Latest news with #familyliving
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Combining two Laguna City flats into one big family home
Connections with their community made Alex Chau and Carrie Wong reluctant to move, even as their growing family needed more space. In 2024, with the birth of a third child and with two live-in helpers, their 687 sq ft apartment in Laguna City, Lam Tin , felt as though it had crossed its use-by threshold. Then, as luck would have it, the flat next door came up for sale. Anya Wu Chiu-ching, designer and friend, was consulted on combining the two into one 'After all the calculations, it seemed like a good idea,' says Chau, who runs a cigar business. As well as being a cheaper option, the family could stay in the neighbourhood they loved. Wu, the founder of Root Design, had previously remodelled Chau's office and another of his apartments, so she was familiar with her clients' preferences. 'Design-wise, the goal wasn't just to enlarge the space,' says Wu, 'but to create zones that offered privacy and independence for both the adults and the children.' Living area. Photo: Kitty Chu The use of 'subtle architectural divisions' to define these zones, without disrupting the flow of the home, the designer adds, enables each member of the household to enjoy their own space while still feeling connected.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Multiple generations squeeze under one roof to combat housing, cost-of-living crisis
It is hard to find a spare seat at the Sailes's dinner table, with four generations living under one roof. Australia's housing crisis has seen 44-year-old Clint Sailes steadily renovate his home to accommodate more family members. While it might seem unusual, it is a return to the past when double the number of Australians lived in standalone homes. Over the past two years, Mr Sailes has added extra bathrooms and kitchenettes to his Gold Coast hinterland property. The huge double-storey house backs onto bushland and has plenty of outdoor space to keep the peace between his 10 family members. He said he wanted to look after his ageing parents and save his kids from spending a fortune in Queensland's most unaffordable rental market. The median weekly rent for a Gold Coast property increased to $750 in March 2025, a rise of $50 compared to the same time last year. "It's tough for kids these days, so whatever we can do to help them out early on in life we will do that," Mr Sailes said. The Gold Coast's housing crisis has become so bad that its residents are squeezing more family members into their space so they can enjoy the city's enviable coastal lifestyle. The latest Real Estate Institute of Queensland data showed the city's March 2025 quarter vacancy rate was 1 per cent. It does not help that recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicated the number of new homes being built across the country is well below the amount needed to meet the National Housing Accord target. Closer to the Gold Coast strip, Kerry and Lindsay Clare's beachside home can comfortably sleep 20 people across two buildings. The Clares live and work in one home, while their two sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters live next door. The couple, who are both architects, have been celebrated for their design at the Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Awards. The building has been designed with space and privacy in mind and the Clares can go days without seeing their sons, even though they are only a few metres away. "There are plenty of different ways in and out of the site," Ms Clare said. She said sliding doors and windows meant rooms could be built out or closed off to suit different needs at different times. "You need enough little social spaces, and what we've done here is make a lot of different indoor and outdoor spaces," Ms Clare said. "Everyone should have their focus on being able to provide flexibility in housing, but I'm not sure if developers can deliver it." Cohabiting with extended family members is not a new idea. Australians used to live with double the number of people in their homes. The last census showed the average Australian household size had shrunk to 2.5 people in 2021, compared to 4.5 people per home in 1911. Griffith University researcher Heather Shearer said it was a worrying trend considering that, on average, Australians built some of the largest houses in the developed world. The average Sydney home is more than seven times the size of properties in Tokyo, and Japan has managed to avoid falling into a housing crisis like Australia has. Dr Shearer said building intergenerational homes was not a quick fix for the housing crisis, but could be part of the solution and combat urban sprawl. "Our housing mix needs to be more diverse; we need more townhouses and duplexes," she said. "Can houses be designed for two couples or three generations where you can actually have privacy within the same house?"
