Filling in the Gaps

PROFILE OF TENANTS SURVEYED

Tenancy

Physical Neighbourhood

Social Neighbourhood

Participation

QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION

Deterioration: Life Span

When questioned further about the nature of these problems, 37% of tenants said that windows and doors did not open and close properly, 47% reported gaps around windows and doors and 53% also said that cracks and gaps appeared in walls and ceilings.

Yes - door handles keep falling off HOTONDO 89

Cracking in lounge wall (interior) HUNTER RAYSON

Yes - window frames HUNTER RAYSON

Crack appearing in ceiling JENNINGS

Yes - because of repeated problems with items not being able to be used properly (e.g. doors fall off - handles etc.) PROFILE

Yes - cracking up POULSON

Deterioration of stock was not limited to any specific builders. All stock suffered in some form or another. The 1983 built Jennings, Metricon, Hunter Rayson, Vitale, and Poulson houses rated the worst. Of the newer stock the Profile houses have been identified as deteriorating significantly. While it would be premature to make a full assessment at this stage of the properties built in 1988 and 1990 Hotondo's construction standards appeared good with little deterioration. These questions were collated both in terms of different builders, length of tenancy, and size of family. There did not appear to be any significant cross correlations between the size of the family resident in a house and the length of tenancy and whether or not the house deteriorated at all during the tenancy Structural Faults When asked about major construction defects such as walls collapsing or moving, windows twisting or slabs cracking a shocking 53% of those surveyed reported these types of occurrences.

Slab cracking METRICON

Again, this proportion was noticeably higher when the newer stock was eliminated from the sample.

No - but slab extends past the house HOTONDO 90

Ceiling in the kitchen cracking and internal movement POULSON

Eaves are cracking and birds can get into roof because of holes POULSON

Of those builders surveyed, the Jennings built houses were all identified as having structural problems. The stock built by Hotondo is probably too recently constructed for any defects to be apparent (if present) at this stage.

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance patterns can be used to illuminate the quality of construction and highlight any problem areas. 67% of tenants said that their house has had repeated maintenance for a specific problem

Yes - tiles around shower HUNTER RAYSON

Yes - pilot light on hot water service continually goes out due to its position. Heater fan breaks down - cupboard doors fall off hinges - shower door continually comes off runner and exhaust fans HUNTER RAYSON

Yes - sealing in windows i.e. glass loose in frame HUNTER RAYSON

Yes - carpet mould HCV DESIGN

Yes - flooding in back yard - drain blockages; shower base - repeatedly needs repairing HCV DESIGN

Yes - windows on western side of living area allows draft in at all times JENNINGS

Yes - eaves need to be replaced often as they fall away from house - crack in lounge room wall from window to wall - repeatedly repaired (silicone and foam holding wall together) JENNINGS

All of the tenants surveyed in Hunter Rayson, Metricon and Hotondo 90 reported that the house has had repeated maintenance for a specific problem. However no tenants in the Hotondo 1988 stock reported this difficulty.

Shower base leaking - water leaking through room on to heater - being too close to flu from heater METRICON

Yes - water going down behind tiles and on to carpet WEST

Yes door handles keep falling off PROFILE Taps and door handles HOTONDO 90

The mould is making the concrete walls crumble. Repeated request for attention has been ignored by HCV POULSON

It appears that families with more than three children have a higher maintenance requirement than smaller families. This could be due to inappropriate or low quality materials or poor detailing combined with higher usage patterns.

Yes - cupboard and drawers fall to pieces, broken windows at bottom half VITALE

Ceiling in the lounge is moving away from the wall. It also seems to be bowing POULSON

Taps and door handles HOTONDO 90

Finishes

A significant proportion of tenants reported that the wall tiling did not extend the required 18" above the bench top. Further 87% said that tiling did not extend behind the stove to the skirting boards for ease of cleaning.

