The Post-War Housing Shortage}

Sometimes described in the post-war years as `the housing shortage’, the nationwide effort to fix a very serious problem has in time come to be called `the housing boom’. Without a doubt it was a boom in demand and activity. There was also a marked increase in home ownership, achieved in many cases through dogged individual effort and years of sacrifice.

Changing social conditions offered new opportunities, but also narrowed the choices. Emphasis in state housing schemes was at first on rental accommodation; later there was a swing toward the sale of affordable houses. At a time when various influencers had cut the availability of rental dwellings, governments, banks, finance companies, building societies and housing co-operatives were offering more opportunities for home ownership. Ironically this was paralleled by a rise in constuction input costs.

Top on the list of factors linked to rising construction costs were the introduction in 1948 of the 40-hour week, and drastic increases in the cost of construction materials. By 1948 an employer had to pay an unskilled building worker a higher wage than a tradesman had received in early 1946.

To keep both labourer and tradesman productively employed the builder needed a continuous flow of materials which was a rare thing in those times. A shortage of skilled workers also meant lower quality building and a blow out in construction 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 salaries to ensure house completion.

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

With locally made cement taking forever to turn up, a delivery from across the border was sometimes purchased at nearly three times the price. When compared to 1939 prices hardwood flooring had, by 1948, doubled in value. Cement had risen by almost 20 per cent and clay roofing tiles by more than 25 per cent. A gallon of first-grade paint costing around 30s ($3) in 1939 had risen some 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 1200 square feet (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 design modesty.

The economical floor plan was necessary; cost-saving and limitations on area made large single-purpose rooms a luxury. Verandahs and generous porches were deleted, reducing the shelter at the front of the house to a minimum area. 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.

Constructing a pool to go with your Australian dream? For glass pool fencing Brisbane and pool fencing Brisbane, contact Oz Glass Pool fencing. Frameless glass pool fencing looks great, is safe and affordable.