WA has the biggest homes in Australia

Newly built homes in Western Australia are the largest in the country, with new houses averaging 235.3 square metres and new apartments increasing in size by 8.7 per cent.

A new study by CommSec also found that Western Australians still strongly favour free-standing houses and large apartments, which skewed the average figures for new homes.

Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, CommSec found that new apartments in WA increased in size to 133.8 square metres last year, well above the national average of 124.8 square metres.

The big jump in apartment floor size in WA came after seven years of decline.

This data accords with commentary from apartment developers in WA who have reported increased demand from owner occupiers wanting three-bedroom apartments.

The CommSec analysis showed that apartments in WA are of a similar size to those in Queensland and South Australia and slightly larger than those in Victoria (130.3 sqm).

The national average reflects the smaller size of apartments in NSW (116.5 sqm).

In contrast to the apartment market, the floor area in new houses in WA decreased by 0.6 per cent to 235.3 sqm over the past year, just above the national average of 230.8 square metres.

The national figure is significantly lower than the record high of 247.7 sqm in 2008/09.  

Victorians are currently building the biggest houses in Australia, at 244.8 sqm, ahead of the ACT, WA and Queensland.

While the average size of new houses across Australia has dipped in recent years, houses built over the past year are still 8 per cent bigger than those built 20 years ago and almost 30 per cent bigger than 30 years ago.

CommSec combined the data on houses and apartments to calculate the average size of new homes across Australia and found they had fallen to a 22-year low of 186.3 square metres.

Chief economist Craig James said this was mainly due to the increased popularity of apartments.

“Generation Y, millennials, couples and small families want to live closer to work, cafes, restaurants, shopping and airports, and are giving up living space for better proximity to the desirable amenities,” Mr James said.

The data showed 46 per cent of all new homes built nationally in the 2017-18 financial year were apartments compared to 27 per cent in 2010.

This proportion is highly variable across the states.                                                                                                  

In WA, more than 75 per cent of homes built in 2017-18 were free standing houses compared to 56 per cent in Victoria and just 43 per cent in NSW.

As a result, new homes in WA averaged 211.5 sqm.

Houses are also becoming more luxurious than those built in the 1980s.

CommSec found the standard of fit-out was superior, with higher quality kitchens, bathrooms, floor coverings and inclusions such as air-conditioners.

Australia still ranks second in the world behind the United States for dwelling space.

Houses in the US remain 6 per cent bigger than in Australia and combined data for houses and apartments showed homes in the US to be 8 per cent larger.