Postwar homes (1950s–70s): what to expect and what they need

The houses that built the suburbs

The decades after the war built an enormous share of Australia's suburban housing, and built it in a new way: brick veneer — a timber frame with a single brick skin — on a concrete slab or timber stumps, with the materials and methods of the day. These are practical, well-proportioned homes, and many are still in fine shape. But they were built in a particular window of building history, and that window defines what they carry. Above everything else, it is the era of asbestos.

The characteristic risk set

Asbestos — the defining check

The 1950s to the 1970s were the peak years for asbestos in Australian building products, which is why it is the first thing to establish in a home of this era. Assume asbestos is present until proven otherwise — in fibro sheeting, eaves, the backing of vinyl floor coverings, and corrugated roofing. It was banned nationally on 31 December 2003, but everything installed before then stays in place. It is safe left undisturbed; the danger comes from cutting, drilling or demolishing it, so it needs to be identified before any renovation and removed by a licensed professional. This single point reshapes how you renovate a postwar home — you check first, then work.

Ageing wiring and the switchboard

Wiring installed in the 1950s–70s is now decades old and was not built for modern electrical loads or modern safety standards. Original wiring may be reaching the end of its life, and the switchboard may predate safety switches entirely. A rewire or at least a board upgrade is a common postwar-home cost, and one worth folding into any wet-area or kitchen renovation while the walls are open.

Dated wet areas and waterproofing

Bathrooms and laundries of this era were built before modern waterproofing membranes, so original wet areas tend to leak into the subfloor or slab over time. A failing or absent membrane is one of the most common sources of hidden damage in postwar homes — the kind that rots timber or tracks through a slab unseen — which is why a wet-area renovation here is as much about waterproofing as about looks.

Slab and footing movement

Whether on a slab or stumps, a postwar home on the reactive clay soils common across much of southern Australia will move with the seasons as the ground swells and shrinks. Some movement is normal; the question is whether a crack is cosmetic or structural, which cracks: structural or cosmetic sets out. Keeping water away from the footings — gutters, drainage, ground falling away from the house — is the cheapest way to limit it.

Lead paint and tired finishes

Homes from the earlier part of this era, painted before the 1970s, can also carry lead paint in the older coats — a concern when sanding or stripping during a repaint. Add the era's metal-framed windows, original insulation (often minimal), and dated kitchens, and the typical postwar renovation is less about structure than about bringing the services, wet areas and comfort up to current standards.

Renovating a postwar home: check, then build

The order matters more here than in most eras. Because asbestos is so likely and so widespread in 1950s–70s materials, the first move in any renovation is identification, not demolition — you find out what is there before anything is cut. From there, the common path is to upgrade the services and waterproofing while the walls are open, rather than renovate around them and pay to come back. The general version of this sequencing is in planning a renovation.

Age is not condition

As with any era, this is what a postwar home tends to carry, not a verdict on a specific one. A 1960s brick-veneer that has had its asbestos removed, been rewired, and had its wet areas redone with modern waterproofing can be a low-maintenance, comfortable home. The era tells you what to check and plan for; the actual condition tells you where your home stands. The overview across all eras is what your home needs by decade.