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In this newsletter, you'll find:
📰 Our latest blog post
Glazing Your New Home: How to Boost Comfort, Cut Costs & Save Energy
Did you know up to 40% of a home’s heat can be lost—and up to 87% gained—through windows?
Glazing might not sound like a design choice, but it’s a major player in your home's comfort, energy efficiency, and monthly bills. From single to triple glazing, frame materials, and even Low-E glass coatings, each decision you make around openings can change the liability of your new home, reducing energy use while maximising natural light and fresh air.
Whether you’re building a new house or updating your current one, this post has everything you need to make your home cosy, cost-effective, and sustainable.
🚀 The latest residential construction news from new sources around Australia for the news week ending 31-11-2024
If you're new to Constructor, a warm welcome to you! 👋 You've come to the right place to learn all about residential construction and quality management.
Let's get started, shall we?
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🔥 News
What else is happening in the construction sector?
We've highlighted our favourite news articles for the week by marking with a 👉️ and this formatting.
25th October 2024
Building Homes for NSW program delivers sites for another 1,600 homes - LINK
Making sense of housing policy proposals - LINK
Australian faces housing accessibility challenge - LINK
Victorian Housing Minister Harriet Shing hints at fewer appeals against regional developments - LINK
New Watchdog Cracks Down on Dodgy Builders - LINK
Plans unveiled for affordable housing in Canning Vale - LINK
👉️ ‘Huge step’: Victoria repairs crumbling builders’ warranty scheme - LINK
Allan vows to make it easier to build two homes on one lot - LINK
Fears for apartment quality as government sits on new design standards - LINK
Residential Focus: Part 1 - A fork in the road for dual occupancy owner builder permits? - LINK
Residential Focus: Part 2 - A Fork In The Road For Dual Occupancy Owner Builder Permits? (In The Media, In Practice And Courts, Publications, Cases And Legislation) - LINK
26th October 2024
The winners and losers in Victoria’s housing shake-up - LINK
Move to slash stamp duty on off-the-plan homes a win for housing supply in Victoria - LINK
👉️ 'Housing is another asset class': Dutton hits back at super-for-housing fears - LINK
Article Excerpt: “I think it's a bad idea if there is not a requirement to repatriate the initial withdrawal with the uplift once the asset has been disposed of,” he said. - Our Comment: This is the same as we said in our last update - super funds must be paid back plus interest.
Question marks hover over every Allan promise on housing - LINK
Time to come clean on housing - LINK
Victorian housing crisis: Industry groups warn government’s plan to fix construction problems need legislative change - LINK
Stamp duty cuts to boost supply - LINK
Construction set to begin at boutique Noosa residential development - LINK
‘More to it’: Hidden reason for housing crisis as Aussies turn their backs on apartments - LINK
Salta unveils innovative BTR project in Melbourne’s Fitzroy North - LINK
27th October 2024
'Out of most people's price range': Why developers say Victoria's plan to fix the housing crisis won't work - LINK
Housing policy needs a long-term vision - LINK
Flood victims in NSW Central West to receive $40m housing package two years after disaster - LINK
Chasing the Australian Dream: Shifting Trends in Housing - LINK
👉️ NSW government duplex reforms to increase home supply - LINK
Our comment: I couldn't help but laugh at this comment "Previously, blocks needed to have a 15m frontage and a 600sq m block – now they only required 12m frontage on a 400 sqm block.
For the most part they’re not losing anything internally. Maybe a smaller backyard, but internally you still get four bedrooms, three bathrooms a lounge and dining area, all brand new and ready to go, its very attractive proposition for buyers,” Mr Aristides said.
Ah yes, 400m2 is almost identical to 600m2 except you dont have 200m2 of extra space - which is really handy if you have four of 5 occupants in a 4 bedroom house!
28th October 2024
Nicheliving customers given lifeline by WA government still in limbo as they search for builders to finish homes - LINK
Our comment: unless all compliance certificates are handed over, which they may not be unless trades have been fully paid, taking over a property means you assume responsibility for the status of the dwelling and services. The onus of proof would be on the new principal contractor to test and certify services - which is very difficult and very expensive to do (very destructive too).
The future: Builders Warranty Insurance - LINK
Where Melbourne’s next 25 activity centres should go, according to one group - LINK
👉️ 'Well-designed' apartments and townhouses to be fast-tracked under Victorian housing plan - LINK
Our comment: what a sensible and smart idea. Encourage smart and sensible design - avoid lunch box designs (or dog box design). Pay to play - you want fast then create thoughtful designs - not churn out the same crap you have been.
👉️ The charts that show why owning a house is out of reach for so many Australians - LINK
Release of Report on the Inquiry into the Development of the Transport Oriented Development Program - LINK
Thousands of new homes delayed in regional Victoria as water infrastructure dries up - LINK
Don’t expect rates – and housing prices – to fall by much - LINK
Great comment from article: "That means local councils and state governments must step in rather than let market forces dictate what is built."
Our comment: I agree. If councils and governments think the developers will save us they are wrong. Have they ever saved anyone but them self in the past? Why would they change now - they wont. They will just figure out better ways of moving more money from buyers pockets into theirs (ahem - Build To Rent - I'm talking about you!)
New poll says voters want housing supply over negative gearing changes, as Labor backs off reform - LINK
Our comment: Land banking should be outlawed! impose penalties on developers who are holding land for over N time frame, increase development costs and restrict their ability to pass these onto buyers in land purchase price. Increase their (developers) tax payable on land disposal.
Where Melbourne’s next 25 activity centres should go, according to one group - LINK
WA public housing tenants struggle without adequate air conditioning or insulation - LINK
Our comment - Yep. this sucks. we have been building energy sieves for far too long - which is so wrong on so many levels. We have let builders get away with the bare minimum at the cost of the liveability of the dwellings residents inhabit. Check out our blog post on energy sieves and mould report post to read further into this topic.
