Bigger homes are housing fewer people

Our penchant for bigger homes housing fewer people could challenge the
sustainability of Australia's residential development.

Rising incomes, low unemployment and changing lifestyles have prompted many home
owners to renovate or move to larger homes, according to an Australian Bureau of
Statistics' analysis of Census figures released on Thursday.
Simultaneously, the average number of residents per household is shrinking.
The average floor area of new homes grew by almost one third in the 20 years to
2006-07.
From 1986 to 2006, the number of dwellings with four or more bedrooms grew from 15
to 28 per cent.
And from 1911 to 2006, the number of people per home dropped from 4.5 to 2.5.
In 2006, 41 per cent of all occupied homes in Australia had two or more bedrooms
above minimum household requirements.
"This trend has implications for the ongoing stability of residential development in
Australia: declining household size accelerates the demand for new housing
development, while growth in excess bedrooms indicates less efficient use of
housing, both of these factors increase the demand for resources and energy," the 'A
Picture of the Nation' report says.
The rate of home ownership in 2006 was about 70 per cent and has remained stable
over the past 40 years.
But between 1991 and 2006, ownership of high density dwellings climbed from 31 to 39
per cent, compared with an increase of just two percentage points (77 to 79 per
cent) over the same period for separate housing.
The share of owner-occupied mortgaged higher density housing grew from 36 per cent
to 49 per cent.
"This move towards purchasing higher density dwellings may have been a result of
increasing housing costs," the report reads.
"Buyers may have purchased a flat or a townhouse as a cheaper option to a separate
house, perhaps as a way to enter the housing market."
Median monthly home loan repayments grew in real terms from $459 in 1976 to $1,300
in 2006.