So You Live in a... Weatherboard House
Australia’s weatherboard houses ooze timeless charm, classic elegance and quaint street appeal
Weatherboard is an archetypal characteristic in Australia’s housing landscape, and across the country you’ll find worker’s cottages, Federation houses, Queenslanders, Californian bungalows, and contemporary homes and renovations clad in this simple and functional material.
Weatherboards – also known as clapboard, bevel siding and lap siding – are traditionally available in timber. Nowadays they also come in aluminium, fibre-cement, metal, acrylic and vinyl. They are lightweight, easy to install and affordable, while protecting your house from the elements and insulating both noise and heat. Weatherboards offer a classic look on a traditional or modern home, as the following houses and renovations demonstrate.
Weatherboards – also known as clapboard, bevel siding and lap siding – are traditionally available in timber. Nowadays they also come in aluminium, fibre-cement, metal, acrylic and vinyl. They are lightweight, easy to install and affordable, while protecting your house from the elements and insulating both noise and heat. Weatherboards offer a classic look on a traditional or modern home, as the following houses and renovations demonstrate.
The birth of the weatherboard house
Weatherboard came into use in the 1850s, when the advent of mechanised production in steam-driven mills meant they could be manufactured inexpensively. Weatherboard houses quickly appeared all around the country.
Weatherboard came into use in the 1850s, when the advent of mechanised production in steam-driven mills meant they could be manufactured inexpensively. Weatherboard houses quickly appeared all around the country.
Types of Weatherboards
1. The weatherboard cottage
Weatherboard worker’s cottages originated in the 19th century in Australia’s inner-city suburbs, where the majority of workers resided at the time; namely, Sydney’s Balmain and Pyrmont; Melbourne’s Fitzroy and Albert Park; and Brisbane’s West End and Nundah. And for much of the 20th century, these modest and humble worker’s cottages – of simple design with no ornamentation – dominated large parts of Australian housing.
See the rest of this weatherboard worker’s cottage, owned and renovated by an interior designer
1. The weatherboard cottage
Weatherboard worker’s cottages originated in the 19th century in Australia’s inner-city suburbs, where the majority of workers resided at the time; namely, Sydney’s Balmain and Pyrmont; Melbourne’s Fitzroy and Albert Park; and Brisbane’s West End and Nundah. And for much of the 20th century, these modest and humble worker’s cottages – of simple design with no ornamentation – dominated large parts of Australian housing.
See the rest of this weatherboard worker’s cottage, owned and renovated by an interior designer
The majority of worker’s cottages have been bulldozed over time, but with the increased popularity and gentrification of our inner-city suburbs, the ones remaining have once again become covetable residences. In fact, these homes filled with history are ripe for renovation.
This extension to an existing weatherboard worker’s cottage in Melbourne adds a new open-plan living space and outdoor entertaining area to the rear of the house. The design complements the historical aspects and character of the existing cottage with the use of weatherboard combined with simple and elegant lines.
This extension to an existing weatherboard worker’s cottage in Melbourne adds a new open-plan living space and outdoor entertaining area to the rear of the house. The design complements the historical aspects and character of the existing cottage with the use of weatherboard combined with simple and elegant lines.
2. Weatherboard Federation-style houses
Federation-style architecture flourished during the budding national identity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Architects and builders fused influences from France, Britain and America to create a uniquely Australian style – less formal than its Victorian predecessors and far better suited to the country’s subtropical climate.
While Federation-style houses were built predominantly in brick, you will still find some beautiful weatherboard examples standing their ground – as this elegant heritage property in Melbourne demonstrates. It has all the bells and whistles of a Federation-style house – with decorative timberwork around the verandah, terracotta-tiled embellishment, and a gabled and hipped roof line – but it also has a sense of sweet elegance and timelessness due to its light-coloured weatherboards.
