This plan shows the interior of the house illustrated on the previous page. At one end the roof is brought forward to form a verandah, an open-air extension of the living room. The plan, which was to the satisfaction of State Advances, does not provide for built-in wardrobes (though these could be included). But it does have good kitchen fittings, separate W.C., and insulation in floor and roof. on the normal three-bedroom house design, and cost about £2,800. It had low eaves, and a large living space open to the rafters. In this living space there is a kitchen, a dining space, and a divan that can be used occasionally as an extra bed. It opens out to a veranda on the sunny north gable wall, over which the roof is extended. That might make it look a bit like a whare, but this particular house was built for a European family, and they liked the roof. It might be less popular with a Maori family — it was a sensible design for a large site, though; only the veranda would not be private enough if it faced the street. The interior is light and useful; the internal passage to the bedrooms has direct light, opens into the back entrance, and is wide enough to look spacious. The children can play in this wide passage, and it is almost part of the living space. One room is small, which is useful if somebody is sick. But all bedrooms take at least two beds each. There is room for visitors, and the kitchen is a long one, so that more than one woman could work in it at a time. The sunny veranda, with its wide steps, is good for receiving visitors.

New Methods Possible Since then some advances in building techniques have occurred, notably the development of new roofing materials which make a flat or near-flat roof a practical possibility. This has the effect of making it easier and cheaper to build houses to plans which are not strictly rectangular. This, in turn, gives us the chance of including many new features in the design.

‘Outdoor Living Room’ A new type of plan, making use of some of the possibilities which this type of roof presents, is submitted here for your criticism. It features an ‘outdoor living room’, an internal court around which the house is built. This acts as a private ‘open air living room’, an addition to the living space, either covered or not, that could be much cheaper than a large room inside the house, while serving very well when there are many visitors.

Eliminates Passages The plan is no larger than the traditional one, but it eliminates all passages, thereby saving space for other purposes. The living room itself is 33 feet long, and parts of it are narrow, like a long gallery, open on one side with glass doors to the internal court, our ‘open air living room’. Because of this it will not feel cramped. Other parts of the living room are 13 feet wide, and the whole living