No - only two rows of tiles HOTONDO 89

All residents in Vitale built houses were dissatisfied that the mandatory requirements for tiling according to MOHC standards documents were not met. The surveys indicate that tenants are dissatisfied with the level of finish in the kitchen in all houses. It was felt that the lack of adequate tiling or appropriate painting caused problems of upkeep.

No - wall finishes are inferior and hard to clean HOTONDO 89

Paint is non washable - which is ridiculous with young children - the colour is also too light and depressing HUNTER RAYSON

Wall paint washes off JENNINGS

No - had half of house repainted - but not the rest and paint non washable JENNINGS

Should be washable paint METRICON

Non washable paint PROFILE Typical commission paint VITALE

Wet areas yes - other areas no POULSON

Can't clean it properly - it is flat paint like chalk POULSON

Non washable - rooms different colours HOTONDO 90

Almost all tenants were satisfied with the wet area floor surfaces saying that these surfaces were easy to clean and maintain.

Is not easy to maintain HOTONDO 90

Gaps

When asked if there were any gaps to the outside around doors and pipeworks 43% of respondents indicated the occurrence of these.

Gaps around windows HOTONDO 89

Around back door VITALE

Around back door, rain floods the laundry HOTONDO 90

27% of the tenants said that there were obvious gaps to the exterior in the living room walls. All of the tenants housed in Poulson stock said that there were obvious gaps between the lounge room and the exterior. Further to this a total of 53% of houses had some cracks or gaps which caused some concern to tenants.

Yes - as well as there is a bow POULSON

Windows don't fit properly POULSON

Eaves are cracked and house is on a slope POULSON

On the question of gaps around windows and doors, the Hunter Rayson houses have been identified as problematic, while Jennings and Poulson houses have gaps and cracks in the walls.

Yes - the front door doesn't match properly HOTONDO 89

Yes - sliding door PROFILE

Yes - back door VITALE

Yes - some in the bathroom HOTONDO 89

Yes - outside VITALE

Acoustic Properties

A total of 50% of those surveyed said that their lounge room suffered from external noise. Responses say that the materials used for walling do not perform to standards required by tenants.

Very close to railway but able to close window to improve HOTONDO 89

Of the builders surveyed, only the Poulson and West houses all reported the penetration of external noise to the living areas indicating the use of materials with inadequate acoustic properties or materials or building practices which resulted in gaps and cracks allowing noise to enter.

Exposed Pipes

The Ministry appears to have seen to it that the practice of leaving hot and cold water pipework exposed was discontinued. However other plumbing such as vent pipes, sewer pipes and waste water pipes are to be found in full view and often in exposed locations.

Dampness and Moisture

53% of the respondents said that their houses suffered from dampness or moisture. The construction defects indicated by tenants' responses include inadequate flashings and damp proof courses, porous walls, incorrect arrangement or inadequate provision of insulation. 43% of houses had mould and mildew, 40% had condensation and 20% had some other moisture problems. 17% of these dampness problems occurred in the kitchen, 37% in the laundry, 50% in the bathroom and 37% had problems in other areas of the house. Hotondo houses are, so far, free of any moisture problems. This may reflect their recent construction or superior quality work. All of the tenants surveyed residing in Metricon and HCV design houses indicated problems with moisture throughout the house. Dampness and/or moisture penetration, manifested in the form of mould and mildew is a significant problem in houses constructed by Metricon. In HCV design houses this occurs in all bathrooms and laundries while in Metricon, it is reported in all bathrooms, suggesting a link between this and reported shower base problems. Hotondo and Jennings residents reported a minimal number of problems of this nature.

Rotting carpets HCV DESIGN

Flooding from shower base in the hallway METRICON

Floods windowsill HOTONDO 90

DESIGN STANDARDS

Room Layout

In all houses surveyed with the exception of Vitale houses, the sink was placed under a window which allowed natural light and a view. Further problems with kitchen layout were found in Hunter Rayson and HCV design as well as Vitale houses. The standards, which date from a later time, list a minimum refrigerator space as mandatory. The above builders did not meet this requirement in any of the homes surveyed. Tenants were invited to choose their preferred combination of kitchen,dining and living room arrangements. A minority, 10%, of residents chose (A) a separate kitchen with combined living/dining while 40% chose (b) combined kitchen/dining with separate lounge and 50% chose all rooms separate. In only 13% of houses did tenants report that Bedroom 1 opened on to a living area. It was felt that this layout significantly compromises tenants privacy.

