Often described in the post WWII years as `the housing shortage’, the Australian effort to fix a very serious issue has over the years come to be called `the housing boom’. Without a doubt it was a boom in demand and building. There was also a marked increase in home ownership, achieved in many cases through dogged individual effort and years of sacrifice.
Changing social attitudes offered new opportunities, but also reduced the choices. Emphasis in state housing schemes was at first on rental dwellings; later there was a swing toward the ownership of budget dwellings. At a time when various influencers had reduced the availability of rental accommodation, governments, banks, finance companies, building societies and housing co-ops were offering greater opportunities for home ownership. Ironically this was at a time of a jump in constuction input costs.
Top on the list of factors linked to rising construction costs were the passing of legislation for the 40-hour working week, and drastic increases in the cost of building materials. By 1948 an employer had to pay an unskilled building labourer a higher salary than a tradie had received in early 1946.
To keep both labourer and tradie rationally employed the builder needed a continuous flow of materials which was a rare event during this period. Lack of skilled workers also meant poor quality construction 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 happen when, for example, timber flooring was suddenly out of stock, and a higher price would then have to be paid for imported flooring.
With local cement taking forever to turn up, a truckload from across the border was sometimes purchased at nearly three times the price. When compared to 1939 prices hardwood flooring material 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 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 austerity.
The economical 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 entrance 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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