Buying the Right Property For Your Building Project

An important factor in having a successful project is making sure you have the right property. If you haven’t already got a block to build your new home, or property to renovate, it’s vital that you get an expert in before you make that purchase.

Buying the wrong property will not only mean potentially not being able to build what you want, but it will more than likely cost you more money in the long run. Some potential issues could be :

• Compliance with the Residential Design Codes (ie zoning and open space requirements, boundary and street setbacks etc).
• Compliance with local council Town Planning Policy. In addition to the Residential Design Codes almost all councils have their own individual policy, which needs to be complied with. Town Planning Policy’s usually but not always override the Residential Design Codes.
• Compliance with specific new residential subdivision Design Guidelines which need to be taken into consideration with the above two issues (ie if it’s a new subdivision).
• Compliance with the Heritage Act if the existing building has heritage value.
• The location of the sewer can affect where you can build on the property.
• The slope of the block may require additional site works which may add to the overall construction cost and affect your budget.
• Solar orientation of the block will affect the energy efficiency of your home.
• Is the property in a designated bushfire prone area? If so, then this introduces a number of design, specification and construction issues that need to be complied with. Having to comply with these extra requirements may add to the construction cost of your home.

An expert will understand the above issues. Don’t wait until you have purchased a property to find your architect. When you think you’ve found the right property, your architect can assess the property for you.

We provide property advice to help you find the ideal property for your building project.

Zoning and Open Space Requirements

The zoning and the minimum open space requirements (as per the R-Codes) of the block, will determine the maximum ground floor area of a house allowed on the site.

This is very important if you want to build a single storey home.

If the block isn’t large enough to accommodate the size of the new house and the minimum open space required, then a single storey home may not be possible.

This may result in you having to build a two storey house, which is considerably more expensive.

Solar Orientation

The solar orientation of the block will ultimately affect the energy efficiency of the new home.

Poor solar orientation will result in more energy required to heat and cool the home throughout the year.

This means higher energy bills.

Adjoining Buildings

The block needs to be assessed to determine if it has opportunities for views and how proposed or existing adjoining buildings will have an impact on the site.

Adjoining buildings have the potential to cause overshadowing to outdoor living areas and courtyards.

They can also result in a loss of privacy and block access to cooling breezes, which can be used to naturally cool the house in summer.

Block Slope

The slope of the block may cause problems with the type of home you want to build.

Usually, sloping blocks may require additional site works which will add to the overall construction cost.

Setbacks (Distance From Boundaries)

The setbacks may also affect the type and size of house you want to build on the site.

If the setbacks are too restrictive, then you may have to re-assess the design of your proposed home.

Or, you may need to look for another block.

Irregular Shaped Blocks

A custom designed home by a Registered Architect will take into account any irregularities such as block shape and slope.

We can provide you with expert advice so that you choose the best block for your new house building project.

Important Things To Consider   Before Buying

Before buying a property that you want to extend or renovate, it’s important to consider some of the following:

• Does the floor plan of the house suit your needs? If not can it be altered to accommodate your needs and how much is it going to cost?
• Does the house have potential for improvement?
• Does the house look like it could be passively heated and cooled? It’s important that a house has good orientation, or that it can be easily adapted for better orientation.
• Do the main living areas face north? North facing living spaces with good access to winter sun are ideal.
• Are outdoor living areas such as courtyards, verandahs and balconies private and do they have access to winter sun? Can they be suitably shaded during the summer months?
• Open plan internal layouts provide better natural ventilation throughout the home. Generally, narrow, long houses have better passive cooling qualities. Ideally the long elevation should open up to cooling breezes.
• Houses with large exposed areas of west and east facing windows receive the strongest sun’s radiation during the summer months and are potentially going to consume more energy with regards to cooling.
• Is it possible to prune existing vegetation around the house, to allow cooling summer breezes and winter sun to penetrate into the home?

How You Can Save Money With Renovations

With good design it’s sometimes possible to achieve what you want just by modifying what you already have.

Sometimes opening up a wall and re-designing the existing interior, rather than extending up or out can often provide the best use of space.

Check if the living areas face the right way in order to take advantage of the winter sun and the cooling summer breezes.

It’s possible to change the orientation of a house when renovating, simply by swapping room uses from one side of the house to another.

This can also provide an alternative solution to extending the house, thus saving on building costs and future running and maintenance costs.

Extending

When buying a house that you want to extend in the future, it's important to look at the property and how it sits on the block.

If you plan to extend the house you need to make sure that there is enough space on the block to add to the existing home.

To do this you will need to check the zoning and open space requirements of the property with the local council.

Having an understanding of council regulations and the Residential Design Codes of Western Australia is also essential.

This will give you a better idea as to how close you can build to the boundaries.

If the property is an older home it may have heritage significance. If it does there may be restrictions and special requirements regarding any extensions you may want to do to the home.

The local council will be able to tell you if the property is heritage listed. This should be checked before putting an offer to buy the property.

This is a good time to get expert advice before proceeding any further.

Your Architect can consult with the local council and then advise you of the restrictions and how they may affect your plans for the home.

If they are going to severely limit what you are intending to do to the home, it may be better to walk away and look at purchasing another property.

Alternatively, if the restrictions are manageable, your Architect will be able to advise you of all the possibilities.

You will then be able to decide if the property is worth buying or not.

We can provide you with expert advice so that you choose the best property for your house extension and renovation project.