When most Americans imagine a home, they picture a wood-framed house. But in an era of high housing costs and extreme weather events, precast concrete offers a mix of durability and efficiency.
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Across the US, heirs’ property laws hamstring families that want to build housing or leverage their land for loans. One Alabama project shows how policy reform and savvy design can build a way forward.
During World War I, the US government designed and constructed entire communities for workers and their families, setting new standards for housing and neighborhood planning.
As well as the added costs of upgrades and options that the marketing glosses over, people need to consider five other sources of cost blow-outs when building a home.
Roofs, windows and siding all affect how vulnerable a home is and how likely it is to survive a wildfire. So does what’s around it in the ‘home ignition zone.’
Is Australia ready for a house construction boom? Supply chain constraints say no.
Past claims about the costs of 5-star and then 6-star home energy ratings were overblown. We are hearing similar claims about the new 7-star standard, but good design makes it a good deal for owners.
More houses are under construction than ever before, but completions haven’t grown. Instead, building is taking longer.
Current housing stimulus measures aim to boost buyer demand and are too small to sustain a recovery. A second round of stimulus is likely to be needed, and it should go into social housing supply.
It’s not easy to choose between the costly hassle of renovating and the expensive upheaval of selling up, and buying a new property.
There has never been a better time for public money to go into improving the performance of Australian housing. We could have cut household bills and emissions, as well as saving construction jobs.
It’ll have to fund tens of thousands of homes that were going to be built anyway before it creates a single extra house.
Months after Typhoon Washi tore through the Philippines in 2011, relocated residents were moving into newly built housing. They soon began modifying and extending homes that didn’t meet their needs.
Builders compete for customers by touting the features of their homes. Some builders promote ‘six-star’ home energy ratings in ways that could mislead consumers and breach Australian Consumer Law.
Creating a simple, sustainable home isn’t as easy as it sounds. But with some planning and hard work, it can be an exciting and fulfilling journey.
Weather-related catastrophic events have cost Canadians more than $17 billion in the past decade. That only stands to grow, unless building codes change to make homes more resilient.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor in Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Associate Dean, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University
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John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Curtin Business School, Curtin University
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Associate Professor of Project Management, RMIT University
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Post-doctoral Researcher, Fire Center, University of Montana
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Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney
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Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Western University
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Postdoctoral research fellow, Curtin University
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Research Fellow – Informal Urbanism (InfUr-) Hub, The University of Melbourne
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Program Director, Housing and Economic Security, Grattan Institute
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Professor of Property and Housing Economics, Adelaide University
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PhD Candidate, School of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania
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Associate Professor in Housing, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Erika Bartak is a Friend of The Conversation.
PhD Candidate (& ESD Consultant), Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer in Urban and Environmental Planning, Griffith University