Author(s): Alide Elkink

NZ Non Fiction

The book Renovate 1970s is the fifth and final in the BRANZ Renovate series covering the renovation of houses from different eras. Over 279,000 houses were built in New Zealand in the 1970s, a time of expanding suburban development. Architectural styles developed during the 1950s and 1960s influenced mass housing, and a wide range of new materials was used. Split-level homes became common on sloping sites, and many houses included garaging for two cars, with internal access. Architect-designed houses introduced different window styles and rooflines, and new linings and claddings. Many houses from this era are little changed since construction. Typical renovation work includes updating kitchens and bathrooms and making improvements to energy efficiency through retrofitting thermal insulation and installing modern space heating systems. As with the previous titles in the series, this new book is a technical resource. It covers: exactly what defines 1970s style how these houses were constructed, and with what materials modifications they may have had in the decades since they were built. Renovate 1970s also takes you through the issue of getting a consent for renovation work, looking at compliance paths and alternative solutions. Very brief examples show compliance paths that could be used for renovations such as adding another room, adding a first floor addition, and adding a double glazed window where there is currently no window. The book is well illustrated, and includes over 40 easy-to-follow 3D drawings of typical construction details.