From the street. Single-storey, low-pitched roof in terracotta or corrugated iron, timber or steel-framed windows, a front porch and a Hills Hoist out the back. Fibro sheet and weatherboard were everywhere on the fringe, double brick or brick veneer closer in. Post-war material shortages meant families often built the garage first and lived in it.

Inside. A kitchen with a wood or early gas stove, laundry with a copper or concrete trough, lino floors, one bathroom with a separate outside toilet in many suburbs. No insulation. Ceiling heights around 2.7m.

From the street. The triple-fronted cream brick veneer. Low hip roof in concrete or terracotta tiles, wide eaves, a feature wall of Besser blocks or stacked stone, a single carport bolted to the side. Windows moved to aluminium late in the decade.

Inside. Laminex benches in mint or lemon, terrazzo in the bathroom, a "lounge room" kept for visitors and a separate dining room. Polished hardwood floors in Victoria and NSW, concrete slab and lino in Adelaide and Perth. First built-in wardrobes.

From the street. Brown brick, mission-brown aluminium windows, a steeper roof, and the arrival of the project home from AV Jennings, Hooker and the state-based volume builders. Split-level designs for sloping blocks. The double carport, then the first double garages.

Inside. Orange or avocado kitchens, shag pile, exposed brick feature walls, a "family room" off the kitchen for the first time. Ducted evaporative cooling became standard in Adelaide and Perth. The second toilet (a powder room or "half bath") appears.

From the street. Brick veneer takes over almost everything. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron. Cathedral ceilings, arched windows, a pergola and a spa out the back if you were doing well. The "formal lounge" is still there but nobody uses it.

Inside. Ensuite off the main bedroom becomes normal in new builds. Rumpus rooms. Peach and grey. Vertical blinds. The first ducted gas heating in Melbourne, the first reverse-cycle split systems everywhere else. Ceiling heights drop to 2.4m to save money.

From the street. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garage under the main roof. Rendered feature walls, Federation-revival gables, concrete tile roofs in terracotta or charcoal. The alfresco starts as a paved area under the eave. Blocks shrink, houses do not.

Inside. Open-plan kitchen/meals/family finally kills the formal dining room. Timber-look laminate floors, MDF kitchens, the first stone-look benchtops. Ducted reverse-cycle in new builds. Insulation becomes mandatory in most states mid-decade.

From the street. Australia overtakes the US for the largest new homes on earth (245m² average in 2009). Home theatre, study, alfresco with an outdoor kitchen, double or triple garage. Rendered or face-brick facades in charcoal and cream. Hebel panels and lightweight cladding appear.

Inside. Stone benchtops, 900mm ovens, walk-in pantry, ducted vacuum. The "parents' retreat". Energy ratings start biting: 4-star (2003), 5-star (2005-06). Rainwater tanks made mandatory in most states during the Millennium Drought.

From the street. Two storeys on a 12.5m frontage. Black window frames, Scandi-barn gables, Colorbond Monument. 6-star minimum from 2010-11. Rooftop solar on one in four homes by 2019, one in three in SA and QLD. Blocks under 400m² become the growth-corridor norm.

Inside. Butler's pantry, hybrid flooring, matte black tapware, integrated fridges and the first battery in the garage. NBN gets its own cupboard. Living areas push to the rear and the front becomes garage and theatre.

From the street. 7-star NCC 2022 energy minimum, Livable Housing Design standards (wider doors, step-free entry) in most states, all-electric homes with induction and heat-pump hot water. Blocks are the smallest in Australian history; the house still tries to fit four bedrooms.

Inside. A dedicated study or two (the WFH legacy), battery-ready switchboards, EV charger provision, smart everything. Granny flats and secondary dwellings surge as states relax the rules. Build costs jump 30-40% between 2020 and 2024.