5 Things to Consider for Acreage Home Designs 

ADVANTAGES OF LIVING AN ACREAGE LIFESTYLE

Acreage homes are the perfect setting for the kids to play (burn energy!), and enjoy a truly Aussie and enriching outdoor childhood – full of backyard adventures.

Another advantage is that rural and semi-rural neighbourhoods tend to be quite close-knit.

In communities like these, people tend to get to know and look out for each other, whilst the quiet streets help to keep kids and pets safe.

Here in our beautiful Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas, we are quite spoilt for choice in terms of acreage home locations.

Whether you choose a country or coastal acreage for your family to settle into, you are going to need the perfect acreage home design to bring your dream to life!

Acreage lots of land allow you the freedom to build a spacious family home of unrestricted size, configuration and in most cases orientation.

Here at Mincove Homes, we hold a beautiful range of country, modern and traditional acreage home designs, suited to perfectly complete your dream acreage lifestyle.

WHY GOOD BUILDERS ARE CRITICAL FOR ACREAGE HOME DESIGNS

When it comes to building on acres, it is important to choose an experienced acreage home design builder.

Builder experience is particularly necessary for acreage home builds as you need to be working with someone who can help guide you to get the best out of your spacious surroundings.

Because on acreage you’re generally not limited by space, you’ll need to be able to work with a builder who is committed to helping you maximise your indoor and outdoor space.

Your builder should be able to work with you to bring to life a home design that will make the most of available views, space and orientation, while ensuring a layout that enables seamless modern living.

Your acreage home design builder also needs to be able to adapt to the surroundings.

Acreage properties can be remote, require special access and/or be within high wind or bushfire zones.

Your builder will need to be experienced in and familiar with the special conditions required of acreage lots, that typical suburban residential land tends to not be concerned with.

Here at Mincove Homes, our team work closely with a highly experienced team of trades and suppliers, who together ensure that our acreage home design builds are processed, approved and built as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

We know what is required to meet Council and State requirements, and dutifully take care of the entire process for you.

HERE ARE 5 THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING ON ACREAGE:

 

1) ACCESS OF SERVICES TO THE SITE & ASSOCIATED COSTS

Firstly, you will need to know whether your acreage has access to power, water and sewerage, in case you need to allow for the potential cost of connection.

If you are required to extend power a long way from the road, or require power installation, the additional costs can be significant.

You could also need 3 Phase power and/or an upgraded meter box and cabling.

Secondly, if your site does not have a sewerage system, you may need a septic tank and absorption trenches to be installed also.

Sewerage and the type of soil around your home should be one of the first things you consider when looking into your site costs.

TIP: Approvals for plumbing with on-site sewerage can also add weeks to your approval.

You will find that some sewerage systems are more expensive upfront, while others have more maintenance costs over the life of the system.

Thirdly, is your parcel of land level? The slope of the section you plan to build on could have the biggest effect on your project costs.

As it’s easy to underestimate the slope of your land purely by standing on it, it’s important to get a detailed Contour Survey done first.

Finally, you need to consider boundary setbacks (how far back from the road your home will be built).

The connection of your services such as power and water may need to be significantly longer to meet the home.

Here at Mincove Homes, we are more than happy to discuss and guide you in terms of your options for your required site costs.

2) BUSHFIRE ZONE & WIND RATING REQUIREMENTS

If your acreage is in a registered Bushfire Prone Area (BPA), this necessitates the need for Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment and your build will require special management and build specifications.

When building in a BPA area, you are required to ensure the use of specific fireproofing materials (such as fire-rated glass, metal and timbers) and special methods of construction such as the reduction of gaps between materials (such as in the roof and between doorways).

Getting a detailed Bushfire Report that assesses each face of your home independently may cost more up front, but can save you a lot in construction costs.

Also, if your acreage property is positioned on a platform or high on a ridge, or within an exposed area, you will be subject to a higher wind rating.

This means you will require more bracing and engineering in construction. So, it’s best to find this out before your new build gets underway.

3) VEHICLE ACCESS TO YOUR SITE

Driveway access to your property is an important consideration. For example; is a culvert needed? Or, do any covenants govern the type of driveway that you need to construct?

In most building contracts that you enter into, you will be required to provide vehicle access, known as ‘All Weather Access’.

This means that it is your responsibility to ensure that your builder, and their trades/suppliers can access your site throughout the entire construction period.

So, you may be required to arrange the installation of a suitable driveway yourself before construction commences.

4) YOUR FLOORPLAN & EXTERIOR AESTHETICS

The beauty of acreage home designs is that you have enough space to allow a beautiful spacious floorplan, designed to suit your family’s specific needs and lifestyle.

Your acreage floorplan could house the likes of a grand entranceway, up to four bedrooms or five bedrooms, formal and informal living areas – or maybe even the added luxury of a media room.

Or, perhaps you wish for a generous kitchen – complete with a spacious walk-in pantry and/or butler’s kitchen.

Don’t forget that acreage home designs are all about embracing your beautiful surroundings, and the perfect way to create a seamless connection between indoor/outdoor living is through a generous alfresco living area!

The floorplan of your acreage home design should embrace the outdoors, and give you the luxury of space and modern conveniences that make everyday living a pleasure.

Another consideration for the design of your acreage home is the increased visibility of your home’s exterior, from more angles than just the front and back!

Many traditional home designs place emphasis on the front of the exterior, however when building on a large parcel of land, you will need to consider the aesthetics from multiple viewpoints.

Thinking beyond the exterior, how would a garage and driveway work in with the design? Can you use landscaping to enhance the aesthetics from various angles?

Here at Mincove Homes, we have a range of luxurious home designs like the Maple and the Daintree, perfectly suited to take advantage of large acreage lots, and can also customise to suit your needs.

5) ORIENTATION & VIEWS

Finally, one of the greatest advantages of building on acreage is your ability to choose the best possible orientation for your home.

Consider which rooms of your house will want to be shielded from the hot Summer sun, and by the same token – which rooms would benefit from the low Winter sun. Usually, you would want the living areas to face north.

You may also want to position your home so that your alfresco area is shielded from the wind, but so that breezes flow through the house in Summer.

TIP: Taking these factors into account will help to reduce your living costs (such as heating and cooling) by maximising energy efficiency, whilst making your home a lot more comfortable to live in.

Finally, there is the all important consideration of views!

If you’re really clever, you will be able to establish the perfect orientation for your new acreage home that takes advantage of scenic views AND maximises energy efficiency and comfort.

When it comes time to building your dream acreage home, Mincove Homes are your trusted builder.

Here at Mincove Homes, we ensure that you aren’t met with any nasty cost surprises throughout your build, as we conduct a full analysis of your site before we provide you with your fixed price tender.

We will determine how far utilities such as power, water and gas need to be brought to meet your site. Let us take care of the process for you.

We also know what local Illawarra and Shoalhaven Councils require when it comes to house design and building on acreage blocks.

So, let us take care of the process for you, and help ensure that your acreage home build is a smooth process – memorable for all the right reasons!

Have a question? We’d love to hear from you! Give our friendly and experienced New Homes Consultants a call today on (02) 4256 0222, to find out more about how we can help you enjoy all the benefits of building an acreage home.