▁function ▁and ▁efficiency ▁was ▁more ▁important ▁than ▁orn ament ation . ▁After ▁the ▁war ▁functional ism ▁would ▁be ▁widely ▁adopted ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁necessity ▁to ▁reduce ▁building ▁costs . ▁ ▁Aust er ity ▁houses ▁were ▁small , ▁with ▁an ▁eye ▁to ▁the ▁future ▁addition ▁of ▁bed rooms ▁as ▁families ▁expanded . ▁To ▁save ▁on ▁the ▁cost ▁of ▁building ▁materials ▁and ▁labour , ▁living ▁rooms ▁and ▁d ining ▁rooms ▁were ▁combined ▁into ▁one ▁space , ▁entrance ▁h alls ▁disappeared ▁with ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁the ▁" L " ▁sh aped ▁house , ▁and ▁ver and ah s ▁shr unk ▁to ▁small ▁cant ile ver ed ▁por ches ▁over ▁the ▁front ▁door . ▁People ▁made ▁do ▁with ▁one ▁chim ney , ▁and ▁pret ent ious ▁orn ament ation ▁was ▁dropped . ▁Building ▁materials ▁increasing ly ▁included ▁as best os ▁c ement ▁( s old ▁by ▁W under lich ▁as ▁" D ur ab est os " ▁and ▁James ▁Hard ie ▁as ▁' F ib rol ite '), ▁and ▁com pressed ▁fib re ▁bo ards ▁such ▁as ▁Mason ite ▁and ▁C ane - ite , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁Tim bro ck ▁hard board . ▁In ▁the ▁southern ▁states ▁a ▁brick ▁v ene er ▁over ▁a ▁tim ber ▁frame ▁became ▁more ▁popular . ▁ ▁The ▁emphas is ▁was ▁also ▁on ▁do - it - your self ▁building , ▁as ▁labour ▁counted ▁for ▁about ▁ 5 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁cost ▁of ▁a ▁house ▁by ▁ 1 9 4 8 . ▁Mag az ines ▁such ▁as ▁" Austral ian