'Flat-pack' homes hoped to save country towns from 'domino effect'

Quilpie locals say a housing shortage is limiting the town's ability to grow. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) Quilpie locals say a housing shortage is affecting businesses in town as the only childcare centre reopens at a limited capacity due to difficulty housing staff. A trade shortage and high freight costs mean private construction in the outback town is rare. Local builders are assembling the first "flat-pack home" in a bid to reduce costs and boost construction. Link copiedShareShare articleAn outback Queensland town is turning to "flat-pack" homes in the hope of solving a local housing crisis, as the high cost of building risks paralysing the community. When the only childcare provider unexpectedly left Quilpie, a town of about 500 people, in December last year, families were left in limbo because there was nowhere for new childcare staff to live. The centre reopened in May in a limited capacity, with residents growing frustrated by the "domino effect" of the housing shortage affecting other parts of the regional centre, 1,000 kilometres west of Brisbane. Quilpie real estate agent Dannielle Stevenson said even with the centre reopening, places and times were limited by the continued lack of housing. Dannielle Stevenson says she had to stay on maternity leave for an extra six months. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) "They've got educators willing to relocate, but no housing for the educators. That impacts how many children they can have at the day care," Ms Stevenson said. "It's a real domino effect. If there's no housing, you don't have any of that [essential services]. Dannielle Stevenson's children began attending child care last month after the centre reopened with a new provider. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) Ms Stevenson said the market had become incredibly tight in the past five years. "For a young person, Quilpie is awesome. You can buy a house a lot cheaper than renting a room in a house in Brisbane. There are plenty of jobs out [here], there's flexibility," Ms Stevenson said. "[But] as soon as a house comes onto the market, it's gone." Locals blame high freight costs and a trade shortage for the lack of private builds in Quilpie. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) Heather Stennett says the extended time and cost to build her "traditional" home in Quilpie inspired her to explore flat-pack builds for clients. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) They experienced the barriers and high costs of construction in the town as they developed Quilpie's first privately built home in almost 30 years. The couple said they were now looking to find a faster and cheaper way of building in the outback, including the use of flat-pack homes. "We needed to look at something else because it shouldn't be a choice that someone has to live in a really run-down house or spend an absolute fortune," Ms Stennett said. "There have to be possibilities for people who want to come out here [and] who want to have a nice house." The first flat-pack home has been assembled in Quilpie after arriving on a truck from Newcastle. (Supplied: Heather Stennett) The flat-pack kits chosen by the Stennetts are manufactured and trucked out from Newcastle, which Ms Stennett said ensured buildings could be adapted for their environment. "It's kind of a hybrid modular system, so it's panellised systems, it's all flat-packed, it comes out and goes together on site a little bit like Lego," Ms Stennett said. "You're not needing to bring out framing and gyprock and things like that." High freight costs mean getting building materials delivered to Quilpie can be an expensive exercise. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) Flat-pack manufacturer Daniel Reitsma said the new style of home would be faster to build and was he hoped it could save costs in the outback by reducing reliance on tradies. "Because all the bathrooms and kitchens are fully fitted out, you don't need trades to come back to finish off, you just need them to hook all the services up," Mr Reitsma said. "When you look at speed of construction, less trades going to rural areas and less deliveries, then it should all add up to a cheaper build." Assembly of the first flat-pack home in Quilpie has begun, with the Stennetts hoping it might help the region's housing woes. "Whenever there are new [businesses] starting … there's the whip around and everyone starts asking everyone, 'Do you know of any rentals, is anyone leaving, is there any vacant houses?,'" Ms Stennett said. The Stennetts built Quilpie's first private home in almost three decades. (ABC Western Queensland: Jay Carstens) It is not the first time Quilpie has tried new ideas to tackle the housing crisis. The outback town made headlines when it introduced its free land scheme in 2021 in an attempt to encourage private construction. It was that scheme that first brought the Stennetts to town. "That was about giving people the opportunity if they bought a block of

'Flat-pack' homes hoped to save country towns from 'domino effect'

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