Goodbye double car garage, hello Airbnb
The rise of ridesharing and the imminent arrival of self-driving cars is causing homeowners and builders to rethink a perennial fixture of the Australian suburban home – the double garage.
A recent study predicted the autonomous vehicle market would be worth $552 billion by 2026, growing at an average pace of 39.5 per cent per year between 2019 and 2026.
While many Australians are still choosing to build homes with double garages, builders like Rivergum Homes are planning for the future.
Rivergum Homes design director John Eckert said builders were rethinking designs to suit the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s families.
We are already seeing many families choosing single garages, questioning the need to take up so much of their floor space with a double garage
“One of the biggest rooms in the house is a double garage, it’s a 6mx6m room.
“Our design teams are already thinking about how this space could be adapted if homeowners didn’t need a place to store their cars.
“All of a sudden you can have a whole bedroom with a bathroom instead.
“It’s usually at the front of the house so it can be easily utilised as Airbnb accommodation.
According to recent research more than two in three Australians spend or earn money through the sharing economy.
Mr Eckert said the sharing economy had become a normal part of life for many consumers.
“The idea of not owning a car was unthinkable 20 years ago – your car was the link to your freedom, but now ordering an Uber is second nature for many Australians,” said Mr Eckert.
“Autonomous vehicles may remove the need for homes to have two cars, or, if ridesharing continues to rise in popularity, to have a car at all.
“Traditional home design will have to respond to this huge advance in homeowner’s needs, and the Rivergum Homes design specialists are working constantly to ensure our designs stay ahead of the curve.”
Rivergum Homes has two display homes at Providence, South Ripley, and another two display homes open at Springfield Rise.
The display villages are located on Soul Crescent, South Ripley and Miami Street, Spring Mountain Qld and are open 7 days from 10am to 5pm.