No - the design of the dining/lounge and bedroom 3 causes problems VITALE

Bedroom 3 opens on to dining area HOTONDO 90

Privacy was an issue in the question of outdoor areas also. 47% of tenants said that houses were laid out in such a way that their private outdoor area was overlooked by neighbouring living areas. This was the case in all of the West houses and none of the Hotondo 89, HCV design and Profile. Generally 73% of tenants were not satisfied with privacy within and around their home.

Yes - kitchen looks into back yard and into other neighbouring houses VITALE

Entrance is almost to the lounge room and no privacy PROFILE

Both side neighbours and back neighbours can see into back yard because fence heights are inadequate POULSON

This issue of layout needs more careful consideration in the planning and design stage. Access The tenants were asked, "if there was no built in robe, was there access for entry of a large free standing wardrobe?" A majority of the rooms that did not have a built in robe did not allow for the access of a wardrobe. All of the Jennings residents said "no", however this problem was not limited to any particular builder.

Awkward to bring items through into the house METRICON

Features

80% of residents said that there are no unusual or particular elements that make the house unique. Tenants in those houses which do have some distinguishing feature indicated that these were a cause for dissatisfaction.

The house is built around a garden courtyard PROFILE

Yes - widows throughout front of house are different WEST

All of the Vitale residents said that their house had a unique feature; they all mentioned the "fish tank" window.

Yes - toilet faces kitchen HUNTER RAYSON

Yes - front of house is only 8ft from footpath on corner block METRICON

Yes - fish tank front window - 8ft windows - heater in the dining room and lighting orientation VITALE

Size of windows and irregular shape VITALE

Size of windows VITALE

Siting and Orientation

In answer to questions of external noise penetrating to the living room, 50% of respondents reported this as a concern. All of the West and HCV design houses had this problem. This is the result of inappropriate siting combined with poor design detailing. In other areas of the house, noise penetration also occurred in the same number of instances. For Bedroom 1, the problem houses however were HCV design, once again, and Hotondo 89. Bedroom 3 had some problems, but no specific builder was identified. The location of a house on a block creates a series of spaces around the house which relate to the house, neighbours and street. The residents, when surveyed, stated that they were satisfied with the size of the front yard in 83% of cases. All residents of those houses built by West were dissatisfied with this aspect. On the size of the backyard and the shape of the front and back yard, 80% of tenants were satisfied.

Would prefer house turned around on block HOTONDO 90

Residents of Hotondo 89, Hunter Rayson, Jennings and Hotondo 90 homes were unanimous in their satisfaction with these aspects. This satisfaction wanes when notions of privacy are discussed. 80% of these residents were not satisfied with their privacy within the front yard whereas 60% were satisfied with privacy in the backyard. All the Poulson residents were dissatisfied with privacy in both yards while Hotondo 90 in the backyard and Jennings, Metricon, HCV design and West residents were concerned with the front yard. 73% of the tenants reported that they were satisfied with access to their home.

Front yard is used as an access point for other residents in the street VITALE

Back fences are too low - and there are gaps in fences POULSON

The respondents were generally fairly satisfied with house and yard layout with the exception of the front yards. This flowed on to the question of back door privacy where 70% of tenants reported their satisfaction with the aspect of site design.

