{"id":21801,"date":"2019-05-29T14:07:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T04:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/?p=21801"},"modified":"2019-05-30T08:42:43","modified_gmt":"2019-05-29T22:42:43","slug":"making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the most of the Aussie backyard"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>WHEN we think of the traditional\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Aussie backyard, many of\u00a0<\/strong><strong>us conjure up images of hot\u00a0<\/strong><strong>summers, a Hills Hoist, barbeques\u00a0<\/strong><strong>and a friendly game of cricket.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What we also immediately think of is space, but, since the late 80s, Australian backyards have been drastically shrinking in size, why?<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for the shift are diverse, our lifestyles have evolved &#8211; more of us are working longer and have less time to spend in our yards and on maintenance, but arguably the main driver of change is the ever-increasing cost of land.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the data that indicates backyards are shrinking, a recent research study commissioned by Metricon Homes has revealed that backyard living is still a critical consideration for homeowners in regional Victoria.<\/p>\n<p>Having a backyard rates very highly on their home wish list with the study showing that people in regional areas are spending more time in their backyards than their urban counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>Metricon Homes\u2019 Manager, Regional West, Simon Taylor says that the modern Australian backyard might have shrunk but this doesn\u2019t mean it holds less value for Australians today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA backyard is still an important and sentimental part of the Australian lifestyle,\u201d Mr Taylor said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Taylor explains that customers in regional Victoria often have greater choice over their backyards due to land affordability, but he is quick to point out that even in regional areas, a backyard that delivers on your lifestyle needs doesn\u2019t have to be big.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA backyard provides significant benefits, regardless of size, it provides a pleasant outlook from inside the home, as well as natural ventilation \u2013 and that\u2019s even if you never venture into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just as you plan your home design around your lifestyle, Mr Taylor suggests planning your backyard this way and has some tips for new home builders to consider:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Zoning \u2013 consider what spaces you\u2019ll need and use \u2013 i.e. grass and shade for pets, an outdoor room for entertaining, space for outdoor play equipment for kids<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Maintenance \u2013 will you have time to look after the garden? Think about plants that will thrive without a lot of TLC if you are time-poor<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Integrated living \u2013 many new home designs feature doors that open directly to gardens, or an outdoor room to enhance the integration between indoors and outdoors<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Local council guidelines \u2013 don\u2019t forget to consider water restrictions and planning regulations for any outdoor structures you may want to incorporate<\/p>\n<p>For more information about home designs to suit your unique regional lifestyle visit <strong>metricon.com.au<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WHEN we think of the traditional\u00a0Aussie backyard, many of\u00a0us conjure up images of hot\u00a0summers, a Hills Hoist, barbeques\u00a0and a friendly game of cricket. What we also immediately think of is space, but, since the late 80s, Australian backyards have been drastically shrinking in size, why? The reasons for the shift are diverse, our lifestyles have [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":21802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-21801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Making the most of the Aussie backyard - Ballarat Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Making the most of the Aussie backyard - Ballarat Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WHEN we think of the traditional\u00a0Aussie backyard, many of\u00a0us conjure up images of hot\u00a0summers, a Hills Hoist, barbeques\u00a0and a friendly game of cricket. What we also immediately think of is space, but, since the late 80s, Australian backyards have been drastically shrinking in size, why? The reasons for the shift are diverse, our lifestyles have [...]Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ballarat Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-29T04:07:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-29T22:42:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/05\/Untitled-125.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1071\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"651\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Ballarat Times\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Ballarat Times\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Ballarat Times\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4301f908d92f821f2752c965ef566687\"},\"headline\":\"Making the most of the Aussie backyard\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-29T04:07:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-29T22:42:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":426,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Untitled-125.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Real Estate\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/\",\"name\":\"Making the most of the Aussie backyard - Ballarat Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Untitled-125.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-29T04:07:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-29T22:42:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Untitled-125.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/Untitled-125.png\",\"width\":1071,\"height\":651,\"caption\":\"A recent research study commissioned by Metricon Homes has revealed that backyard living is still a critical consideration for homeowners in regional Victoria. Photo: SUPPLIED\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/real-estate\\\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Making the most of the Aussie backyard\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ballarat Times\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ballarat Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/BALT.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/BALT.png\",\"width\":739,\"height\":98,\"caption\":\"Ballarat Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4301f908d92f821f2752c965ef566687\",\"name\":\"The Ballarat Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballarat\\\/author\\\/ballarattimes\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Making the most of the Aussie backyard - Ballarat Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Making the most of the Aussie backyard - Ballarat Times","og_description":"WHEN we think of the traditional\u00a0Aussie backyard, many of\u00a0us conjure up images of hot\u00a0summers, a Hills Hoist, barbeques\u00a0and a friendly game of cricket. What we also immediately think of is space, but, since the late 80s, Australian backyards have been drastically shrinking in size, why? The reasons for the shift are diverse, our lifestyles have [...]Read More...","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/","og_site_name":"Ballarat Times","article_published_time":"2019-05-29T04:07:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-05-29T22:42:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1071,"height":651,"url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/05\/Untitled-125.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"The Ballarat Times","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Ballarat Times","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/"},"author":{"name":"The Ballarat Times","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#\/schema\/person\/4301f908d92f821f2752c965ef566687"},"headline":"Making the most of the Aussie backyard","datePublished":"2019-05-29T04:07:17+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-29T22:42:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/"},"wordCount":426,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/05\/Untitled-125.png","articleSection":["Real Estate"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/","name":"Making the most of the Aussie backyard - Ballarat Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/05\/Untitled-125.png","datePublished":"2019-05-29T04:07:17+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-29T22:42:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/05\/Untitled-125.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/05\/Untitled-125.png","width":1071,"height":651,"caption":"A recent research study commissioned by Metricon Homes has revealed that backyard living is still a critical consideration for homeowners in regional Victoria. Photo: SUPPLIED"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/real-estate\/making-the-most-of-the-aussie-backyard\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Making the most of the Aussie backyard"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/","name":"Ballarat Times","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#organization","name":"Ballarat Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/BALT.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/BALT.png","width":739,"height":98,"caption":"Ballarat Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/#\/schema\/person\/4301f908d92f821f2752c965ef566687","name":"The Ballarat Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/author\/ballarattimes\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21801"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=21801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}