The home ownership aspiration of Australians has widely been
referred to as 'the great Australian dream'. For higher income households,
purchase affordability is an issue of choice rather than access. For those with
more modest means, affordability is a more significant issue. Housing provides people
with shelter, security, and privacy. Having an adequate and appropriate place
to live is fundamental to people's wellbeing.
Improvement to the overall accessibility of appropriate
housing for Australians is important in determining whether life in Australia
is getting better. Home ownership is a widely held aspiration in Australia,
providing security of tenure and long term economic benefits to home owners.
Owning a home can also bring social and cultural benefits such as a sense of
belonging. For some home owners, the dwelling and the land on which it stands
is a major asset, and for many it is their main asset.
As house prices skyrocket, many young Australians are being
forced to deal with some pretty tough and depressing questions, like: how do
you buy a home when the average price of a house is 10 to 11 times the average
wage? Or how do you keep a job when the only place with affordable rent is many
hours away? Using the resources of our wonderful library, we think we might
just have ticket for the D.I.Y generation.
The Small House Book by Jay Shafer
is a rare find. A leader in the small house movement that is challenging western
standards Shafer breaks down designing a space for your needs and step by step building
instructions accompanied with a beautiful collection of photographs. The consideration of aesthetics is not lost and
as you read on a philosophy of simple becomes more and more clear and appealing,
"The happiness we really seek cannot be found by purchasing more space or
more stuff. Those who do not recognise what is enough will never have
enough".
Until recently, the issue of over-consumption was
conspicuously absent from mainstream green discourse. Bigger is better is
certainly the favoured by building financiers and the real estate
industry. "If you do one thing to
make your new home more environmentally sound, make it small" says Shafer.
With a recent study in Australia showing that Australians
value money spent on experiences rather than material possessions The Small
House Book shows smaller spaces not only are cost effective and environmentally
sustainable, but also give opportunities to explore other things in life.
"For most Americans, big houses have come to symbolise
the good life; but, all symbolism aside, the life these places actually foster
in more typically one of drudgery. Mortgage payments can appropriate thirty to
forty per cent of a household's income not counting taxes, insurance, or
maintenance expenses. When every spare penny is going towards house payments,
there is nothing left over for investments, travel, continued education, more
time with the kids, or even so much as a minute to relax and enjoy life. At
this rate, an oversized house can start to look more like a debtor's prison
than a home. "
Another title we have in the collection Tiny Houses written
by Mimi Zeiger, is a book focused on dwellings under 1,000 square feet.
Zeiger's book challenges readers to take a look at their own homes and consider
how much space they actively use.
Francesc Zamora Mola's 150 Best Sustainable House Ideas
features the latest innovations in environmentally friendly home design. From
heating and cooling solutions to wind energy systems, solar panelling, thermal
glazing, and even Trombe walls, the ideas featured inside are complemented by
photographs and architectural plans of gorgeous, sustainable houses around the
world.
By the author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven (which I loved), and Tuesdays with Morrie (which I haven't read, but must get around to one day), this book is about three main people: Victor, a man who wants more time; Sarah, a teenager who wants time to stop; and Dor, the first person to count and measure time.
