People have to get back to the basic things to realise that they can save. Stop competing with people.They have this lovely big home lovely stuff in it but up to the top of their heads in debt. Then the power bills come in and water bills and then its hard to pay and that creates more hassles. Good luck to the ones that can afford them. I must say that maybe some of them should try living in housing dept homes for 2 years and then they would know the other side. People are always knowing the dept of housing people so much so thats why I am saying that the rich wealthy what ever you want to call it should see how hard it is.

My first house in the 60's was a 2 B/R, un-sewered house at Charlestown - (great for Sydney TV reception,) stayed there a few years, modest renovations, with increases in the family and a raise in salary, moved on to a bit more up-market 3 b/r in same suburb (for same TV reception.) only 1 car, 1 TV but we managed OK. Now days for a lot it has to be at least 400 sq.mtrs, 2 cars (with a mandatory fourbie, fully furnished with every designer furniture and appliances, obligatory swimming pool accompanied by a mortgage that cannot be properly serviced and all credit cards maxed out. I do not say all newly marrieds are as above but drive around the new suburbs, look at the houses and ages of the owners and see if the description is far from the mark. Most of these 'must have everything NOW persons' must wake up screaming in the night having nightmares about .25% interest rises.

Not only have the houses become bigger, they have also become, at one end of the scale, repeticiously bland and boring, and at the other end just plain butt-ugly. What happened to homes with style and character that made you smile and comment on them as you walked up the front path? These days they all seem to be sterilised boxes with big windows and all the homeliness of a doctor's waiting room.

Australians really have to get out of this attitude that you need a big house and yard! I'm in my early 30's and started about 10 years ago with a typical 4 bedder with two bathrooms on 700 sq metres in a residentail estate. As I get older, work harder and my spare time becomes less and less, I have found I am wanting to spend less time mowing lawns, vaccuming and pruning gardens and more time out enjoying the world. We have moved down to a 2 bed apartment with no lawn and no trees to prune but a lovely deck with great views! People who still want a huge house are stupid. They slave all week to afford the mortgage, then slave all weekend to keep the windows clean and the garden green. My friends can compare their houses and cars all they like, in the meantime I'll kick back at the beach, meet some friends at the pub for a drink and head out for dinner with the missus. Happy mowing and cleaning you pack of muppets!

It's ending. An interesting (& vigorous) trend in the US is the conversion of 'McMansions' into multi family dwellings, often incorporating home offices or micro business premises. They are realising that socially, economically, aesthetically, McMansion style urban sprawl doesn't work. Admittedly, in the US there are entire suburbs of vacant McMansions, but it seems that the problem isn't supply, it is demand. People are demonstrating a preference for 'connectedness' (belonging to a community, ready access to services, people, socitey outside their four walls), rather than ownership of a whopping big house in the 'burbs. So, the answer is yes ~ house size is about anything but comfort. It is about status, rampant consumerism, & a lack of perspective (gday Fista). There is a pop psychiology book in the stores right now that deals with the phenomenon of 'status anxiety' (self explanatory re subject matter). Ever had a massive clean out at home, where you chucked out lots of stuff you don't use (clothes, appliances, toys, junk), & felt terrific? I honestly believe in having a few treasures rather than a house full of junk. You don't need a mansion to store the real treasures in life.

yes .. i have seen this trend over my years as a carpenter putting up houses. they have become bigger and bigger with the addition of fashionable rooms like the; formal dining room, the parents retreat, the double garage sized ensuite, along with all the extras they fill their ridiculous barns with. like the flat screen tv big enough to lay down and use as a dining table, the truck size landcruiser ( the black bmw of the noughties) for mum to run kids around in. we are about to get taxed for an ETS while these units are running kids around in small trucks and consuming resources far beyond reasonable standards.

I had a house on the central coast 220 square metres. I was the only person that lived in it?...what a load of 'bullshit' that was....then rented that out to a family of 5 and bought at Neath, a miners cottage that was almost falling down, however, it was comfortable for one person. There is a definite thing about big houses, its a bit like having a big car....an ego thing. I have been guilty of getting caught up in the trend, Australians might wake up to themselves one day, but I wouldn't hold your breathe

I knew a bushman who lived in a hut ,built from an old caravan. His home was one to envy,it was remote via a crown road with 14 gates to open before arriving on top of a big hill with views for miles.He existed very well though his wife stayed in town.Once he was bitten high on the thigh by a brown snake which he calmly grabed while still attached,then took out his knive and cut off the snake's head,then he drank a bottle of rum and slept for a day before awakening with no ill effect.His doctoring skills also enabled him to sow up his leg after a chainsaw accident but he always carried a rifle in case the injuries were too great for his medical skills.

gday jeff, the housing here is largely unit living, there seems to be a few differing levels though. I live quite comfortably in a 2 bedder with living room, sunroom, kitchenette and of course shower and separate toilet (western style). It is comfortable, although living in unit blocks can have its problems, like noise etc; there is often a community feel about most unit complexes. The newer ones are gated and have security 24/7. All complexes will a recreation area, albeit, small and all complexes have the obliqitory community/cats. Some complexes are of the older style and are generally for the not so well off (they are called the commons), I think, these are often rambling style rooms and small units with common court yard and stuff like that. Houses are not common, however, out in the country some of the houses that you do see are quite stunning, the houses are often ceramic tiled exteriors and some have an artistic bent with one house in particular looking like a dragon (as coloured tiles have been used), many of the units here would average 100 square metres, am not exactly sure. I do know that the australian trend of build big doesnt exist, most homes have 2/3 generations

I have lived in PNG, visited Uganda and to think that the majority of people in these two countries live in settlements and in a abode what we used to call a chook shed. The big spender might be here today but when the prices of commodities goes up if Mr Rudd has his way at Copenhagen then the big heads in big houses will wish they had a chook shed to rest their heads in at night. Would be better than in a park in winter.