The Post-War Housing Boom

Often described in the post-war years as `the housing shortage’, the Australian effort to address a very troubling issue has over the years come to be called `the housing boom’. Undoubtedly it was a boom in demand and building. There was also a marked increase in home ownership, achieved in many cases through heroic individual effort and years of sacrifice.

Changing social attitudes offered new opportunities, but also narrowed the options. Emphasis in state housing schemes was at first on rental dwellings; later there was a swing toward the sale of budget housing. At a time when various factors had reduced the availability of rental homes, governments, banks, finance companies, building societies and housing co-operatives were offering more opportunities for home ownership. Ironically this was at a time of a rise in building input costs.

High on the list of factors linked to rising building costs were the passing of legislation for the 40-hour week, and marked increases in the cost of construction materials. By 1948 an employer had to pay an unskilled building worker a higher wage than a tradie had received in early 1946.

To keep both labourer and tradie productively employed the builder needed a continuous flow of materials which was a rare thing during this period. A shortage of skilled workers also meant lower quality building and further loss of time.

Contract prices were loaded with an increasing profit margin as an insurance against unseen circumstances. Under commonwealth price control, builders were entitled to a 10 per cent `profit’ on the contract price. Above award payments were not recognised in price control and yet builders often found a need to pay above award rates to ensure a reasonable output.

Unexpected costs could happen when, for example, hardwood flooring was suddenly unobtainable, and a higher price would then have to be paid for imported flooring.

With locally made cement taking forever to turn up, a truckload from interstate was sometimes purchased at nearly three times the price. When compared to 1939 prices hardwood flooring had, by 1948, increased 100 per cent in price. Cement had risen by almost 20 per cent and terracotta roofing tiles by more than 25 per cent. A gallon of quality paint costing around 30s ($3) in 1939 had risen by 40 per cent by 1948.

When added to rising costs and shortages of materials the government restrictions, limiting the area of a new dwelling to 12 squares (111.48 square metres) for a timber house and 1250 square feet (116.12 square metres) for one in brick, completed the recipe for an imposed austerity.

The economical floor plan was necessary; cost-saving and limitations on area made large single-purpose rooms a luxury. Verandahs and wide open porches disappeared, reducing the shade at the front of the house to the absolute minimum. Ceiling heights had been gradually reduced from the turn of the century and were now usually nine feet (2745 mm). Until the government construction restrictions were lifted in 1952 the acceptance of no-nonsense functionalism was as much a mandated state as it was a fashionable philosophy. This was the era of the great Australian Dream.

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