The number of new houses under construction is continuing to rise, with new figures revealing building levels are 40% higher than they were at the same time last year.
Australian Bureau of Statistics Building Activity figures for the March 2021 Quarter show a 20-year high 35,869 houses are under construction.
The value of construction work increased by 3% in the March Quarter to $30.4 billion, although this was 1.1 % less than at the same time last year.
A halt in international travel due to the pandemic also saw home-owners with more money to spend on alterations and additions during the March Quarter.
The number of people doing up their homes surged by 11.4% to a total spend of $2.9 billion.
While the residential construction market went from strength to strength, non-residential building dropped during the March quarter by 1.4%.
Housing Industry Association analysis of the data reveals Western Australia had the biggest increase in home starts – up 136% compared with the same quarter last year. South Australia was next with an increase of 62%, the Northern Territory 60%, Tasmania 51%, ACT 50%, New South Wales 37%, Queensland 29% and Victoria 15%.
