The Weekend Post - Real Estate
Tree houses garner appeal
character” was what lured the Brauers to initially buy, but now with the pending arrival of their first baby, the couple is relocating to the northern beaches.
“It’s about 20 years old but we are the second owners of the house,” Mr Brauer said.
“We like the ventilation, they ( pole homes ) s tay cool a l l through summer.
“And being among the trees – it puts you into a different environment.
“It has got a good view too, they normally build pole homes in elevated positions.”
Mr Brauer said maintenance had been at the forefront of his mind when buying, but said his expectations differed to reality.
“I was expecting to maintain every month or so, but it’s a matter of gurneying (pressure hosing) the decks,” Mr Brauer said.
“Pole homes are a smart design because all of the weatherboard cladding they put on the outside of the house only needs to be recoated every 20 years.
“People think it’s like (recoating) a back deck, but it’s not.”
Elite real estate agent Karl Latham said an investor from Kalgoorlie had flown from Western Australia to inspect the four-bedroom home on Sydney St but a local buyer had beat him to the contract signing.
Other pole homes have also been popping up for sale in the region, including one Rocky Point home ( north of Por t Douglas) listed for offers over $1 million, and another dubbed the youngest pole home in Kuranda.
Ray White Cairns Beaches agent Sonia Poole said the eight year old house on Coconut Grove in Kuranda had been architecturally designed and engineered by its owner.
“It’s the youngest pole home in Kuranda,” Ms Poole said.
“You can’t get those turpentine poles anymore.”
Ms Poole said the design oozed character and a laid-back lifestyle.
“There is really no two pole homes the same.
“Most of them incorporate indoor/outdoor living. They are built like Queenslanders.
“Maintenance is easy, as long as you keep onto it and the termites don’t like the turpentine (type of timber).”
Mark Vukobratich, who is the director of Cairns building company MV Designer Homes, said while pole homes “looked good” he believed they needed extensive upkeep.
“The good is they look good, the bad is they are a nightmare for maintenance,” Mr Vukobratich said.
“The timber requires a lot of maintenance due to the sun, the weather, the ongoing elements of Mother Nature.
“There is ongoing maintenance to repatch and paint and lacquer the timber, it ’s very intense. “They look great though.” The builder said his company preferred to use masonry block when building.