The northwest section of Barrhaven is one of the oldest areas of the suburb. Within this area of Old Barrhaven are some interesting plans from the 1970s, including these designs by Holitzner. Below are the plans I have for that area along with a few comments. Enjoy! The first three bungalow plans are variations on the same layout, each slightly larger. There are two versions of the A-7 design, each with a slightly different kitchen and bathroom layout.   The plan below is quite unusual, especially the location of the basement staircase.   The family room in the plan below is extremely long! I am not certain what the "E" series of plans are...and this is the only one I have. It looks like the same plan as the A-5...

OK, so this is not actually in Ottawa, but I just had to share this! In the past I published a post on conversation pits in 1970s housing design: The Conversation Pit.  I was just perusing through some old articles I had on my favourite tract house architect, the late Barry Berkus, and I happened upon this article from the May 1969 issue of House & Home magazine. One of Berkus's designs in Valencia Hills California has a "fenced martini pit". I love how it is specifically a "martini pit", but also the fact that it is fenced - presumably to keep martini drinkers in the pit and not free to wander around the house!

The following is a posting that I started in 2010, but for some reason I did not publish it. So, I added more content and here it is! The Parkwood Hills neighbourhood has some great examples of Mid-Century modern design - particularly in the form of semi-detached houses built by Minto. These flat-roofed models are perhaps the most altered houses in Parkwood Hills. The house on the far right seems to be fairly intact - although I suspect the shutters are not original. On the left, a peaked roof was added to the garage - a common alteration. Many owners have replaced the large picture windows with smaller versions. It is also common for homeowners to enclose the front porch. They appear to have been originally held up by slender pilotis (posts). A peaked roof was added to this pair. I do not have the plans for the houses above and those below...but I would love to get my hot little hands on them if any ...