Anthony Painter
👉️ Building our future: industry delivers action plan for new Queensland Government - LINK
Holcim’s new brand identity aligns with vision for sustainability and innovation - LINK
Our comment: But do the drapes match the carpet? Concrete isn’t sustainable in many ways—it involves energy-intensive aggregate manufacturing, chemical additives, pozzolans, water runoff on construction sites, and potential soil leaching.
29th October 2024
👉️1000 new homes approved for Aus city desperate for housing - LINK
Our comment: parking is not going to be fun but the area needs greater density. This area already has narrow streets and only a few ways for access and egress into the area, so id love to hear how parking will be mitigated.
👉️ Australia’s construction sector faces zombie apocalypse - LINK
Excerpt from article: "Companies are not required to disclose whether they are operating in a safe harbour environment, which allows them to discreetly look through options that may lead to a better outcome than insolvency."
Our comment: Yep! This is why we proposed and detailed the builderpulse metric. Avoid builder zombies! - READ THIS POST HERE
Anthony Painter
Housing policy heats up - LINK
Housing Australia loans fund an additional 2,400 social and affordable homes in 2023-24 - LINK
'They all thought I was mad': The housing trend allowing brave buyers to snap up 'half-price' homes - LINK
Amended scheme aims to improve Perth’s housing supply - LINK
'Big error' discovered in Aussie city’s new housing plan - LINK
Flatmates reveal how they’re capitalising on housing boom with savvy side hustle - LINK
👉️ Free Design Plans Aid Aussies in Building Efficient Homes - LINK - LINK2
Our comment: yes! this is a fantastic government resource.It has been available for years now but is just being pushed/promoted. The plans are very well through out and designed for energy efficiency. I highly recommend you check these designs out.
VBA reforms to benefit both homeowners and Victoria’s building industry: AIA - LINK
Property industry welcomes slashing DA from 12 to 3 months - LINK
30th October 2024
Neighbourhood Hub builder appointed, demolition imminent - LINK
Dramatically increase workforce capacity - LINK
Why the Coalition’s super-for-housing plan is better than it looks - LINK
Victorian Government sued by 10,000 public housing residents - LINK
Housing Australia approved almost $880m in AHBA loans in FY24 - LINK
👉️ What you need to know about the Vic Govt housing announcement blitz - LINK
How Rightsizing is Increasing Pressure on Australia’s Housing Supply - LINK
More Homes Bill: Urgent Legislation Hits Parliament - LINK
Risky business - LINK
👉️ Building Pros Empowered to Self-Certify - LINK
Our comment: Yes and No. If the defined contractors can demonstrate a quality management system, and be audited every 6 months, then yes. If there is no oversight (audit), and no quality management system in place - then a hard no. Even for "low risk" work - this idea will breed even more contempt in an already poor quality managed building/residential construction (lack of regulatory oversight) environment.
Bradford insulation delivers optimal thermal and acoustic performance in dream family home LINK
Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool products at the heart of DIY couple’s ultra-efficient dream home - LINK
31st October 2024
Residential Focus: Building bond increase delayed - LINK
👉️ Rising costs, shortages, and the path forward for Australia’s construction sector - LINK
Our Comment: There's no mention of improved training (mandatory training), quality management, or oversight in the output—just discussions around symptoms and causality. There are ways to fix these issues, but they require approaches that differ from the current practices in house building and the supply chain. Large builders have utterly neglected investment in R&D and innovation. Now, as challenges arise, they play the victim and are unprepared. I have no sympathy for their situation; they profited heavily in the past and now want things to return to the status quo instead of envisioning new ways forward. None of them are willing to be the first to implement change. They are outdated, stagnant, and lacking fresh ideas—aside from claiming poor!
Second comment: This year, I finally completed my waterproofing license. Wow! I should have done this when I first started building—it’s been an absolute eye-opener. I’d read a bit about waterproofing before, but this six-day course was something else! Every builder and construction supervisor should take this course or similar ones. Considering waterproofing is one of the top three defects in construction, why not make training like this, along with other top defect areas, mandatory? It would go a long way in improving quality across the sector. It’s time to clear out those who prioritise job turnover over quality standards or best practices. Let’s put the “cowboys” and “cowgirls” out to pasture by focusing on mandatory training as a requirement for maintaining a building license.
Australia’s construction landscape shifts: non-residential sector booms amid residential slowdown - LINK
👉️ The housing problem that's about to get a lot worse - LINK
Our Comment: some great points raised in this article, particularly on increasing property prices and banks extending home loan terms to match higher purchase prices. Will loans be our parting gift to the next generation in the will? Goodbye, I'm dead, now pay off my house!
Measuring owner-occupied housing in the Consumer Price Index - LINK
Villages can help resolve national housing crisis - LINK
Our Comment: Who would have thought that a community where people know each other would lead to greater happiness? So why do we tolerate housing subdivisions that don’t promote real community? I’m not talking about community parks or services; I mean sites actually designed to foster a sense of connection. Why not? I don’t mean everyone needs to be "free-spirited" or "keys-in-the-bowl" happy, but rather designing subdivisions differently to encourage community. Here’s a thought: why not include community gardens in subdivisions so residents can grow and trade their own produce? This approach has worked in urban environments in the USA, so why not master-plan it into housing estates? The answer, in a word: yield. Community is great for the residents, but for a developer focused solely on yield and compliance, there’s little room for well-being and happiness in their development designs.
Lowes owner scores $40m Covid ‘masterpiece’ - LINK
Requests from you
If you have any requests on areas you would like me to explain, feel free to let me know and ill do my best to respond in kind.
