Beachside housing styles

Touring around France recently I spend time in various coastal towns. I was impressed with the quality and consistency of the local beach side residences.

Unfortunately there is less aesthetic in Australia. Beach side housing is often a 2nd (holiday) home and owners often come from different demographics. They build what they can afford with little consideration for the immediate environment and the result is often a formless collection of buildings lumped together in an ugly mess.

In France it seems to me this almost never happens, probably because both local governments and owners seem to have a sensibility not present down-under. All the houses and apartments here are in the same residential beach side street. Owners are from all parts of France. Some houses are more expensive than others. Nevertheless they all sit beside each other in harmony.

Australian beach side suburbs under local government control have generally not been able to delivery anything like this French aesthetic. (One exception might be Noosa.) More often if some aesthetic exists in coastal towns (like Red Rock, Hardys Bay or Pearl Beach) it is the result of community action. One wonders if the new planning laws that take away control from the councils will make our suburbs better or worse.

Anyway, enjoy these pictures...

What's wrong with Australian domestic architecture?

I am on holidays in Europe right now and I've got to ask: What's wrong with Australian domestic architecture?

The more I travel the more I realize how much boring contemporary residential architecture there is in Australia. There are too few attempts to step outside the brick veneer mindset that seems to have taken a pathological grip on the thinking home builders and housing estate developers. One rarely sees poor residential housing in Europe and never in France. Is it because the average French home builder, due to his country’s aesthetic history, appreciates architectural form more than us uncultured, beer swilling, yobbos in Australia?



It seems that many European developers are much more willing to step outside the box and produce innovative, attractive residential environments.

Here’s what a Dutch developer is trying to do. They take a street and build ten modestly priced houses that are all quite different but still sit harmoniously together. This streetscape works because it plays with volumes. Has any residential developer in this country ever tried to be so innovative?

DIY decks and patio design

Outdoor living areas like decks and patios have the potential to improve the usability of your house more than you would think possible, but there are a few essential design considerations you should consider before you invest your hard earned cash.

Where is North? Orient your balcony to the North or North-East. Avoid locating decks and patios to the South or West of your home, there will be too little sunlight and the deck will get limited use.

Locate the deck or patio directly off your main living space. Decks and patios work well and get used constantly off main living spaces. Spaces located off areas such as bedrooms and hallways get minimal use.

Ensure your deck is a minimum of 2 metres in depth, anything less than 2 metres is too small for any serious use.

Think about deck furniture and what the deck will be used for. Will the outside table and chairs take up all the deck space? Do you want space for the kids to play? Take measurements of the items that will be located within your new deck or patio area and base its size on these measurements.

Unfortunatly may realise that you can’t afford the optimal size that will function best for your family, but at least you will be well informed about what you want, what you need, and what you are happy to settle for.