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exterior
farm houses all lined up
Many families tried to cut the cost of their home by building it themselves. In the 1950s, over one-third of all new houses were owner-built. Families often lived in a small shed while building their new home and later converted this shed into a garage. -
interior
Following the end of WWII, Australia experienced a major housing boom. It was fuelled by a marked population increase and the pursuit of a new Aussie dream: to own a home in the suburbs. The rate of home ownership increased from around 40 percent in 1947 to over 70 percent in 1960 and sparked a massive phase of building and construction in Australia. -
exterior
surburban street -
interior
The huge demand for housing and a shortage of building materials and labour prompted the development of different methods of construction. Many houses were built from new, cheaper materials like concrete, fibro and corrugated iron roofing and prefabricated homes were imported from overseas. 'Prefabrication' means that the components of a house are built in a factory, and then moved to another location to be assembled. -
exterior farm house
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interior
The houses built in the decade or so after WWII were small compared to today's standards. The average house consisted of two or three bedrooms, one living area, kitchen and small bathroom and the toilet and laundry were sometimes located outside. The design was simple and economical - most homes were built without features like verandahs and fireplaces and two-storey houses were very rare. -
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The 1980s saw a revitalisation of Australian cities, as many people moved to restore old, worn-out houses in areas previously regarded as slums. -
interior
As the supply of building materials gradually improved throughout the 1950s, brick homes and red tile roofs began to appear. While many people wanted to own a solid brick home, brick was relatively expensive. This led to the development of brick veneer houses, where a single layer of brick is attached to an internal timber frame. -
exterior
Previously, brick homes had been constructed using a solid double brick method. Brick veneer looked like double brick from the outside, but was much cheaper to construct and provided better insulation. Today, brick veneer is still a very common building method in Australia. -
interior
The 'great Australian dream' of owning a house in the suburbs was still alive and well in the final decade of the 20th century. As a result, urban sprawl continued unabated throughout the 1990s, as hundreds of thousands of new homes were built at the edge of Australia's major cities. The proportion of people living in Australian capital cities had increased from 40 percent in 1910, to 65 percent in 1999. -
exterior
modern 2 story house
Suburban houses in the 1990s tended to become larger, with fewer people living in them. In the mid-1990s the average home was estimated to hold 2.5 more rooms per resident than was the case in the year 1900. Front and backyards decreased in size as houses took up more room on the block and living areas were extended. -
interior
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exterior
houses have got bigger and more spacious, more rooms, out door areas, balconines and extentions have been added, there is a major difference between now and 60 years ago. -
interior
spacious interior designs, modern, usually painted walls instead of wall paper
Australian architecture today does not really have a distinctive style and overseas trends often dominate large projects. In many cases, interesting 'modern' buildings are, in fact, recycled Victorian or other era buildings. -
exterior
what they expecting houses in 2020 to look like, more outdoor area and more spacious -
glass house !
complete top to bottom glass house
