Our classic Queenslander houses are the early C20 version of flat pack housing. Building from a carpentry skill base (there’s a whole story of bush carpentry in QLD), timber mills – originally set up to service the supply of timber for ship building in NSW, found a way to diversify and deliver low-cost housing to the expanding QLD population.

As the softwood resources of Kauri, Hoop Pine and cedar were exhausted, the mills turned to hardwood, and structures became increasingly refined in their economy to manage the smaller and heavier hardwood sections. These structures evolved to be highly adaptable to topography and climate, which resulted over time in the ubiquitous Queenslander.  From 1900 onwards, most were selected from catalogues; the mills sent the pre-cut timber to site and then they were installed by a local team.

We recently designed an extension for a ‘Laidley’ – a simple four room cottage by J Campbell and Sons ‘Redicut’ homes in Red Hill / BŪN’A – the first nations name.

Lean and economical, the Laidley easily sits in the steep topography of Red Hill on stumps without need for excavation or retaining.

Our new extension (to provide an extra bedroom and some additional living space) follows a similar spirit – a structural logic, sized to suit standard pre-finished sheet sizes, no slabs, retaining or unnecessary excavation. A simple spatial arrangement follows the existing house, opening its edge to the North to provide a relaxed and adaptable home.

Orientation to view, light and breeze are prioritised, as are access to garden and the undercroft, which remains a ‘loose’ space for tinkering.

The design ideas are nothing new, but highly relevant, particularly with the current cost of construction,  scarcity of natural resources and dilution of regional identity.