The Queenslander House

 

The Queensland house or ‘Queenslander’ speaks eloquently of our distinctive lifestyle and is one of the most distinctive architectural designs in Australia.

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Queensland has more than one type of housing but a tradition of timber building is dominant. This distinctive tradition originated with rough timber huts of early settlement and developed into the multi-gabled bungalows of the 1930s. Buildings continued until, and were adapted after, the Second World War, leading to contemporary ‘Environmentally Sustainable Timber Houses’.

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The most typical early twentieth century Queensland house is characterised by:

• timber construction with corrugated-iron roof;

• highset on timber stumps;

• single-skin cladding for partitions and sometimes external walls;

• verandahs front and/or back, and sometimes the sides;

• decorative features to screen the sun or ventilate the interior; and

• a garden setting with a picket fence, palm trees and tropical fruit trees.

 

There are many styles of the famous 'Queenslander', but share distinct construction style, internal spaces, furnishing, and gardens. They are now valued as a key element of Queensland heritage and conservation and renovation of Queenslanders is widespread.

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Key factors in the development of the Queensland house were the:

• availability of affordable, easy to use building materials;

• the Queensland climate

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Building Materials

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Timber and iron are the characteristic materials used to construct Queensland houses.

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Sawmilling was established in Queensland in the 1850s, and timber became readily available for construction. Iron could be transported long distances throughout the Queensland colony, and was more durable in tropical storms than tiles.

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These readily available and affordable materials were also easy to use and so contributed to the popularity of the Queensland house.

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Queensland Climate

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The materials also directly affected their form. Timber was a light, inexpensive material, but it was vulnerable to attack from termites. Houses were constructed on stumps to raise them off the ground, and the stumps were capped with plates to prevent white ants from getting to the wooden superstructures. The greater height also allowed easier surveillance of termite activity.

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The warm Queensland climate further contributed to the form and popularity of Queenslanders. The high heat conductivity of tin iron roofing and the poor insulation offered by timber meant that ventilation was critical.

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Queensland houses were usually constructed to face the street, irrespective of the direction of sun and wind. Houses belonging to affluent members of society were more likely to be situated in higher locations and constructed with more windows to take greater advantage of prevailing breezes.

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Nevertheless the raised structures provided natural ventilation beneath and around the house, and airflow was enhanced by numerous windows, louvers and fretwork fanlights. Verandahs proved popular in providing additional living space that was outdoors yet protected.

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Queensland House spaces

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Queensland houses are characterised by an open design and a blurring between inside and out.

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Informal spaces

The raising of houses on stumps created valuable space beneath the house that was used for many varied purposes including drying the washing, accommodating animals and even housing an extended family.

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The retreat from hot internal rooms to the verandah further reflects a less formal Queensland domestic lifestyle. A comfortable verandah allowed residents to spurn formal living rooms and upholstered chairs that enveloped hot bodies. However, in the postwar years, the verandah was enclosed to create more room.

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Formal spaces

Despite the development of these informal spaces, in Victorian times the Queensland house was a highly structured space – papered, panelled and polished, furnished, ornamented and equipped. In times of prosperity and social mobility, it was a symbol of the success, respectability and social status. By the 1890s, Queensland houses exhibited many of the features of Victorian domestic ideals.

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The drawing room was the most important room, where visitors gained an impression of the standing of the owner. During the 1880s, drawing rooms became more decorative and splendid. By contrast, the desired impression in the dining room was of formal dignity and even grandeur. This was the domain of the husband as host and man of the house.

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Private and Utilitarian Spaces

The main bedroom was a private, predominantly feminine space, decorated in delicate pastels, with an emphasis on comfort and prettiness.

Service rooms, on the other hand, were severely practical in their presentation.

The kitchen was usually a simple undecorated room, while the bathroom was often no more than a built-in corner of the back verandah or beneath the house.

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Conservation of Queenslander Houses

 

A vigorous, broad-based conservation movement emerged in Australia during the 1970s and with it came enthusiasm for the restoration of private houses. While this trend was replicated in Queensland, the reuse and recycling of Queenslander houses is a much older tradition. The construction of Queenslander houses on stumps made them highly adaptable. The same structural advantage that allows them to be constructed on uneven and very steep land, also meant that houses could be removed from the stumps in tact. Queenslanders can therefore be raised or lowered, reoriented or even completely relocated and reused.

 

This adaptive reuse of Queenslander houses is epitomised in historic towns that suffered cycles of economic prosperity and loss. As populations dwindled in one place and people moved to new sites of expansion, large numbers of houses were transported to the growing towns. This ability to reuse entire houses is unique to Queensland and is the ultimate example of sustainable and recyclable housing.

 

Renovation and Conservation

 

A major incentive for renovation is the premium value returned through the real estate market.

 

The process that is best applied to old Queenslanders is conservation in which deterioration is arrested but essential work is carried out gently and with sensitivity.

 

Ideally renovators should make additions or alterations with the materials of the original, without trying to hide the change. The incorporation of some new materials such as concrete blocks, modern roofing or paving tiles can be incongruous with existing materials and result in a poor quality renovation.

 

Historical sources can be checked to discover details of interior fittings and furnishings. But evidence can also be found by examining the house itself. First, try to understand the overall picture by looking at walls that may have been introduced or removed. Understand how the house has been extended or changed, including how some material might have been reused.

 

Sometimes archival sources and physical examination do not give enough information, so that a broader understanding of the general tradition of interiors should be developed. It is sometimes necessary to understand the four essentials in any house: 

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• the geographic location – the effect of climate on furniture and interiors; 

• the period in which the house was constructed – detailing is often very different from one period to another; 

• the scale of the house – large, expensive houses will be detailed differently from smaller, poorer ones; and 

• the hierarchy of rooms – front rooms were detailed differently from service rooms.

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As a general rule, before doing anything irreversible, ask yourself: is this the way it would have been done? When in doubt, seek advice from committed professionals, owners and publications.

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Thanks: Queensland Museum

https://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Explore/Find+out+about/Histories+of+Queensland/Queensland+families/Queensland+house