Alfredson's Joinery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alfredson's Joinery
Alfredson's Joinery, 2007
Location	28 King Street, Cooran, Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1919 - 1930s (interwar period)
Built	1930s-1950s
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Alfredson's Joinery, Pre-Cut House Workshop and Sawmill (former)
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	27 November 2008
Reference no.	602690
Significant period	1930s-1950s
Significant components	machinery/plant/equipment - forestry/timber industry, workshop, mill - timber / sawmill
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Alfredson's Joinery is a special old workshop in Cooran, Queensland, Australia. It's located at 28 King Street. This building was used from the 1930s to the 1950s. It was also known as Alfredson's Pre-Cut House Workshop and Alfredson's Sawmill. Because of its history, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on November 27, 2008.

History of Alfredson's Joinery

The Alfredson's Joinery complex in Cooran shows the long history of timber work in the Noosa Shire and North Coast area. This business also helped solve the housing shortage after World War II. The building is made of timber and has many levels. It shows how a family timber business grew and changed from 1933 to 1990.

Timber Industry in Cooran

Timber was very important for the growth of Noosa Shire. People started cutting timber along the Noosa River in the mid-1860s. Around 1870, Cooran began as a stop for coaches traveling from Tewantin to Gympie. This road was made after a sawmill opened around 1870 at Mill Point, Lake Cootharaba. It supplied timber to the Gympie goldfield.

The railway reached Cooran from Gympie in June 1889. This helped Cooran become a center for farming and timber. Shops were built along King Street, across from the railway line. Cooran became important for loading goods like timber and farm products onto trains.

Timber continued to be a big part of Cooran's economy. Many sawmills operated in the town before World War II. Dairy farming also grew in Noosa Shire. Butter factories opened in nearby towns like Kin Kin and Cooroy. In the 1920s, the Shire was very busy. Trains from Cooran carried many goods, including timber and butter.

Mervyn Alfredson's Business

Mervyn William Henry Alfredson was born in Nambour in 1912. He learned to be a cabinetmaker. In May 1933, Mervyn bought land across from the Cooran railway station. He started his woodworking shop there.

Mervyn Alfredson is first listed as a "Joinery & Cabinet Maker" in 1939. During World War II, his workshop made items for the Australian Army, like tent floors. In 1942, Alfredson bought more land next to his workshop. In 1944, he bought the Widgee sawmill near Gympie to supply timber. His company, M.W. Alfredson & Company, was also formed that year.

The joinery complex grew over time. It was extended in the late 1930s and again by the 1960s. The pre-cut house workshop and sawmill were built after 1946. Alfredson planned to add a timber drying kiln and treatment plant. He had a sawmill on the western side of the joinery in the 1940s and 1950s.

Pre-Cut Houses and Post-War Housing

By the early 1950s, Alfredson created a system for pre-cutting house frames. He partnered with Queensland Pastoral Supplies (QPS). This company sent mail order catalogs to customers in the country. They started making pre-cut houses together.

The houses were sent by train from Cooran railway station. The timber was bundled and marked so it was easy to put together. These kits included everything needed, from the foundation up. They came with plans, doors, windows, and even roofing.

Pre-cut houses are sometimes called "kit homes." They were popular because they helped with labor shortages in rural areas. One successful company, James Campbell & Sons Ltd, started making "Redicut Homes" in 1903. Their timber was cut and shaped to plans. The frame was even put together at their mill to check the fit before shipping.

The "do-it-yourself" trend grew after World War II. Pre-cut houses helped meet the high demand for homes. They also helped with high building costs between 1945 and 1960. By 1952, many companies in Sydney were making pre-cut houses.

Queensland Pastoral Supplies started advertising "Cooran Pre-Cut Homes" in their 1954 catalog. Newspaper articles from 1953 talked about these homes. They noted that a 740 square foot house cost just over £800. The articles said an amateur could build the house because every part was marked. The "Cooran" home had six rooms and could be extended.

Many models of houses were produced. The "Cooran" models, especially No. 3, were very popular. There were also "Hibiscus" models and smaller cottages.

Housing Shortage After World War II

The marketing of Alfredson's pre-cut houses showed the housing shortage after World War II. There weren't enough houses even before the war. Building new homes was limited during the war. After the war, more families were starting, and many people moved to Australia. This made the housing shortage even worse.