News.com.au
11-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Revealed: Beach shack's big glow up
Its crisp apex roofline nods to the classic child's drawing of a house – but this striking new home is anything but basic. A builder couple's reimagining of a tired Gold Coast shack, the property at 4 Alpha Ave, Currumbin is going under the hammer on June 14 with Coastal agents, Ed Cherry and Cooper McCormack. Named Aeri, the home is the fourth local project from Mitchell and Rebecca Kekwick, and one of few new builds in a tightly held pocket close to the creek, schools and beach. Its peaked roof and single-level layout are about all that remains from the original cottage, with the couple creating a four-bedroom floorplan around a landscaped internal courtyard. 'We had a decent settlement so we spent a lot of time planning. We wanted to keep the original apex shape as a bit of a homage to a home that you would draw as a kid — that being said, the existing apex was only 2.4m,' Ms Kekwick said. Raked ceilings now soar to 5.3m, enhanced by skylights filling interiors with natural light. Designed foremost as a functional family home for the Kekwicks and their two young children, the home's clean lines and neutral palette are softened by warm timber finishes, walnut joinery, and creamy Italian marble. Large sliders open onto a covered alfresco barbecue terrace and pool zone, while inside features include a designer kitchen with high-end appliances and a butler's pantry, wet room-style bathroom, office space, and a media room. Ms Kekwick, 31, was pregnant with her youngest when they took on the renovation, having spent more than a year scouting for the right site. Records show they paid $1.15m for the 569 sqm property in November 2023. A former lawyer and self-described 'Type A' personality, Ms Kekwick traded corporate life for full-time renovating — managing the design, schedules and selections while raising two children under two. Sky home with 'rock star vibes' on the market Big blow for anyone who isn't a millionaire 'We'd settled on our last house 10 days before I was due with our daughter who is now two, so we were navigating becoming parents for the first time,' Ms Kekwick said. 'We had previously renovated a few houses and I loved working with my husband, so I saw it as a bit of an out from a career I didn't love.' The couple pulled off their latest project just in time to move in together as a family of four – but not without overcoming a few major hurdles. They were hit with a surprise $25,000 quote for asbestos removal partway through the build, and later told they could face a wait of up to three months to get power connected. Then came the challenge of bringing the house in line with recently tightened building codes, adding complexity and cost to the already ambitious project. Now, Ms Kekwick is enjoying the days she has left in the property she describes as a 'dream home'. 'The house is really unassuming from the street, but I think we have created a real wow factor with the ceiling height over the hallway,' she said. 'Nothing compares to someone coming into the house and saying, 'oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting that'.' Currumbin's median house price rose 9 per cent over the past year to $1.69 million, according to PropTrack.
The National
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
My Sharjah Rent: Mother gets twice the space for same price after leaving Dubai
My Sharjah Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like When Pakistani mum-of-two Huda Tayyab wanted more space for her family last year, she realised she could get an apartment double the size for the same price if she swapped life in Dubai for Sharjah. The freelance journalist, 34, said she has no regrets over leaving life in her one-bedroom apartment in Dubai Silicon Oasis and moving her family to a two-bedroom in New Muweilah, on the outskirts of Sharjah last September. Ms Tayyab said she relocated, along with her husband and two children, as she needed extra space following the birth of her second son. She invited The National into her home to show us what makes it so very special to her. Why did you choose to live here? I was working on a freelance basis and realised if we moved here for a year, we could save up some money. I was not working full-time and needed extra space because we just had a second child. My husband was working in Sharjah, which is why it made sense for us to move here. When I had one baby, I was able to be up and about, I could go to Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates with them. When I had the second baby, it was very difficult for me to handle an infant and a toddler. I needed a space where I can give them everything at home. What do you get for your money? It's very accessible. We have restaurants with cuisines like Indian, Pakistani, Syrian and Yemeni right on our doorstep. There's a bakery and pharmacy as well, down in the building. Living with children, it was important to have that accessibility to a pharmacy. How have you made the apartment feel like your home? I feel like this is a little sanctuary for me, living here with the children. I love the space that we have made. I'm a minimalistic person and I don't like very busy places. I set everything up according to my aesthetics. I wanted something that was peaceful and calm as soon as you walk in. I try to use pastels and nudes and I try to keep all the things that are necessary and not anything extra. It's a very healthy place for my children to feel calm and serene. There is a space where the kids can play on their own. There's a big kitchen which means I can cook whatever I want. In the lounge, I have put up some pieces of art because I am an art lover. Are you happy with the location of where you live? There are top-notch cafes, if we want to go out and hang out with friends. We also have cinemas and malls which are just five minute drives away. One of the benefits of being this side of Sharjah is that we are close to Dubai. We can be in Mirdif within 10 minutes. Are there any disadvantages to living where you do? If I have to travel by taxi, I have to be very, very considerate of the time because of the bottlenecks. In Dubai, I used to call a taxi no matter what time it was. Here I try not to go out in the rush hours because I know that it will be insane.
