page 16

Interior of living space

Interior looking towards Bedroom

This house, designed for Mr. D. J. Atkins in Upper Hutt, was intended to be the first stage of a building scheme for a family home.

While the family is just a young married couple the requirements remain simple. There is no need for elaborate living—no ritual of meals solemnly served or activities placed into compartments. There can be a free and easy way of life with both members of the family taking part. The easiness of the holiday bach in a permanent house was looked for, but with the finish and sophistication of a town dwelling.

It was decided that with a family of two, what was chiefly required was one space. Areas for cooking and sleeping need not be shut off with the finality of a closed door, but screened by cupboards and general arrangement of the plan.

Closed rooms were the bathroom, a storeroom (tennis gear, golf bags, cases, boxes, etc.) and a heating compartment.

The rectangular plan has the block of these closed rooms in the centre and the living area surrounds them on three sides. The bed is at one end, next to the bathroom, and the kitchen at the other.

The front door opens into the house alongside the wardrobe which screens the bed and which also serves as a coat cupboard.

The kitchen is screened by the centre block and its lack of “shutting off” is further justified by the wall which runs through the living room and kitchen. This is lined with beautiful figured rimu, clear stained, and uniting the two areas completely.

The kitchen itself is a line of bench with cupboards over, lit from above and with a “Compacta” washing machine at the end, next to the cooker. A fan takes away any fames. The ceiling has been lined with “Perfotile” acoustic tiles to deaden some of the clatter of kitchen noise and this adds to the decorative effect of the room besides giving added light reflection.

Windows down to the floor and up to the ceiling give an air of spaciousness to what is really a very small house. This apparent largeness was helped by lining the underside of the roof rafters instead of having a flat ceiling.

Construction and Finish.

The methods used in building were as far as possible time-saving and economical. This enabled a high standard of finish and materials. Better quality finishing materials, too, enables quicker erection and other compensating savings in cost.

The floor is concrete slab, quickly built, warm and silent and of sufficiently low cost to allow cork tiles to be used.

The walls are studs at 3ft. Oin. centres, lined on both sides with plywood; resin-bonded striated “Weldtex” externally and rimu inside. There are no window frames, or sashes as such—various studs are rebated to receive glass or adjustable louvres. The doors are hung in rebated studs, too.

The use of ply (an otherwise expensive material) has allowed certain savings. Only half the usual number of studs was necessary and it was possible to do without any skirtings, architraves, or cornices. The stud frames themselves were factory made and taken out to the job in eight sections. The builders then fitted them over the holding down bolts in the concrete floor and lined them.

Walls and ceilings were insulated with “Insulwool”. This measure, besides saving fuel bills has a noise deadening effect and the sound of rain on the roof is hardly heard. As for heating, on a normal day the warmth of the sun enters the windows and when the curtains are drawn this warmth is trapped until late in the evening.

The roof is lined underside with pinus ply clear varnished with “Vitritex” which keeps the wood very near its original light colour. The roofing is “Corroplast”, a plastic corrugated roofing material with insertions here and there of corrugated perspex—over the kitchen, where windows in one wall would have

Plan

Interior Showing dining area.

Exterior from North West

page 18

Proposed later additions in two stages.

looked out into a neighbour's backyard, and over the bathroom. The bathroom at a later stage will be entirely built around, and its light and ventilation have been allowed for in the roof.

Colour.

Outside the walls are clear varnished with white window members, the flush doors one bright yellow and the roof a rich chocolate brown.

The same method of allowing the materials to provide their own colouring has been used inside. Second quality plywood was painted—over the bed a dusty pink and on the west wall a grey-blue. The south wall is clear varnished rimu ply, the central block is Seraya ply, a beautiful golden ply with large patterns of open grain, also clear varnished. The cork floor has been waxed. Furnishings provide a rich counterpoint in colour and texture, deep burgundy for one set of curtains and natural for the other. Easy chairs are upholstered in the same colour combination. Accents of bright red are in the upholstery of the dining chairs. Further relief in colour is provided in a glimpse of the kitchen. Pale yellow speckled lino, while ceiling and the inside wall of soft grey lined with white benches and a red linoleum bench top.

Lighting is by fluorescent tubes in the kitchen and another tube is concealed in the top of the wardrobe shining on to the pinus ceiling and reflecting a warm light downwards. There is strip lighting over the bed. Elsewhere illumination depends on wall brackets and a standard lamp. The wall brackets can give indirect light by reflecting off the walls and ceiling, or can spot the dining table or the book in front of the fire.

Further Stages.

Later, when the family increases, or when a separate bedroom becomes desirable from the condition of the family purse, the second stage will be built. This not only gives more sleeping space, but also frees more of the main living area.

And to become a “family house” a complete unit of bedrooms, bathroom and playing space can be added, the child's bedroom of the second stage becoming an entrance hall.

It is recognised that three visits by builders will be more costly in the long run than if the complete house were built now. But at the moment all that is needed is a small cheerful house, easy to work and easy to keep clean. Later, when more room is necessary the nucleus of the house can be added to.

Materials Used

• Concrete—Certified Concrete.

• Cork Tiles—laid by M. B. Stevens.

• Lino—laid by M. B. Stevens.

• Plywood (Pinus, Rimu, Seraya, Weldtex) — Residential Construction Company.

• Insulation—“Insulwool.”

• Stud Frames and Joinery—Jones Timber Co. Ltd.

• Roofing, Corroplast — supplied by Dominion Sales Corporation.

• Plumber—Roy McKelvey.

• Painter—T. Mason.

• Electrician—J. Parsons & Co. Ltd.

• Furniture, Furnishings, and some Light Fittings—Furniture Fashions.

• Fan—supplied by Plumbers Ltd.

• Compact—Compacta Appliance

• Compacta — Compacta Appliances.

• Cooker—supplied by Residential Construction Company.

• Marble Fire Surround—supplied by Residential Construction Company.

• ‘Paul’ Louvres — supplied by Residential Construction Company.

• Hardware—supplied by Residential Construction Company.

• Perspex Washhand Basin—supplied by Plumbers Ltd.

• Mosaic Shower Tray—installed by Briscoe Mills.

• Perspex Skylights—supplied by Winstones.

• Hot Water—by Metro.

• Counterpoise Light Fittings—supplied by Watson Victor.