches or 650 square metres. In the R2 zone, the permissible density is worked out according to the number of persons per hectare. In the Waimairi District Council the minimum land per unit is 11.86 perches or 600 square metres for two units.