As I look around suburbia, you notice that nearly everyone wants to live in big houses, family rooms, spare bedrooms, studies, two or three bathrooms, parents retreats, the list goes on. One of the other things is how small the gardens have become especially when they put a 25 square house on their 450m2 block of land.

Everything has to be new, the current fashion, children have to have the latest and greatest, most families have at least two cars. Ducted heating, air conditioning, patio heaters for crying out loud. Where does it stop, when we will say enough is enough.

It costs more to heat/cool these larger houses, the insulation we use is crap, fibreglass batts breakdown over time and are basically offer no insulation when they have broken down. (If you can afford to use polystyrene to line your walls, roof and underfloor, never breaks down, and offers great insulation). We don't double glaze, we don't install water tanks with new houses (shouldn't that be compulsory now??). It seems that as a society we are willing to accept a cheap glossy exterior while not caring about the basics.

Bring back small houses, with small rooms, big verandahs, and what's more, gardens.

Sorry, this rant has been bought about by the house across the road who has just cut down every tree (some gorgeous big gum trees) in the their backyard to put a unit in. You can bet your bottom dollar I put a letter of protest in, but it didn't make any difference. *sigh*