No doubt you’ve heard the Aussie dream used to be a family home on a quarter acre block with a back yard big enough for a game of footy or cricket, and maybe a pool. That’s when Mum stayed at home and sent the kids out to play and entertain themselves. Due to rising land prices and changing family lifestyles, those days are a memory.
Land sizes are smaller, both parents now usually work, and families tend to spend more time together outdoors rather than leaving the kids to their own devices. So the typical family home has changed to accommodate modern lifestyles and budgets.
The Ipswich local government area has a population of just over 200,000, which grows by an average of 3.5% annually over the past ten years. In 2017, a total of 2,461 new residential land lots were registered to keep up with this growth*.
Most families are now choosing land that is less than half size the traditional quarter acre block (1,012 sqm), with over 55 per cent of new land being developed sized under 450 sqm. Another 30 per cent is sized 450-600 sqm*. Just 2per cent of new land is the size of the traditional quarter acre block, though these tend to be in semi-rural locations where land is more affordable.
With smaller land sizes, families are moving away from sprawling homes over one level.
They’re now choosing more compact designs and double-storey homes with clever floor plans for modern living. Families seek better connection to the outdoors, and sustainable designs that take advantage of breezes and minimise energy consumption.
In lieu of the big back yard, parents are enjoying more of an outdoor life with their children. We see them take babies in prams while jogging, toddlers and primary-schoolers to parks, and the whole family cycling or walking with the family pooch. These activities often balance out the increased time both parents and children spend indoors watching TV or playing games, largely on personal devices.
So when building a new home, families are typically looking for well-priced, more compact home sites. They favour masterplanned developments offering great play parks with basketball courts and exercise equipment, plus walking and cycling trails, and good proximity to schools, shops and cafes. Developments such as Torhaven at Deebing Heights offer all this and more, with elevated lots to capture breezes and views, and the new Deebing Heights Primary School is right across the road.