Building costs also went up. There was a shortage of skilled workers. The average house price increased a lot. To save money, houses became smaller and more practical. Living and dining rooms were combined. Verandahs became small porches. People used new materials like asbestos cement and fiber boards.

Many people started building their own homes. Magazines and newspapers shared stories about housing solutions. Between 1951 and 1955, over 140,000 Australian houses were built by their owners. This was more than a third of all new homes.

The government also helped. The Queensland Housing Commission was formed in 1945. They built houses for rent or to buy. The housing shortage ended around 1960.

M.W. Alfredson & Company made at least 1,200 pre-cut houses by the mid-1960s. These included homes for Alfredson's staff and for the Queensland Housing Commission. Houses were sent to places as far away as New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Some large farms in Western Queensland ordered several houses for their workers.

Mervyn Alfredson died in 1973. His daughter, Jeanette, took over the business. She focused on making special timber joinery and cabinets. The company won contracts for schools and supplied doors and windows for government buildings. Many people from Cooran worked for M.W. Alfredson & Company. At its busiest, the business employed 32 men and trained over 60 apprentices.

The business was sold in 1991. Today, Alan Guymer runs a traditional joinery workshop in part of the old complex. The top level of the building is now a shop called Cooran Trading Post. Some original machinery, like a log carriage and timber rails, can still be seen.

Description of Alfredson's Joinery

Alfredson's Joinery is a long timber and corrugated iron building. It has different roof types, like gable and skillion roofs. The building steps down a slope from King Street in Cooran. It has mountains and paddocks behind it, and overlooks the railway.

The building is about 65 meters long and 13 meters wide. It has three main levels. The top level was the joinery workshop. The middle level was for making pre-cut houses. The lowest level was the sawmilling area. Many types of timber were used to build the complex.

Joinery Workshop

The joinery workshop is at street level. It has a large gable roof. The workshop is made of timber and covered with weatherboards. It stands on tall, round timber stumps. The main entrance has wide double timber doors. A sign above the entrance says 'Alfredson's'.

Inside, exposed timber trusses support the roof. The workshop has a nice timber floor. There are different types of windows for light. An old lathe from the early workshop is still in the center of the room. The area underneath the workshop is used for storage.

Pre-Cut House Workshop

A driveway slopes down the side of the property. This gives access to the middle and lower levels. The pre-cut house workshop is covered by two roofs: a sawtooth roof and a skillion roof. The sawtooth roof lets in a lot of natural light.

This workshop also has exposed timber frames and rough log beams. Rows of round timber posts hold up the roofs. It has a fine timber floor with rails running along the center. A trolley with metal wheels runs on these rails. This area was where the timber was cut and shaped for the pre-cut houses.

Sawmilling Area

The sawmilling area is at the lowest level. It includes places for storing timber and working with logs. It has a metal skillion roof. This area houses a log carriage and a breakdown saw, which are still working. A small shed holds a newer machine.

Today, these areas have various timber working tools. They are used for storing timber and other equipment.

Why Alfredson's Joinery is Important

Alfredson's Joinery, Pre-Cut House Workshop and Sawmill was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on November 27, 2008. It is important for several reasons:

• Shows Queensland's History: This place shows how the timber industry grew in the Noosa Shire and North Coast region. Timber was a huge part of Queensland's economy from the 1860s. Alfredson's shows how timber was processed and made into products from the 1930s to the 1980s. Its location near the railway helped ship timber products easily. The pre-cut house workshop also shows how timber companies helped with the housing shortage after World War II.

• Rare and Special: Alfredson's Joinery is a rare example of a sawmill and joinery from before World War II. It's also a rare example of a pre-cut house workshop from after World War II. The old lathe and log carriage are important because they are rare pieces of equipment that still exist from those times.

• Shows How Things Worked: The layout of Alfredson's Joinery shows how timber manufacturing worked. Timber was brought in, cut in the sawmilling area, and then moved by trolley to the workshop. There, it was shaped and prepared. The finished parts were then sent out. The special sawtooth roofs and skylights were designed to bring in as much natural light as possible, which was a common and smart design for workshops.