The lack of qualification or rather experience and understanding is noted by the lack of these types of things left standing. I live in western Victoria and man, if it’s not rotted away or taken by bushfire, wind gusts, spiders or time, it’s in a paddock getting baked. A lot of the old bluestone structures are ailing and in need of repairs, often destroying the vibe in the process. The lack of understanding and experience means these buildings were built to be built, but rarely are they built with particular care or planning. You see this a lot with old timber buildings being pitched in fire prone areas, even for their day. You see a lack of reinforcement allowing for prevailing wind gusts. You see a lot of corrugated iron acting as a sail, leaving a shoddy frame left to decay on its own. Nowadays with councils and conservation laws as they are, people aren’t as free as they were to fell a few gums, hack together some flat surfaces and call it a new shed. There’s little if any joinery involved in the structures that I’ve witnessed. This I feel is their main downfall. I haven’t seen them all. That said it’s cheaper, quicker and far stronger to have a few blokes come out, pour a slab, knock up a prefab steel frame and chuck some tin sheet over it. Planning is barely an issue, the structure is built to last in these conditions (not so much fire), it won’t rot, and it’s not entirely shit. I understand the aesthetic and sentimental value of these structures. I used to build little shacks on my aunties property out of fallen branches, now I build things properly. I’d absolutely love to fell my own trees, mill it by hand and make myself a shed. I really really would.