No - the transformer box takes up half the front yard and makes access to the front door difficult HOTONDO 90

No privacy in front yard - no way of preventing people from JENNINGS

walking across front yard - front fence would fix this Front yard is too large - too hard to maintain METRICON

No - parking for visitors should have been more concrete and there is no shaded areas HUNTER RAYSON

Drainage is not properly done in front or back yard HUNTER RAYSON

Front yard is too big - and back yard is too small. Fences around backyard should be higher - gate through to back door would be better. WEST

Size and Space

In a question designed to gauge the size of house, 63% of those surveyed said that the house would be big enough for them for the next 3-5 years. When the previous question was collated according to family size, it became clear that small families anticipated their houses continuing to meet their needs, while large families do not. For small families 90% said "yes", medium families 50% and large families 40% said "yes" to this question. When the residents were asked if they were satisfied with the number of bedrooms in their house, 70% replied "yes". 80% of small families were happy with the number of bedrooms while only 55% of both medium and large families were. According to the standards document, bedrooms must be able to accommodate residents in beds, not bunks and include enough space to make beds, open doors, etc. Overall 57% of residents said that this standard was met. All of the tenants in HCV design were not satisfied that this criteria was met. Out of the builders, only all of the Vitale were satisfactory.

For the next question, one would expect that more of the larger families would be in houses for which this question could be answered with a "yes". However 40% of small families, 70% of medium families and only 50% of large families reported that bedroom (one) could accommodate residents in beds and not bunks allowing enough circulation, space to open doors and make beds etc. When furniture accommodation was surveyed an alarming 60% of residents said that the room could not fit 2 beds, 2 bedside tables, a wardrobe and a dressing table as the standards document requires. The majority of these criticisms came from HCV design, Hunter Rayson and Poulson tenants. All of the Vitale houses were "good" on this account.

One only HOTONDO 89

The same question was asked of residents of bedroom 3 houses. In this case 97% of tenants said "no". Only one Vitale house met this requirement. Living areas were generally able to accommodate tenants' needs. 83% of residents said that there was space for a coffee table and one chair per person, plus a visitor's chair. 80% said there was also room for a bookcase and stereo, while 83% could accommodate a television too. However, all the HCV design houses could not fit a television as well. In the living room 90% of small and medium families could fit a coffee table and one chair per person and a visitor while only 70% of large family homes could manage this. 100% of small family tenants said that their houses were able to accommodate a television in the living room. This decreased to 90% with medium families and 80% with large families.

Tenants were asked if a freezer is a requirement in their household. Of those surveyed 93% said "yes", however only 10% of the total surveyed said that a freezer would fit. This was a problem with all builders. Household size did not seem to be a factor in this. The standards document also requires that there be enough space in the dining area to seat all members of the household and a guest. 67% of houses met this standard; including all the Hotondo, Hunter Rayson and Vitale, but not the HCV design houses. A further 60% reported that there was space for a cupboard also. None of the HCV design residents could make this claim. Similarly 80% of small household residents said that their dining area was large enough to seat all members of their households around the table with one guest, while only 60% of medium and large families could accomplish this.

Bedroom 3 opens on to dining area HOTONDO 90

Bedroom opens on to dining room HOTONDO 90

Back door goes from dining room HCV Design

Laundry space was generally adequate for a large washing machine with 90% of respondents. Dryers however were not so easily located as this quote illustrates

No room for dryer not enough space for anything else people cannot go through to the outside when laundry is in use WEST

Storage

`Do you have enough kitchen cupboard space?' Of the tenants surveyed 57% said "no" to this question. The biggest problems have been found in HCV design, Hunter Rayson and West homes. Answers to this question indicate that more cupboards need to be provided for all houses, and in greater quantity for families with three or more children. The same question was asked for the bathroom and 67% said storage was not adequate including HCV design, Hunter Rayson, West, Vitale, Poulson and Metricon. Residents were also asked about their linen cupboards. 60% of the linen cupboards did not meet the tenants needs and this included all of those in Hunter Rayson, HCV design, West and Hotondo 90 houses.

No - cupboard has only one shelf - it's more like a broom cupboard HUNTER RAYSON

No linen cupboard HUNTER RAYSON

Only just over half the houses 53% allowed storage of large items such as eskies or vacuum cleaners in other than the built in robes. This included all the Hotondo 90 and Poulson homes. This problem becomes more critical with the increased number of children in the household.

