We’ve never lacked for space in this wide brown land. Maybe that’s why Australians choose to live in the world’s largest houses, with an average size of 243 square metres.
And, despite cries of overcrowding in our cities, research shows Australian houses are actually getting bigger.
According to some data we’re also leading the world in floor space per capita.
In fact, the average size of a new Australian house increased from 162.2 square metres to 227.6 square metres between 1984 and 2003, that’s a jump of 40%. The average new Australian home is now 10% bigger than even its US equivalent.
Plenty of spare rooms
It’s not just that we like our houses big, we’ve also got a lot of rooms to spare. Three in every four homes has a spare bedroom, and the average home has no less than 3.11 bedrooms, according to ABS data from 2012.
While whole families cram into single rooms in other parts of the world, new off-the-plan Australian houses are commonly available in oversized 6 bedroom models, with multiple lounge rooms and bathrooms.
Are we becoming a polarised property nation – very small, very big and not much in the middle?
This Newport home from DX architects has been stylishly upsized.
There’s one simple reason why houses are getting bigger: because they can.
We can afford big houses, and they’re easier and cheaper to build than they once were. We still savour that outdoor lifestyle (and love it in our backyard). And the cost difference between a small and big new build home isn’t that great when you consider the initial outlay to build anything at all.
The statistics speak for themselves: there are simply more big homes than smaller ones in Australia.
So while many Australians in the inner city are embracing higher density, even micro-apartments, even more haven’t let go of our desire for a large home – that iconic back yard experience, room for the family, a garage for the car, maybe a media room, and more. Penthouses are just as popular as studios.
Are we becoming a polarised property nation – very small, very big and not much in the middle?
An investment in luxury
There’s also the financial side: over time our houses have transformed from simple shelter to a big investment. So for some it’s a matter of more house, more money, better investment.
For others it might be about the perception of having made it, luxury; aspiring to a certain lifestyle. As Cyprus Hill rapped in the late 90s, “so you wanna be a rap superstar and live large, a big house, five cars, the rent charged”.
Read more: What size house do you need?
Not downsizing, staying put
Curiously, while our houses are getting bigger, the average size of the household living within it actually decreased from 4.5 people in 1911 to 2.6 in 2011. So the trend for bigger housing is not always related to family size.
While family sizes have been getting smaller, kids are staying at home longer, so perhaps families expect more space – those extra bedrooms, living spaces and bathrooms can provide more tenable long terms living arrangements by giving more privacy.
Once people are used to the size of their big family home many simply don’t want to downsize when all their chickens have finally flown the coop.
Census data from 2011 shows that 62% t of home owners aged 70 and above lived in three-bedroom homes or larger, with 82% staying in homes that were bigger than necessary for their needs. For many the reason is simple – the costs associated with buying, selling and moving negate any savings in buying a smaller dwelling.
Property can just be too darn complicated!
Tiny workers cottages, terraces and bungalows closer into the city are being renovated, expanded, and supersized
Renovating to upsize
When you think “big house”, you think new builds in the suburbs, right?
Think again.
All those tiny workers cottages, terraces and bungalows closer into the city are being renovated, expanded, and supersized to accommodate our modern preferences for large open plan spaces, extra bathrooms and more bedrooms.
Controversy
Google “why do people like big houses” and rather than getting a straight answer, you’ll find dozens of articles about why small homes are better, why you’d be happier living in a smaller home, and page after page dedicated to trying to answer the impossible question: how big a house do you really need?
Large new homes have been dubbed McMansions and criticised for their oversized internal proportions which usually come at the expense of any outside space.
Critics also point to their larger consumption of energy and resources – unless they’ve been designed with energy efficiency in mind. And obviously with a bigger house comes more work maintaining, cleaning and keeping it in good repair.
But with so many big homes around, and many taking care not to grow out at others’ expense, is it fair to label big as always bad?
What do you think – Is big beautiful?
- First Published in realestate.com.au
