This house could be anywhere in Serbia, right? It's built with Serbian fir, double-glazed windows, wooden parquet floors, insulated walls ... but for all its Serbian qualities, it's actually in ... New Zealand!
The first Serbian house in New Zealand is the work of Saša Jevtović, the New Zealand and Australian representative for ŠPIK-Sloga Ivanjica, a factory in Serbia. The prefabricated house arrived in New Zealand in January 2005 with three Serb builders to assemble it. Local tradespeople supplied plumbing, gas, electrical, tiling and plastering services, and Saša is completing the painting and landscaping himself. He will then sell the house and take orders for others.
It
seems bizarre that it can be economical to prefabricate a substantial dwelling
in Serbia and transport it to the other side of the world, and yet it is. Labour
costs and differences in quality of materials are what makes it work. In New
Zealand it's possible to build a house for less than the cost of Saša's
house, but not to the same standards or quality.
One of the most distinctive features of the house is its double-glazed windows. Every single window consists of two hinged panes and external wooden shutters, all framed in warm dark fir. The shutters and outer glass open outwards, while the inner glass opens inwards, as is traditional in Serbia. The inner windows can be opened inwards like a door, or, as demonstrated by Saša in the photo to the left, a turn of the handle allows the window to open at the top, hinged at the bottom. The inner windows can also be easily lifted off their hinges for cleaning or summer storage.
The house will be heated with gas in the living areas and electric panels in the bedrooms, of which there are four. All have built in wardrobes, phone jacks and TV aerial plugs, and one bedroom has an ensuite. The main bathroom boasts a spa bath, separate shower and bidet (but will the Kiwis know what to do with that?). The double garage also comes with a phone jack, and access to storage space in the ceiling.
So,
if you'd like your own Serbian house in Aotearoa, you can contact Saša
Jevtović (email select.house@xtra.co.nz
or phone 021 123 6337), or visit the ŠPIK-Sloga
Ivanjica web site (www.spik.co.yu/sloga)
to see pictures of possible homes.