HOME PLANNING AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12602, 12 November 1926, Page 11

HOME PLANNING AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

(CONDUCTED BY “ARCHITRAVE. ’) This column, which is conducted by an expert, is devoted to the service of those who build, or are interested in building 1 houses. We trust that those of our readers who find themi selves confronted by the problems in which it seeks to assist j them will make full use of it, and if they have any question to which we can find a reasonable answer that they will address it to our contributor*

THE PORCH In our previous issues wo have dealt with tho verandahs and bai- ! conics. To some extent the term verandah may be held to include porch, and porch to include verandah. This is not only when the porch is a veran- . dah used as a protection to the en- ! trance to' a house, for it is becoming a habit'to use the word porch somewhat loosely to cover both verandahs and balconies which are often described as “sun porches.” But wo want to say something of the porch proper ns tho protection of the house-door from rain, wind, and • perhaps the gaze of the passer-by.. | In the arrangement of porches, there are several varieties of plan which can bo classified as those which are recessed into the house; those which ; project, and those which are partly j recessed and partly projecting. I Those which are recessed into the house itself have the main roof over them. It is often desirable do carry this roof down as a projection in order to give better protection from rain. This feature has, however, another value: a porch recessed within the main walls of a house is liable to look like p. mere “hole in the wall.” A.) It needs some treatment to indicate its purpose. A lower projecting roof aids in giving this expression—(Fig. L); but is not the only means by which it can be secured. A small flat roof arranged as a suspended or bracketed-out hood would fulfil the same purpose and also keep out the rain. (Fig. C.) if the actual protection is not needed, it is possible to express the entrance by some feature which will give the desired importance to the main entrance to the house. It is essential in the design of the porch that it should not appear as a mere excrescence on the outside of the house—it must have some relation to its house. Indeed, it should be made the principal feature of the house front. But it is not always easy to design a really serviceable porch which will do this and keep its relationship with the house itself. There are certain considerations in

the aspect of porches which need careful study in our breezy city. It is often essential to have a front door opening on to the windy side of a house. Admittedly it is a wise precaution to try to avoid this; but when there is no alternative the problem must be squarely faced, and something must bo don© to avoid the unpleasantness of wind sweeping in at the front door. To accomplish this, it is usually possible to project the porch and make the actual opening to it on the least windy side. This admittedly detracts somewhat from the welcome appearance of a porch with entrance direct, but in a corner-wise view of the house it may look quite satisfactory. Such a porch usually needs to have a wide window or to have its front wall practically all glazed. We shall deal next week with the actual design of projecting perches. NEW ZEALAND HOUSES WHAT IS THEIR “STYLE?” Mr Level Rule was asked tho other day some questions regarding the design of our New Zealand houses. Firstly he was asked: “What is the style of our New Zealand bouses?” He was at first tempted to say “all sorts.” He, as an architect, felt the question to be somewhat naive, however, and he wanted to give some information on the matter. So he replied: “What could an architect in the days of—say Queen Elizabeth —have answered?” “I suppose he would have said: “Elizabethan.” said his interrogator. “No,” said Mr Rule. “He would probably have been just as nonplussed as I am now to give you a precise answer. He might have told you that such and such a fine house was designed in somewhat of the Italian manner, and that a certain farmhouse was just in the manner in these parts.” So the trouble really was that Mr

Rule, like the Elizabethan architect, did not know—and he Baid so. Ho explained that what we might now cal! Elizabethan would not be known as such in those days—it was just what they did, and it was of various kinds. Possibly those of our houses which aicwell enough built to last 300 years will be labelled “of the style of George V.” But then what a variety w«

should have! Fortunately most of the alleged “Californian Bungalows” would not be in existence to impugn our character—they are not built for posterity. The best of our work, as Mr KuJo explains, is based on good domestic work in England and America, and in those countries they have no name for what they are doing. In England, particularly, good modern designs for houses do nob differ to an extraordinary extent in outward appearance from those of some centuries back. There have been movements, revivals, schools, individual and local developments from time to time, but there is uol much to regard as unusual or unique compared to the various types. Even in America the best work shows similar tendencies. After all the most important thing is that the buildmg shall have not a style but some style, or to use a better word, some character. The merit is not in the name but in the intrinsic qualities—whatever the style followed. It is quite unimportant what it is so long as it efficiently serves its function, and lias as beautiful an appearance as can be given to it. However, Mr Rule decided to show his questioner some individual buildings, and tell him on what period they were based. In Fig. 1 is a small cottage, designed in traditional English character. Not quite perhaps as would havo been carried out 200 and more years back; but it has elements which have come down from those days. One cannot name the style, but it undoubtedly has character. Fig. 2, is of a much larger house, and its character is that of the period of the 18th century in England, known generally as Georgian, as will be noticed it is more formal and sedate. RETAINING WALLS , ESSENTIAL PRECAUTIONS. In our hilly city the retaining wall is an all too frequent necessity. From the many evidences of cracked and defective retaining walls and their frequent collapse it is quite clear that

care has not been exercised in the method of design and construction. The calculation of tho capacity of a retaining wall to bear a load is one which involves a knowledge of structural mechanics. Nearly every case varies in the problems which have to be considered. It is only those with the knowledge which architects and engineers possess who can with any certainty design retaining walls. There are cases, of course, where experience of an exactly similar case is a guide; but the property owner who relies on this often finds himself involved in heavy expenditure to replace a defective wail. It is therefore better to make the first cost the last one, and secure a design based on sound calculation. The real difficulty lies in tho fact that the wall has to be of such weight as to be a counterpoise to the weight of the wedge shaped portion of earth which has n tendency to slide, particularly when it is wet. Different weights and classes of soil have varying effects of thrust and the thrust is of course increased if tho earth is banked up on top of the wall. The timber retaining walls which are still unwisely used to a considerable extent have obviously too little

weight of themse ves to he an effective balance to the weight behind. They consequently have to be strutted and stayed to hold up khe load. The strain is always upon them and they are continually deteriorating—nails and bolt’ rusting, wood decaving—mtil their day is done and they yield to the force of circumstances. Concrete, leinforced, has appealed to many as a desirable material, and has been used considerably. The concrete is monolithio in construction: but this fact is of no avail if it does not exert the necessary weight to oppose the earth, load. In larger walls, reinforced concrete can be used most economically, and the usual principle is that of making the fort,of tho wall act as a shelf to hold tbe earth—the weight of this adding to tho weight of the wall and counteracting the weight of the earth load behind it. Brick or stone walls have to be designed with sufficient weight for their purpose, for, being without reinforcement, they cannot bo used as concrete to form, a shelf, although they can havo small ledges to take a portion 01 the earth load and so assist in maintaining their balance.