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Brisbane architecture

If you are buying a house in Brisbane, real estate agents classify houses using some common terms. Here are our definitions of the main styles of architecture found in Brisbane (as understood by laymen and not architecture experts!).

They are:

The Queenslander - a traditional home built of timber, with VJ (vertical join) or tongue and groove walls, tin roof and surrounded by verandahs.

Built in this style until mid-1930s, Queenslanders are built on stumps to increase airflow around the house and the floors are of timber that can be polished. Some of the pretty features include breezeways above the doors, moulded or plaster ceilings, leadlight windows and window hoods.

A Queenslander-type house may not be able to be demolished or removed, depending upon the relevant local Council laws and whether it is in a demolition control precinct.

The Queensland Museum has detailed information about the different styles of Queenslander house and their history.

Worker’s cottage - very similar to a Queenslander home but smaller, with usually only a verandah at the front and a single hallway. May have less ornate finishes and be on a smaller parcel of land.

If you are new to living in Brisbane, and you want to live in a traditional tin and timber home, consider a couple of things:

• They require maintenance – they need to be painted every ten years and attention to keep old windows, doors and plumbing functioning properly
• Can be noisy – they usually only have single-skin timber internal walls, which means that noise passes through rooms easily. Polished floorboards and lack of insulation in external walls can add to the noise factor from inside and outside
• Hidden renovation costs – if the house is unrenovated you may need to pay for a lot of work that won’t be seen, such as replacing old stumps, reroofing and rewiring

However, they are beautiful, have character and we love them. Compared to brick homes, Queenslanders are relatively easy to lift, providing usable space underneath. Removing internal walls or adding extra rooms (assuming you have a good builder) is usually fairly simple.

Read our guide to some of the renovation considerations for Queenslander-style homes.

Post-war home - a less ornate timber home built in the years following World War II. Simple lines, plaster internal walls, plain timber windows (sometimes replaced with aluminium) and timber floors. There are fewer constraints on a post-war home as it can often be removed or demolished without special permission.

Brick home - common in Brisbane suburbs established in the 1970s. These areas are generally in a radius about ten kilometres from the city. Features includes a tiled roof, garage, aluminium windows, fly screens and security. Lots have swimming pools and can be updated to reflect current trends.

Reproduction Queenslander - a newly built home designed to look like a traditional Queenslander or worker’s cottage. However they feature new conveniences such as an ensuite, better use of floorspace to suit modern lifestyles, plenty of powerpoints and cabling, insulation, large deck and sometimes airconditioning.

Apartments - warehouse conversions are new to Brisbane, with many apartments being built and renovated in the old industrial areas of Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley and West End. There has also been a surge in building residential units in inner-city areas.

If you haven’t lived in a sub-tropical climate before, find out what you should look for in a house so that it stays naturally cool. For example, which direction does it face and does it have awnings, blinds or gardens that help deflect the sun’s heat? The Green Home factsheets include information for home owners about sustainable living practices for Brisbane.

Find a Brisbane architect.

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