Qld Property Styles

Queensland is distinct for its wide range of home styles… Following are some of the home styles commonly found in Queensland, one of them would be just right for you.

The Colonial Queenslander -

Traditional home built of timber, with VJ (vertical join) or tongue and groove walls, wide pine floorboards and corrugated roof. Built in this style until mid-1930s, Colonial Queenslanders are built on stumps to stumps to increase airflow around the house and distinctive to this era, often have front, side, L shaped or wrap around verandas. Some of the unique features include breezeways above doors, moulded or plaster ceilings, leadlight windows and window hoods.

A ‘character' Queenslander may not be able to be demolished or removed, depending upon the relevant local Council laws and whether it is in a demolition control precinct.

Gabled Queenslander -

Ashgrovian houses are another type of gabled Queenslander, first built in the 1930's and named after the area in Brisbane where they were first built. Typical of this style is the multi-gabled, high-set, flat-roofed square bay windows, internal VJ walls, and decorative plaster ceilings. They were characterized by tall imposing stepped vertical timber batten balustrades to the front entry stairs, but many of these have been replaced with simpler styles in modern times.

Colonial Worker's Cottage –

A cousin to the larger colonial Queenslander, colonial cottages are more prevalent in the inner city of Brisbane (inside the 6km radius) where parcels of land are smaller and usually 405m2. The front veranda, usually with a corrugated iron bull-nose roof, does not wrap around the house like its grander counterpart. A single central hallway leads through the middle of the house with rooms to either side and traditional finishes such as VJ walls, French doors and ornate archways.

If new to Brisbane –

And this style of traditional iron and timber home is appealing, consider a couple of things:

• Maintenance – they need to be painted every ten years and attention is needed to keep old windows, doors, electrics and plumbing functioning properly.
• Can be noisy – they usually only have single-skin timber internal walls, which means that noise passes through rooms easily. Polished floorboards and lack of insulation in external walls can add to the noise factor from inside and outside.
• The room size dimensions – often without built in wardrobes, the room size dimensions of these charming homes can fall short for modern living.
• Hidden renovation costs – if the house is not renovated, consider the cost of work that won't be seen, such as replacing old stumps, re-roofing, insulating, re-plumbing and rewiring. Ensuites are obviously a modern improvement to our busy lifestyles and these homes often come without this feature but fortunately they do adapt well.

All in all, Queenslanders are beautiful, are rich in charm and character and the old theory of 'supply and demand' has proven that 'the market' loves them and will pay a premium to own one. Compared to other styles, Queenslanders are relatively easy to lift, providing useable space underneath. Removing internal walls or adding extra rooms is usually fairly simple.

Post-war home –

1945+ a less ornate timber home built in the years following World War II due to the economic climate and a shortage of building materials. Simple lines, larger bedroom and kitchen sizes and lower to the ground, this style is prevalent between the 5km and 10km radius to the CBD. Most Post-war homes were built from either fibro or plaster internal walls, plain timber windows (sometimes replaced with aluminium) timber floors and either terracotta tile, corrugated iron or fibro roofing. There are fewer constraints on a post-war home as it can often be removed or demolished without special permission. Due to the nature of the construction and its layout, the Post-war home is relatively easy to renovate.

Brick home -

Common in Brisbane suburbs established in the 1970s and prevalent outside the 9km radius to the CBD, the features include a tiled roof, attached garaging, aluminium windows, fly screens and security. Built in an era where a second living area became a necessity and adding a swimming pool to the back yard became common practice. These homes can be updated to reflect current trends very easily.

Reproduction Queenslander –

From the early 1990's to now, this newly built home is designed to look like a traditional Queenslander or worker's cottage. However they feature new conveniences such as an ensuite, better use of floor space to suit modern lifestyles, plenty of storage, power points, cabling, air conditioning, insulation and large decks and patios. Usually only found on 405 square metre blocks.

Townhouse –

Usually built with 2 or more floors and attached to other similar units by party walls. The townhouse is built on the ground and almost always offers a private courtyard. Generally found in groups of 3 and up to more than 100, large complexes can have high security, resort facilities such as swimming pools, gyms, parks and playground equipment. Typically, a townhouse has a Strata Title, i.e. a type of title where the common property (public corridors, building exteriors etc.) is owned by a corporation of individual owner's and the townhouse internally is the individual owner's responsibility. Commonly found in the suburbs of major cities, an old house on a large block of land is demolished and replaced by this style of housing. The townhouse is considered a low maintenance alternative to the freehold house and land option…

Warehouse Apartments –

Warehouse conversions are new to Brisbane and limited to the inner city, with many old warehouse buildings being renovated in the old industrial areas of Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley and West End and converted to residential units. Usually a larger complex with many facilities, this style of housing is very popular to the inner city dweller wanting some character together with position.

Units –

Units are purpose built, usually grouped in blocks with all the mod cons for modern, low maintenance living. They are becoming more prevalent all over the Brisbane Metropolitan area as the demand for low maintenance housing becomes greater.

If you have any questions on any house style, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Property Searchers.

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