Yes - within linen cupboard HOTONDO 89

External storage was provided in only 30% of cases - in only Hotondo and Profile built houses. This can be understood in terms of changed housing policy.

There is no storage for bikes HOTONDO 89

Garden shed needed JENNINGS

Garden shed should be provided VITALE

Yes - but used as storage because internal design is inadequat HOTONDO 89

Just too small HOTONDO 90

Internal storage was also a contentious issue with only 37% of tenants being satisfied. Dissatisfaction was highest with Hunter Rayson, HCV design, West and Hotondo 90 houses.

Circulation

Some tenants (43%) reported difficulties with circulation in the entry/front door area. The houses built by Hunter Rayson and HCV design all had this problem, whilst none of West, Poulson or Hotondo 90 had this complaint. Large families found circulation more problematic due to the lack of storage space. Some circulation space was taken up by this. Moving to living room, tenants were asked if there was space enough to contain a coffee table and enough circulation space to ensure people can enter and leave the room without excessive disturbance to others. Not surprisingly 57% of tenants said "no". The builder who stood out as the most problematic was HCV design. Several builders "got it right", Hotondo 89, Hunter Rayson and Vitale. Again this is generally more of a difficulty for large families.

No - Hallway opens directly into lounge room HOTONDO 89

Awkward because the front door is near the bedroom door HUNTER RAYSON

No privacy when front door is opened - Also no security HUNTER RAYSON

Front door opens to kitchen door HUNTER RAYSON

Step at front door is too high HOTONDO 90

Front door is too close to back door VITALE

Prams and wheelchair accessibility impossible VITALE

Front door is hidden Would prefer door instead of archway leading to lounge from entry hall. JENNINGS

57% of residents said that the kitchen suffered from through traffic. All but one builder, HCV design, had this problem. HCV design was not mentioned in this case because all tenants in those houses had previously blocked a doorway between the kitchen and living area. Generally, laundries, the site of much domestic labour, were a neglected area. The design of laundries as the passageway to a back door caused some circulation problems.

Prefer separate laundry instead of passage way to back door JENNINGS

Would have liked a door in laundry instead of having to go outside through kitchen POULSON

Should have door from laundry to outside POULSON

Laundry door seems not to fit properly HOTONDO 89

Ergonomics

83% of tenants said that there was no difficulty in stacking dirty dishes, washing them up and putting them into the cupboard. All builders provided at least 18" deep work benches in the kitchen. In the laundry 93% of tenants said that the washing machine taps were conveniently located and easily accessible. All builders provided these fittings in an appropriate way.

Fixtures and Fittings

When tenants were asked about the provision of a 4 burner stove with griller and oven 100% replied that these were present. Tenants reported that 83% of houses had an exhaust fan in the bathroom. Only HCV design and Vitale houses did not have these. Only two thirds of houses had fixed shower screens provided. This did not occur in HCV design, West, Vitale and Poulson houses. The majority of builders (87%) did not provide floor drains in the bathroom. Only Hunter Rayson did and comments indicate that these were not sufficiently well trapped. In the laundry all houses have troughs and washing machine taps but none have floor drains.

Power Outlets

Lounge rooms contained two double power outlets in only 60% of houses. None of the HCV design, Jennings and Poulson houses were included in this 60%. The figures were slightly better for the kitchen where 73% of houses had two double power points. Again all HCV design and Poulson were lacking in this area. These builders were also deficient in the dining area along with Jennings and West where none of these provided two double power outlets. For the whole sample only 50% of houses supplied these throughout. In bedroom 1 50% and bedroom 3 70% of houses were supplied with two double power outlets. Again the HCV design and Metricon, West and Poulson houses all lacked these. Generally Hotondo and Profile all met these standards.

