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“As things settled, the focus moved toward building smarter, with more resilient homes, often raised or relocated.”<\/p>\n
Nikola said clients were now increasingly looking toward alternative housing models.<\/p>\n
“More recently, with ongoing housing shortages and cost-of-living pressures, clients are now looking toward alternative building solutions such as modular construction, compact designs and more adaptable housing options rather than traditional builds,” he said.<\/p>\n
The company is also seeing growing demand for secondary dwellings on existing family properties.<\/p>\n
“A lot of families who would normally be house sharing are now looking to add a second dwelling so they can live more independently while still reducing overall living costs,” Nikola said.<\/p>\n
Nikola said some of the most meaningful projects involved helping older residents remain close to family and community.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had multiple cases with elderly clients who were facing the reality of having to leave their family and the area they’ve lived in for years,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We have placed tiny homes on wheels and modular homes on their children’s land, which means they’ve been able to stay close to family, remain independent, and keep their connection to the community.”<\/p>\n
Despite the shift toward smaller and more affordable housing, Nikola said affordability challenges remained difficult across the region.<\/p>\n
“Land availability and building costs are the biggest hurdles,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Council regulations add another layer, so it’s the combination that makes delivering affordable housing challenging.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NORTHERN Rivers builders say more residents are turning to tiny homes, modular housing and secondary dwellings as affordability pressures reshape what people can afford to build. Regenerative Futures Practitioner Carmen Stewart, who has been exploring housing through the Imagine Northern Rivers workshop series, said Business NSW had projected the region would require an additional 21,000 […]<\/p>\n