Federation-style architecture flourished during the budding national identity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Architects and builders fused influences from France, Britain and America to create a uniquely Australian style – less formal than its Victorian predecessors and far better suited to the country’s subtropical climate.
While Federation-style houses were built predominantly in brick, you will still find some beautiful weatherboard examples standing their ground – as this elegant heritage property in Melbourne demonstrates. It has all the bells and whistles of a Federation-style house – with decorative timberwork around the verandah, terracotta-tiled embellishment, and a gabled and hipped roof line – but it also has a sense of sweet elegance and timelessness due to its light-coloured weatherboards.
This weatherboard Federation-style house was once a one-storey home. A second-storey, which fuses perfectly with the original features of the house, extends and modernises the home.
How to Pick the Right Paint Colours for Your Federation House
How to Pick the Right Paint Colours for Your Federation House
3. Weatherboard Queenslanders
Timber weatherboards are key to Queenslander homes, first built in the mid-19th century as simple structures made from timber and tin. Designed with the subtropical climate in mind, timber weatherboards kept houses cool and bearable in hot weather.
Timber weatherboards are key to Queenslander homes, first built in the mid-19th century as simple structures made from timber and tin. Designed with the subtropical climate in mind, timber weatherboards kept houses cool and bearable in hot weather.
Weatherboards transition seamlessly from traditional to contemporary Queenslander homes, offering a classic look no matter the age, character or style of the house.
Set against the subtle backdrop of timber weatherboards, decorative and functional timberwork – such as balustrades, pediments, timber screens and fretwork to embellish the verandahs, gables and stairways – weatherboard becomes a highly visual feature.
Set against the subtle backdrop of timber weatherboards, decorative and functional timberwork – such as balustrades, pediments, timber screens and fretwork to embellish the verandahs, gables and stairways – weatherboard becomes a highly visual feature.
4. Weatherboard bungalows
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Californian bungalow made its mark on Australian soil. It was a new style of architecture designed for a more informal and modern lifestyle. Single-storey with a front porch, verandah pylons, and a simple layout, it has beautiful street appeal.
Read how an interior designer transformed this Californian bungalow into a contemporary home
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Californian bungalow made its mark on Australian soil. It was a new style of architecture designed for a more informal and modern lifestyle. Single-storey with a front porch, verandah pylons, and a simple layout, it has beautiful street appeal.
Read how an interior designer transformed this Californian bungalow into a contemporary home
This renovation and extension to an original 1930s Californian bungalow in Melbourne’s inner-north is an expression of Australia’s vernacular and contemporary architecture. The front has remained almost untouched – maintaining the Bungalow’s historical charm – while the rear (pictured here) extends into a visually exciting open-plan living and entertaining space. A sense of lightness prevails, due to clever design and the use of weatherboards throughout.
5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Indoor-Outdoor Entertaining Area
5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Indoor-Outdoor Entertaining Area
5. Contemporary weatherboard homes
Today, weatherboards add charm and continuity to contemporary houses. As an archetypal Australian building material that has endured throughout the decades, weatherboards bring perpetuity and a sense of nostalgia to homes that have taken on very modern forms.
Today, weatherboards add charm and continuity to contemporary houses. As an archetypal Australian building material that has endured throughout the decades, weatherboards bring perpetuity and a sense of nostalgia to homes that have taken on very modern forms.
And used inside – as on the walls and ceiling here – weatherboards bring the outside in, playing on Australians’ love for indoor/outdoor living.
Your turn
Do you have any tips for choosing or maintaining weatherboard? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Curious why your home looks the way it does? Check out Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
Do you have any tips for choosing or maintaining weatherboard? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Curious why your home looks the way it does? Check out Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
Defining period: 1850s to today
Key characteristics: Lightweight, weatherproof, easy to install, affordable, natural insulator
Forms: Worker’s cottages, Federation-style houses, Queenslanders, Californian bungalows, contemporary houses
Find an architect near you on Houzz to revive your old weatherboard home