Small House Construction

Northern Advocate, 17 January 1948, Page 4

Small House Construction

Discussing house building, Sir Reginald states that work should be put in hand as an urgent matter to investigate the structural problem of the small house. He expressed considerable doubts about, the type of construction being followed in New Zealand.

The ’traditional framed timber building appealed as the obvious and admirable type to be employed, but it was unlikely that it was the most economical. The amount of timber used seemed excessive, and no consideration was given to insulation while the type of timber now proposed was quite different from the traditional one. In recommending an urgent investigation into small house building, Sir Reginald states that the following factors require consideration: —Economy in the use of timber and earthquake resistant materials; types of timber; heat insulation and methods of heating; roof coverings, such as sheet materials versus tiles; and maintenance costs.

' “I am sorryi to see various efforts to replace the traditional colonial framed

timber constructions by European forms until thorough research investigations have been carried out to discover the suitability of the new constructions,” Sir Reginald says. “The liability to earthquakes in New Zealand makes the framed structure highly desirable. “Although I realise the reason for the change in roofing materials from corrugated iron to tiles in the present conditions of supplies, my experience of air raids makes me feel that such a change may be undesirable from the point of view of earth vibrations. “I have seen examples of modern brickwork and masonry buildings which indicate clearly that the use of these materials is rather foreign to the designer and erector. The costs of houses are higher than in England. English costs are from 23/- to 25/- a square foot, while I am told that in New Zealand they range from 30/- to 40/- a foot. The replacement of rimu which was 1 nearly worked out, by pinus insignis as a housebuilding timber was a change in tradition which was obviously hotly debated.