Finishes

A total of 53% of residents reported that bench tops do not have 450mm high water and dirtproof surrounds. All builders had some difficulties complying with this. No Vitale houses complied. Only in four houses (13%) did tenants report that tiling extended behind the stove to the skirting board for easy cleaning. Most tenants (93%) reported that the vinyl floor coverings in the kitchen are easy to clean and maintain. None of the Hotondo houses provide the 450mm splash back as required in the Victorian building regulations, in practice only 53% of houses met this requirement. All of the HCV design and Metricon houses complied. Generally tenants were very dissatisfied with the standards of wall finishes. 77% of residents said they were not satisfied with these.

ENERGY AND EFFICIENCY

Heating

Only all the houses built by Hotondo in 1990 have two doors between the exterior and the heated living area. 67% of the whole sample do not include this energy saving feature. Again Hotondo, but this time in 1989, provided weather seals to the front doors of all houses, with 53% of all houses having none. When questioned about the location of the heater 83% of residents said that the heater was in the lounge room. The exceptions were Poulson and Vitale where heaters were in the dining areas. Only in all Hotondo houses can the area with the heater in be closed off from the rest of the house. Other builders vary widely and overall the figure is 60% with this possibility.

Location of heater is poor VITALE

I am satisfied with the heater - when it works properly METRICON

The heater is in the dining area VITALE

On the question of heating 53% of the residents said that they think that their heaters are adequate. All of the Hotondo 90's and none of the Poulson residents felt this way. Further, 93% of those surveyed found their heaters easy to operate, however only 57% of respondents described the heaters size/capacity as sufficient. All of the Profile and all of the Poulson residents have said "no" to this question. The Hotondo residents have found their heaters/capacity to be sufficient but their relatively brief tenancy makes these statements inconclusive.

(New tenant) Heating cost not known so far HOTONDO 89

Heater too big HOTONDO 89

(New tenant) Heating cost not known so far HOTONDO 89

Tenants were asked whether their heaters were expensive to run. 47% said that they were expensive to run. All of the Poulson residents reported this. While all the Hotondo 90 and HCV design said they were not. Heaters were located in various positions throughout the living areas. Of the 53% who were not satisfied with the heater location this included all of the Vitale residents. Of the tenants surveyed, 67% said that the house gets too cold in winter. This included all of the West, Metricon and HCV designed houses.

Back of house gets too cold in winter HUNTER RAYSON

The house stays at a comfortable temperature sometimes WEST

73% of tenants said that their house does not stay a comfortable temperature. All of the residents of HCV design, Jennings, Vitale and Poulson houses said "No" to this question.

Cooling

The survey also considered the question of cooling. 83% of residents said that the house got too hot in summer. This figure included all of the HCV design, Jennings, Metricon, West and Vitale houses. Interestingly 37% of tenants reported that they had to install air conditioners. Given that there were no specific builders identified where air conditioners have been installed, this tends to suggest that the installation of air conditioners is based on factors such as ability to purchase a unit rather than the need to cool the house.

Needs something to keep house cool in summer JENNINGS

Would install an air conditioner if we could afford it VITALE

Shading

None of the houses with westerly facing windows had any form of external shading device provided by builders in any areas of the house.

If shading was provided to front and back of house this would eliminate heating and cooling problems which are always prevalent HUNTER RAYSON

Lighting

On the subject of the use of artificial lighting for daytime use 20% of those surveyed reported this was necessary. All of the Jennings residents reported this. 33% of tenants said that natural light does not reach the work areas in the kitchen. This included all of the HCV design houses. All of the Hotondo, Hunter Rayson and West houses have adequate natural light reaching the kitchen work areas. However only 77% of the residents said that the artificial light reached work areas. This was the case with all HCV design and Vitale houses. With all the other houses except a West this was not the case. Only 67% of residents surveyed described the lighting over the sink as adequate. This included all of the Hotondo '89 stock. Overall Vitale and HCV designs have less than adequate lighting. On the question of the need for artificial light during the daytime for general use the following comment was made:

