House Size Comparison UK-Aus

Average Australian Home is 3 times the UK average

The average size of new houses in Australia and the UK is appreciably different, the average Australian home is about THREE times the size of the average British home..

A recent report shows that the floor area and room sizes of UK new build houses are now the smallest in Europe, with the average floor space being 76 square metres.

The survey showed that the average floor space of Australian new houses is 206 square metres, almost 3 times as large.

The survey produced averages for the following countries:

• 214 sqm USA
• 206 sqm Australia
• 137 sqm Denmark
• 113 sqm France
• 97 sqm Spain
• 88 sqm Ireland
• 76 sqm UK

Source:

• http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications/space-in-new-homes
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8201900.stm
• http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3146650

More information on average floor spaces in Australian houses can be seen at:

• www.abs.gov.au 1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2005

This report showed that the average floor area of new Australian residential buildings increased from 149.7 m2 to 205.7 m2, between 1984-95 and 2002-03.

Another ABS report, showed the average Floor Area of New Residential Houses in Australia as:

• 2000-01 : 227.5 sqm
• 2001-02 : 221.2 sqm
• 2002-03 : 229.2 sqm
• 2003-04 : 235.0 sqm
• 2004-05 : 238.4 sqm
• 2005-06 : 242.6 sqm
• 2006-07 : 239.2 sqm

This report differentiates between New Houses and New Other Residential dwellings, with the Total New Residential dwellings average floor space for 2006-07 being 212.1 m2

This report also shows the average floor area of new houses in Australia by State and Territory.

The average floor area, in square metres, of new Australian houses built in 2006-07 was:

• 274.6 New South Wales
• 243.6 Australian Capital Territory
• 239.3 Queensland
• 237.8 Victoria
• 237.5 Western Australia
• 231.2 Northern Territory
• 195.0 Tasmania
• 191.5 South Australia

Source: 8731.0 – Building Approvals, Australia, Feb 2008

Changes in Land Sizes

The average land size for property in the Australian capital cities has been:

• 802sm 1993-94
• 702sm 1999-00
• 735sm 2003-04

Brisbane (The only City to increase)

• 923sm 1993-94
• 964sm 2003-04

Source: http://economics.hia.com.au/….blocks.pdf

Proportional average (trend) site area of new houses Australia – From 1993-94 to 2003-04

• 1993-94 802 sm
• 1994-95 789 sm
• 1995-96 783 sm
• 1996-97 761 sm
• 1997-98 730 sm
• 1998-99 707 sm
• 1999-00 702 sm
• 2000-01 704 sm
• 2001-02 712 sm
• 2002-03 730 sm
• 2003-04 735 sm

From ABS data at: www.environment.gov.au

Land sizes for each average property have been shrinking, whilst the houses sizes are increasing, consequently the garden sizes are getting much smaller.

In 1911 the average Australian house was home to 4.5 people. In 2009 it is now only 2.55 people. Much larger houses these days, for a much smaller number of people. Times have changed.

In 1900, the average Australian house was about 150 square metres.
In 1950, the average Australian house was about 200 square metres,
In 2000, the average Australian house was about 227 square metres.
In 2009, the average Australian house was about 245 square metres. source

So, on average, in 1911, each person in a household, had 35 square metres of home space, but by 2009, each person in a household, had 96 square metres of home space.

Almost 3 times as much space per person.