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Home Design: Considerations To Make When Building On A Narrow Lot

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 01:32:00 GMT

Narrow or small lots are becoming more and more common with the rising prices of property and increase in subdivisions. In Australia, a small lot is defined as one that measures less than 15 metres in width and/or has an area less than 450m² (or less than 600m² if it's a rear lot), while a narrow lot has a frontage measuring between 8.5 and 12.5 metres. If you plan on building a home in an inner-city location or exclusive suburb, you'll likely be building on a narrow lot. There are important things to consider when building on such a property, and we've put together this handy guide to help.

Make Your Space Work For You

While larger homes might have a room for every need, if you have a small or narrow lot you have less space to work with. We recommend ensuring the different areas of your home serve various functions. Stock each room with plenty of storage solutions - and not just in the standard wall-to-wall options. Spaces beneath tables, stairwells and furniture can even serve as extra storage areas, maximising the usefulness of your home.

Convey Spaciousness

If you can, build your home with ceilings at least 2.7 metres high. This will really give you a great sense of space. Choosing light, neutral colours will improve your sense of spaciousness, while orienting your home to have your living space face north will encourage streams of natural light and help your home feel more inviting and expansive. At the same time, make sure areas that receive a lot of sunlight are also equipped with shade protection to keep your home cool during the warmer months.

Connect Indoors And Outdoors

With a narrow lot, you often need to be more creative when it comes to merging indoor and outdoor access. Why not transform your accessway into an eye-catching feature, or decorate your boundary wall or fence with a versatile vertical garden or lush, green creepers for even more privacy? Low-maintenance plants are a great asset to an outdoor space and can give you the feeling of being immersed in nature, while also allowing you to enjoy an added sense of space from inside your home.

Contact Us Today

If you're considering building a new home on a narrow lot, contact Total Package Construction . We proudly serve valued clients throughout Maryborough and surrounding areas with affordable construction and renovation services , shade solutions, land packages , turn-key options and more. Don't hesitate to give us a call today on 0400 155 017 .

Should You Renovate Or Rebuild Your Home?

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 02:25:04 GMT

If you're planning a home renovation or rebuild, there are lots of things to consider and it can be hard to know where to begin. Here are our top tips to help you know whether renovation or rebuild is right for you.

The Amount Of Work

When planning any major changes to your home, first identify the areas you'd like changed. Often, rebuilding these areas - especially if you're wanting large-scale work done - is the best solution.

When you rebuild, you can easily entrust your builder with the process. Renovation is usually more time-consuming and requires more work, as you'll need to engage contractors for long periods.

The Age And Condition Of Your Home

If you live in a classic older home, renovating can give you an upgrade while preserving your home's uniqueness. The age of your home can also influence council regulations. Some councils don't allow homes of a particular age or heritage to be remodelled or demolished.

Additionally, council regulations may impact what work you are allowed to complete on your property. You'll also need to apply for a permit if you're planning to remove any trees or vegetation before work begins.

Cost Of A Rebuild

Cost is a significant factor for most people, and renovation usually attracts a higher expense than rebuilding. Renovating an Australian home can cost up to $4,000 per square metre, depending on the materials used.

If you're wanting significant work done on your home, rebuilding proves to be more cost-effective.

The Market Condition For Your Location

It's crucial you don't overcapitalise, or spend more money on your home than it's worth. If you live in an attractive suburb, your risks of overcapitalisation are likely lower. If you live in a less sought-after location, a renovation is a safer option. A local real estate agent can help give you an idea of how the market's faring.

Orientation

Access to sunlight from the north is ideal, especially in living areas. If you can't create more space for sunlight access in your home, renovation might not be ideal.

Timeline

For renovations, the size and scope of the job will dictate the timeline. Work can take as little as a week or two months. Complete rebuilds are much longer, generally taking 8-12 months.

Cost Of Renovating

Renovations tend to require a more proactive approach. You'll be involved in everything from permits to contractors, will have many workers entering your home and will likely still be living there while the work is done.

Some sections of your home may not be able to be used while work is continuing. This can really change your lifestyle and carry its own emotional impacts.

Considering A Renovation Or Rebuild? Choose Total Package Construction

For quality and affordable home and commercial construction projects in Maryborough and surrounds, look to Total Package Construction .

Is It Cheaper To Build Or Buy A Home?

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 06:19:07 GMT

Searching for a new home that meets all of your needs and is in the perfect location with an ideal price tag is an increasingly difficult task. For this reason, you may well have considered opting for building your own home instead of buying one already on the market. After all, you will be able to control everything, from where it is to its layout and features. But is this a cheaper or more expensive option? In this guide, we try to help by answering the question, is it cheaper to build or buy a home?

Is It Cheaper To Build Or Buy A Home?

As you can probably imagine, this is a very difficult question to answer, as it depends on a whole raft of factors. For example, where will you be looking to live, and what size home are you considering? Although it is almost always cheaper to buy an empty lot of land rather than an established home, construction costs and other fees are added to the overall cost of building.

Luckily, to help us answer this question, Finder.com have released a rough guide with some interesting data. They have calculated the average price of land in major metropolitan areas of Australia, estimated total construction costs, added these together and compared them to average house prices in these areas. Their figures seem to suggest that building is in fact cheaper than buying (apart from in Perth). This is perhaps because houses are in demand for people searching in densely populated areas who do not have the time or indeed the expertise to build one of their own.

However, these figures are all very rough estimates based on averages. Plus, they do not have data for the Northern Territory or Tasmania.

Things To Consider

If you are considering building your own home, it’s important that you plan ahead very carefully. Although empty plots of land can be cheap, they can also be very difficult to come across especially in popular areas. Consider the price of your materials and how big you want the property to be, and the quality of the builders you will employ. Think about the average price of houses in the specific area and work out if you could realistically afford the extra costs, time and effort it takes to build a house compared with buying an existing property.

Building your own house doesn’t have to be confusing and you don’t have to do it alone. At Total Package Construction , we have dedicated home builders who can help you with every step towards your dream home. Get in contact today on 0400 155 017 to find out how we can make building your own home cost-effective and worth all the effort.