Yes - in hallway/passageway JENNINGS

In the bathroom only 57% of tenants said that the lighting for the mirror was adequate - All of the West and none of the Jennings had this problem. In all of the bedrooms overhead lighting was provided except for the Vitale houses where lights are placed to the edge of the ceiling. Ventilation Tenants were asked if cross ventilation can be easily achieved in the living room, 33% of these said that it could not. Residents of HCV design consist- ently answered "no" to this question. All the residents of Jennings, Vitale and Poulson who were surveyed said that cross ventilation was achievable in the living room. 60% said that there was no fixed wall ventilation in this room. Only Jennings, Metricon, West and Hunter Rayson provided this. All windows have top ventilation. This causes problems.

dust VITALE

Kitchens had better figures on cross ventilation with 73% having this. All of Hotondo, Hunter Rayson, Profile, Vitale and Poulson houses facilitated this. Ventilation is achieved in the bathroom by various methods. Only 80% of houses had exhaust fans while 87% have a window. Bathroom ventilation is problematic in HCV design houses and toilet ventilation is inadequate in West houses. Even when exhaust fans are provided, problems still occur.

Yes - but does not work and is connected to the light POULSON

Draughts

In all of the houses surveyed between 67% ( in bedroom 1) and 57% (in bedroom 3) had weather stripping on the windows. These were absent in all Hotondo 90, Vitale, Metricon and HCV design houses. Tenants were asked about gaps and cracks in walls. 50% replied that there were no gaps. Only all the Hotondo 90 had none while all the Jennings houses had some.

Gaps around windows HOTONDO 89

Around back door VITALE

Sliding door doesn't fit properly VITALE

Laundry door seems not to fit properly HOTONDO 89

For the same question but under doors in the entry area again only 50% reported none of these. All builders had some problems in this regard. In the lounge room 27% of residents reported gaps in the walls to the exterior including all of the Poulson houses. Residents were also asked if there were gaps around windows or doors. 47% of respondents indicated the presence of these including all of the Hunter Rayson houses and none of the West or Hotondos. The inclusion of "7 foot" windows in some houses led to even greater problems.

No - 7ft windows POULSON

Entry

To the question "is there a sheltered area in the yard" 67% of the tenants said no. Only all of the HCV Design and Profile stock met this standard. However 63% of residents did reply that the front door was protected from the weather. Again, all Profile houses and all the Hotondo 90 met this criteria; Jennings met neither criteria in any of these five questions.

Would like drainage hole in laundry - and a verandah for weather protection outside front and back doors HUNTER RAYSON

Yes - front step HOTONDO 90

Appliances

When asked if the refrigerator was next to the stove 47% of tenants said yes. This was a problem in all Hunter Rayson, Metricon, West and Hotondo 90 houses. This placement leads to increased costs for refrigeration as more energy is required to cool a higher temperature range. Fridges would tend to be less efficient in this location.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Car Parking

Amongst the 30 households surveyed there were a total of 36 cars, about 30% of these households had two cars. This apparently high level of car use in Coolaroo West is necessitated by an inadequate public transport system.( ) Site design, in terms of security for vehicle parking, did not appear to be a major issue.

Cannot park on street - only driveway at rear of house - can only see car if behind gates. Driveway is on wrong side of property METRICON

Area surrounding concrete - strips get extremely wet where car is parked - and muddy during winter. Driveway strips should be wider to enable people to walk on concrete to doorways WEST

Not enough room behind gates for car WEST

Visitors have to park on front lawn because there is no other space POULSON

Tenants were asked if they were satisfied with parking facilities for people that lived in their house and for visitors. 70% of those surveyed answered yes for themselves and another 70% answered yes for visitors. However only tenants housed in Vitale and Profile houses all answered yes to both question 2. For Metricon and HCV design only one in three tenants were satisfied with either aspect of this question.

