Australian’s traditional houses were made of corrugated iron, roof and sometimes even walls, in the absence of wood, with big veranda all around. The veranda started off purely practical - a tin house turns into an oven very quickly in Australia’s heat.

The veranda developed into a design statement though, and bigger is definitely better as far as verandas are concerned. The cheapest smallest cottages didn’t have them - but a veranda was often the first item added as funds allowed - because a veranda is both practical and useful: it shades the house and provides additional living areas.

Although the veranda is firmly associated with early colonial buildings in Australia - the name and the concept was imported from India: a country also building for extreme climatic conditions.

The encompassing veranda has fallen out of favour with new urban houses. Although still mandatory in the country, in the city the veranda is usually replaced with an extended outdoor living space at the back of the home - all private and hidden and including the barbecue, outdoor sink, pool and everything else.

Although the veranda was developed as the simple idea of sheltering windows and walls from the direct sun -they are in fact extraordinary useful: providing a transitional indoor-outdoor space which is useful for pot plants and pets as well as people.

Unfortunately a veranda is not cheap as it generally fits under the roof line of the house. The traditional styles include the bull nose-style veranda associated with the classic Australian Federation-style buildings, where the pitch of the roof curves around to point at the ground. The simpler skillion style is more common on country estates where the veranda is often wrapped around the entire house.

With the new awareness of green issues, and the sheer cost of air-conditioning in the height of summer perhaps the veranda will be making a come back sometime soon?

Photo credits: superciliousness and .ash