State Advances were very advanced

Steven Tindall’s comments about housing affordability (November 28) were right on the button.

The old State Advances loans had an immeasurable social benefit. Without it my parents, and probably most of those post-war, would never have been able to afford our family homes. How much more sensible than funding people to rent?

As for potential cost reductions, I spent some years renovating ex-state houses in Wellington.

While working on a friend’s house in Titahi Bay I was struck by the differences in design and construction.

Turned out it was part of a development using kit-set houses imported from Austria. Our local Oakura postie grew up in one and still has photos of the construction stages.

All the components had matching numbers, still visible. I subsequently worked on several in the area and was impressed with many of the design features. I’m not knocking our state houses. They’re probably among the soundest houses ever built – maybe a bit too sound.

But I realised there was a lot to learn from alternative ways using lighter materials. It seems pretty well accepted now that one of the main contributors to escalating building costs are everincreasing compliance costs.

My own house I relocated from Opunake, bought from its original family owners.

Quite by chance I located the original plans kept in the Opunake library.

There’s about four sheets of handwritten foolscap paper, probably put together by the builder and owner, who was the village blacksmith, sitting at the kitchen table over a 1/2g.

A basic description and drawing with measurements, including window and door openings etc, with the telling added comment ‘all work to tradesman-like standard’. Enough said.

They probably shook hands afterwards and opened another one. What price such a simple, honest system today.

Sometimes I wonder if we have really progressed that much.

John Leith, Oakura