As land prices surge and blocks get smaller in Queensland’s residential construction market, Logan building companies are experiencing an increasing demand for new double-storey homes.
CEO of Brighton Homes, Brad Collins said blocks of land are getting smaller, leaving home buyers with no other options.
“Clients are wanting four-bed homes with 2-3 living spaces,” he said.
“And with blocks of land getting smaller they have no choice but to go to double storey.
“Double-storey homes have a smaller footprint, leaving more space in the backyard, especially if the customer wants to include a pool in their new home.”
Mr Collins said he has seen a big increase in enquiries for double-storey homes this year, with his team taking on a 50/50 split on single and double builds.
Burbank State General Manager for Queensland Adriano Rosson said customers are deciding to “go up” to make the most of their investments.
“As a community, our homes are serving more purposes with workspaces, kids’ entertainment areas, media rooms, home gyms and for outdoor recreation space. When all this no longer fits on a regular block of land, you eventually have to go up,” he said.
Mr Rosson said the rush for double-storey homes has been driven by increased land prices, a lack of available blocks and a desire by buyers to create more self-sufficient lifestyles at home on the back of the pandemic.
“Customers are deciding to ‘go up’ to make the most of their investments, to offset the increase in land prices and ensure they can include all the lifestyle features they want in their new homes,” he said.
Sales Consultant and Estimator from Maddison Constructions, David Crane said sloping land is a big factor when it comes to home-buyers choosing the double-storey option in Logan.
“Blocks of land are smaller these days due to developers getting more yield from these sites. Also, there is a lot of sloping land within Logan and the two-storey is more adaptable for these site conditions,” he said.
“Depending on the surrounding landscape, a two-storey home can take in views of the area, it can also aide in energy efficiency of the home with breezes saving cost to the owner.”
Steve Whittle and Janaina Coutinho built their double-storey Burbank home in Flagstone last year, through Covid supply shortages and a flood of new builds.
“There’s not that many two-storey houses in Flagstone, but having an upstairs retreat was important to me,” Mr Whittle said.
“A single-storey just isn’t the same. It’s nice to have space to get away if you need to, and more so in the current climate with the Covid lockdowns that we’ve experienced in the past couple of years. It’s like going to a big, different house.”
Mr Whittle said a double-storey home gives them and their two young children room to move.
“We’re really pleased. The design is fantastic and having a double-storey gives us all the space we need,” he said.
