The 1940’s Housing Shortage
The Post-War Housing Shortage}
Often described in the post WWII years as `the housing shortage', the Australian effort to address a very troubling problem has in time come to be called `the housing boom'. Undoubtedly it was a boom in demand and building. There was also a notable increase in house ownership, achieved in many cases through dogged individual effort and years of sacrifice.
Changing social attitudes offered new opportunities, but also reduced the options. Emphasis in government housing plans was at first on rental accommodation; later there was a swing toward the sale of low-cost housing. At a time when various influencers had cut the availability of rental accommodation, governments, banks, finance companies, building societies and housing co-operatives were offering a wider range of opportunities for home ownership. Ironically this was at a time of a jump in constuction costs.
High on the list of factors linked to rising construction costs were the passing of legislation for the 40-hour 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 tradesman 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 occurrence in those times. A shortage of skilled workers also meant lower quality work and further loss of time.
Contract prices were loaded with an increasing profit margin as an insurance against unseen contingencies. 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 house completion.
Unexpected costs could arise when, for example, hardwood flooring was suddenly out of stock, and a higher price would then have to be paid for imported flooring.
With locally made cement taking forever to turn up, a batch from across the border was sometimes bought at nearly three times the price. When compared to 1939 prices hardwood flooring material had, by 1948, doubled 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 at least 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 a brick house, completed the recipe for an imposed design modesty.
The economical plan was necessary; cost-saving and limitations on area made large single-purpose rooms a luxury. Verandahs and wide open porches were deleted, reducing the shade 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 an imposed state as it was a fashionable philosophy. This was the era of the great Australian Dream.
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