Outback slab house

"Ain't she a beaut?

Most people throughout the Astronasian outback live in small self made houses called slab houses. They are build from scratch by their inhabitants and can be broken down in a relatively short fashion when the need arises. However this easy of deconstruction has left these buildings unstable and it is not uncommon for someone to have to rebuild their house more than once furring their lifetime.

Purpose / Function

The main idea behind these traditional outback house is that it should provide a safe place to sleep at night, away from the many, many dangerous creatures that stalk the night. They are more functional than intimate but do give off a cosy atmosphere. Most couples build their own house once they move out and host their children until they are ready to move.

Architecture

The traditional outback houses in Astronasia is build out of locally acquired wood which is cut into planks, the planks are then bound together spinifex rope and nailed into the building frame. They are build on a foundation of poles which is filled up with big rocks and stand at around half a meter of the ground. After the construction is finished most couples choose if they either want to paint their house or keep its natural colours. If they do choose for painting the house will usually receive a light hue to set it off against the trees and sandy grounds.
Most houses have simplistic porch on both sides of the building and stand at around two stories high, with the upper floor being used as the sleeping room. On the side of the house is small extension which houses the hearth with a chimney like construction on top.The windows are covered by a plank which opens vertically and can be kept open with the use of a stick.

Interior

Most outback houses exist out of one large room with thin walls being able to get added at the owner's digression. The walls are covered in planks on which various objects are stored: plates, pots and pans, billies, knives, bottles, hunting trophies, etc. Ropes are thrown over the rafters to hang sacks filled with food and clothing as to prevent any nasty critter from creeping its way inside. A kitchen can be found next to the hearth which is often made out of a table or a cut log to cut on and a tripod which holds the pan over the fire during cooking.

Type

House