South West WA October 2017

The month in review: South West WA

By Herron Todd White
October 2017

The South West has historically comprised a range of styles and standard of homes with many unique and sometimes very basic holiday homes particularly along the coast. There are a smattering of older character homes closer to the town centre however the major style of development tended to be 1980s and 1990s brick homes with a mixture of 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom homes and 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom homes in the localities surrounding the major towns. The early 2000s saw a surge in the number of individually designed executive standard homes either situated close to the coast and with ocean views in areas such as Gnarabup, Dunsborough, Eagle Bay and Yallingup Hill or on rural residential lots ranging from one to three hectares. These executive standard homes continue to be constructed in these areas however at a much lower rate.

Over the past decade the South West region has seen a significant expansion in large scale residential subdivisions on the periphery of the major centres in particular: Treendale, Millbridge and Dalyellup around Bunbury; Vasse Newton and Provence around Busselton; Dunsborough Lakes in Dunsborough; and Brookfield in Margaret River. The majority of homes being constructed in these new subdivisions comprise brick and iron project homes generally 4-bedroom and 2-bathroom between 170 and 220 square metres in size on a 500 to 600 square metre block. These homes have now taken over as the majority house style. While the standard and fitout can range significantly between project builds there tends to be a similarity in design and style.

There are very few unit developments in the region however a burgeoning trend has been for 3-bedroom 2-bathroom homes on cottage blocks within these subdivisions for lock and leave occupants.

We have observed an increase in the number of small individual builders in the region offering more unique styles which provide some individuality and offer an alternative to project building. These often tend to be environmentally sensitive, energy efficient builders. We have recently seen the first construction of a Hemp built home in Western Australia (see photo). Could this be a sign of future development in the region? The homes offer a more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and unique style of property which stands out from the crowd. Time will tell.

Speak with a Western Australian Mortgage Broker today.