Do it yourself: The making of the modern home in post-war Australia

This thesis argues that do-it-yourself (DIY) activity made a substantial contribution to Australia in the years following World War II that has been previously overlooked. Facing a severe housing shortage, an unprecedented number of Australians equipped with diverse skills obtained during the war and encouraged by house size restrictions, undertook the DIY construction, fitting out and furnishing of their homes. Over 30 per cent of homes that were built during the 1950s were DIY projects. DIY helped Australians minimize household debt, increased social mobility and benefitted the national economy. DIY activity contributed to social cohesion at a time of rapid social change, through the participation of Australian self-builders in homebuilding co-operatives and informal networks in new suburbs. In this way DIY also helped migrants to become part of new communities. The building and making improvements to the family home allowed men to demonstrate a masculine form of nurturing. In many cases, women supported their husbands' DIY activity, mostly through project managing, sourcing materials and fittings, and painting interiors, although a few took an active part in building the family home. Homes constructed by DIY builders gained a specific character from the limited range of materials that these amateur builders found relatively easy to use. The house plans DIY builders chose minimized costs and work, and often reflected the changing nature of family life in the post-World War II period. Many DIY homes were built using Two- and Three-stage house plans to facilitate expansion after government house size restrictions were lifted. These plans remained popular after the period of restrictions as a means of avoiding unmanageable debt. Some key designers and architects who espoused modernist principles, designed furniture and homes for DIY construction, making modern design more accessible. Since modernist principles were relevant to amateur construction, DIY builders and makers more readily accepted modern design. Furthermore, as the efforts of DIY builders and makers were promoted in the print media, and in commercial ephemera, on radio and at exhibitions, they helped to 'naturalise' modern design in the Australian context. Rather than focusing primarily on British examples, Australian designers and the public of the post-war period, increasingly looked to the United States and Scandinavia regarding domestic life and modern design. From a necessity in the early post-World War II years, DIY became a hobby and lifestyle choice for many Australians in the mid 1950s and into the 1960s. As they became more affluent and gained more free time, Australians increasingly undertook the DIY construction of barbecues, 'weekenders' and other projects associated with holidays and leisure.