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To some people, Queensland’s familiar wood and tin homes gave Brisbane, and other Queensland cities and rural areas, a rather temporary, insubstantial air. Known as 'The Queenslander’, they seemed a little less solid and permanent than those of brick or stone. Many Queensland houses were placed high in the air on tall stumps, as the supporting piers were always called, and it was fancied they seemed likely to simply fly away.

The Queensland home was comparatively cost-effective when wood was plentiful, easy to move from place to place, and, in a relatively stable climate, single skin, unlined walls were all that were considered necessary to protect dwellers~people~the dwellers within} from the cold. Sturdy corrugated iron roofs stood up to torrential tropical rain and could be re-used if moved by cyclonic winds.

Verandahs sheltered people from the burning sun and caught any breeze that might be passing during the steamy summers. Covers outside window openings meant that windows did not need to be quickly shut when humidity brought rain. Clever little revolving tin cylinders on the roofs removed hot air that filled ceiling spaces through decorative fretwork openings.

Although timber isn’t a particularly effective insulator for either heat or cold, air could flow along the long central hallways in the typical Queensland house and also across the house from an open window on one side through open doors to the open window on the opposite side. The exterior of some houses were painted, others were simply oiled. Some verandahs were decorated with elaborate and expensive iron lace; others made do with simple timber frames and carved timber decoration in pediments over front stairs.

Despite the air of seeming impermanence, the Queenslander has survived since it first appeared in the mid-nineteenth century. However, it has evolved. The simple two-room or four-room cottage has given way to much larger, sprawling homes. The pattern of the Queenslander home can be translated into early types of kit-set houses.

Many were manufactured by companies in Brisbane and transported long distances as flat-packs on trains. Selections of verandahs, tongue and groove boards for walls and sheets of corrugated iron for roofs were ready at the destination for assembling. The public housing movement that produced workers homes adapted the basic materials to varying shapes and sizes suitable for lower-cost housing.

After the war, the Queenslander seemed out of date in a world of modem architecture. Brick houses, American ranch style residences and other imported styles began to populate new suburbs. However, Brisbane is a hilly city and even modem designs often adapted the idea of stumps so that houses could be close to the ground near the top of a rising allotment and high where the ground sloped away. In the late twentieth century, the old materials, tin and timber, were given new currency by innovative architects to create distinctly modem, light and airy Queensland houses.

In the 1970s and 1980s, when a drift back to the inner suburbs attracted the attention of a new generation, old Queenslanders were discovered by younger owners. They painted them lovingly and added various renovations to bring an old favourite into the modem era.

However they originated, whether from sugar planters houses in the West Indies, bungalows in India or high houses in Malaysia, the Queenslander still distinguishes Brisbane from the other Australian capital cities.

Looking for a great alternative to paint for your Queenslander? For Wall Cladding Brisbane & Vinyl House Cladding Brisbane, contact Prestige Exteriors today: http://www.prestigeexteriors.com.au/

To some people, Queensland’s distinctive wood and tin homes gave Brisbane, and other Queensland cities and towns, a particular temporary, insubstantial air. Known as ‘Queenslanders’, they seemed a little less solid and permanent than those built of brick or stone. Many Queensland houses were placed high in the air on tall stumps, as the supporting piles were always known as, and seemed likely to simply fly away.

The Queensland house was comparatively cost-effective when trees were plentiful, easy to transport, and, in a relatively stable climate, single skin, unlined walls were all that were considered required to protect dwellers~people~the dwellers within} from cold. Stout corrugated iron roofs stood up to heavy tropical rain and could be re-used if dislodged by cyclonic winds.

Verandahs sheltered people from burning sun and also caught any breeze that might be passing during the steamy summers. Shades over window openings meant that windows didn’t have to be closed when humidity brought rain. Cleverly placed little revolving tin cylinders on the roofs removed hot air that filled ceiling spaces through decorative fretwork openings.

Although timber is not a particularly effective insulator for either heat or cold, air was able to flow down the long central hallways in the typical Queensland house and also across the house from an open window on one side through open doors to the open window on the other side. Some exteriors were painted, others were simply oiled. Some verandahs were decorated with elaborate and expensive iron lace; others made do with simple timber dowels and carved timber decoration in pediments over front stairs.

Despite the impression of apparent impermanence, the Queensland house has survived since it first appeared in the mid-nineteenth century. However, it has evolved. The simple two-room or four-room cottage has given way to much larger, sprawling dwellings. The pattern of the Queenslander home could be translated into the early types of kit-set houses.

Many were developed by companies in Brisbane and transported long distances almost as flat-packs on trains. Collections of verandahs, tongue and groove boards for walls and sheets of corrugated iron for roofs were ready at the destination for assembling. The public housing movement that produced workers homes adapted the basic materials to varying shapes and sizes suitable for lower-cost housing.

After the war, the Queenslander seemed out of date in a world of modem architecture. Brick houses, American ranch style residences and other imported styles began to populate new suburbs. However, Brisbane is a hilly city and even modem designs often adapted the idea of stumps so that houses could be close to the ground near the top of a rising allotment and high where the ground fell away. In the late twentieth century, the old materials, tin and timber, were given new currency by innovative architects to create distinctly modem, light and airy Queensland houses.

In the 1970s and 1980s, when a drift back towards the inner suburbs attracted a new generation, old Queenslanders were discovered by younger owners. They painted them lovingly and added various renovations to bring an old favourite into the modem era.

However they originated, whether from sugar planters houses in the West Indies, bungalows in India or high houses in Malaysia, the Queenslander still distinguishes Brisbane from other Australian capital cities.

Looking for a great alternative to paint for your Queenslander? For Wall Cladding Brisbane & Vinyl House Cladding Brisbane, contact Prestige Exteriors today: http://www.prestigeexteriors.com.au/