No - parking for visitors should have been more concrete and there is no shaded areas HUNTER RAYSON

Carport on wrong side of the house HOTONDO 90

Driveway on wrong side of the house HOTONDO 90

All the residents of Hotondo 89 houses were able to supervise their private car parking from their dwellings. Overall only 63% of those surveyed could claim this. Hunter Rayson Hotondo 90 residents fared worst in this respect. The answers to this question show that not all residents feel that surveillance of their private car parking spaces is a high priority in "good" car parking. Storage Residents were asked about the number of bicycles for which they required storage. 72 bicycles were located in the thirty households. This seemingly large number can be understood when one considers that there were a minimum of 90 children under 16 years of age in the survey sample. When questioned further about the provision of a private storage shed for bikes and mowers etc., 70% of the tenants surveyed replied that no storage was provided. Only the most recent stock that was built by Profile and Hotondo, met this requirement. This can be attributed to the changed MOHC policy which updated sheds to the mandatory requirements list.

There is no storage for bikes HOTONDO 89

Garden shed needed JENNINGS

Garden shed should be provided VITALE

Obviously there is an acute need for this type of external storage as evidenced by the number of bicycles. Comments indicate however that even where storage is provided, inadequate internal storage put even more pressure on an already insufficient external storage capacity.

Yes - but used as storage because internal design is inadequate HOTONDO 89

Just too small HOTONDO 90

For a more thorough examination of Coolaroo West tenants security needs, readers should consult the recently completed report "Security; What's stopping them?" published by the Coolaroo West Tenants Group.

Privacy

Tenants were asked if they were satisfied with the privacy of their front yard. 87% said they were not. None of the residents in HCV design, Jennings, Metricon, West, Poulson or Hotondo 90 houses said yes to this question. There was some dissatisfaction with all the other builders.

No privacy in front yard - no way of preventing people from JENNINGS

walking across front yard - front fence would fix this Front yard is used as an access point for other residents in the street VITALE

The situation with back yards appeared quite different however. Again, all of the Poulson residents were dissatisfied with the privacy aspect of the yard. The Hotondo 89, Profile, Jennings and Vitale houses all appeared good in this respect. In terms of access to the back yard, only all of the Vitale and Metricon houses allowed a private area at the back door while none of the West did. Overall only 67% of the back yards were considered private and only 63% of the back doors. This is a serious problem. The lack of privacy presents some considerable security risks for tenants. Location A high proportion, 87% of the tenants surveyed reported that their houses were easy to find from the address. There does not appear to be any relationship between this as a difficulty and any specific builder. Windows and Doors Residents were asked about the use of glass louvre windows. Only the West constructed houses have any evidence of these. They pose a significant risk to both safety and security of tenants as they allow ease of access for unwanted intruders. In some houses light weight doors, designed for internal use have been afixed as front doors. This raises very serious security risks for tenants.

Door is meant for inside use, not outside therefore is not secure enough WEST

Hot Water

When questioned about the exposure of the hot water service to the exterior just under 50% of the 70% of those whose services are located outside, said that the position caused problems for them for example with children.

No - but should have a cage around it to prevent people burning themselves WEST

Yes - too close to back door HOTONDO 90

Of those services located internally the placement in Poulson houses caused no problems, while those in the Vitale and HCV designs were a cause for some concern. Tenants responses to the question of hot water tap placement showed a marked inconsistency within and across builders. Only all "of the other" houses built by Vitale were considered safe by tenants in this respect. Overall only 43% of tenants were satisfied with this particular aspect of the taps. Generally however 57% of the residents surveyed were satisfied with tap arrangements.

Poison Storage

Only 3 of the 30 houses do not comply with this MOHC mandatory requirement as set out in the standards document. They were one each of West, Vitale and Hotondo 90.

Children

When residents were asked about any hazards for children 53% said they had noticed some. All of the tenants in West Houses replied "yes" to this question. No builder was free from complaint in this area.

Yes - front step HOTONDO 90

Yes - the depth of the windows allows young children to stand on them HOTONDO 90

Size of windows WEST

Yes - stove too close to laundry door PROFILE

Yes - construction in front yard HOTONDO 89