1950s Smart Homes and the Longevity of Design

No, not really. This was a couple of years ago and I haven't done anything since. I always meant to write a blog post about it, but never got around to it.

I disconnected it completely a long time ago because it started to make the relays stick and all the switches in the house stop working. It's actually my parent's house, so I didn't want to make modifications to it or affect the current switches at all, just add a little smartness. I still want to get back to it when I get the chance.

The house was built in the mid-70s by a commercial electrician, and even the closet lights are connected to it. There are about 50 switches/relays in total. We've had to replace 3 or 4 of them in the last ten years, but that's all.

All the low-voltage wiring is out in the open. The relays are cylindrical and poke out of knockouts in the relay panel. The relays are of the latching type, so only require power to switch on/off. Three wires to each relay and switch: red/on, black/off, and white/common.

I am going through this process right now in an attempted to use a prefab timber frame extension to an existing home (ca. 1800 thatched cottage). We actually tried to get a Dutch thatcher incidentally but she was too busy! A similar house would be completely illegal to build now (internal space is ~600 square feet) but ironically it's illegal to demolish too (protected structure)

The homes around here are mostly, to be honest, pretty ugly concrete block pebble-dashed bungalows. I don't mind that because hey, to each their own, but saying that a home which looks like a log cabin doesn't match the local aesthetic so we should keep all houses in this style is frustrating.

I do wonder if planners have a kneejerk reaction to anything cheap since a huge amount of public policy is specifically designed to keep housing expensive (or "preserve home values" if you're so inclined) The bias towards slow, inefficient, on-site building is hard to understand.

If you could design your new building so that it was invisible to everyone but you, there would be no need for these mind of regs. Unfortunately every built structure haas an impact on those around it.

There have been many projects in the eighties that reserved areas of neighborhoods which dropped most building regulations as you describe them here, including one in Emmen, where I was born. The results are not pretty: garish, impractical, unconnected with the surroundings. Although, perhaps amenable to the first owner, once the buildings are listed for sale, few seem to appreciate the builders unique taste. Furthermore, even though some of the houses are nicely built, many of them are just out of place: a Mediterranean house next to a Scandinavian, followed by a ‘large wooden shed’.

Newer projects have more appeal, where a larger group of families work together to form a connected architectural plan, often themed with energy neutral constraints. Perhaps that could be an option for you as well?

Finally, if you buy a large plot of land (villa style) you can do almost anything you like, especially because you are probably influential and able to convince the local government of your plans.

They make nuclear fuel :)