Leading features to look for in the best acreage homes

INSIDE THIS ARTICLE WE TAKE A LOOK AT:

  • The advantages of living an acreage lifestyle
  • What to look for in a builder of acreage homes
  • The 5 things you will need to consider when building on acreage
  • Access of services to the site & associated costs
  • Bushfire zone & wind rating requirements
  • Vehicle access to your site
  • Your floorplan & exterior aesthetics
  • Orientation & views

Are you considering starting your journey to building your dream acreage home design? Well, you’re not alone. With working from home becoming the norm and many opting for a tree change, there are so many now looking to leave the ‘rat race’ and live in the peace, serenity and open spaces that an acreage lifestyle offers.

As QLD’s most loved acreage home builder, we’ve seen first hand the benefits of living the acreage way so wanted to share with you what to look out for when starting your journey

THE 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 adventure and imagination.

Another advantage is that rural and semi-rural neighbourhoods tend to be quite close-knit communities where you get to know your neighbours and the kids form life-long friendships.

Here in our beautiful South-East Queensland region, 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! And one of the best things about acreage homes is that 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 Avondale 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 and understand your requirements.

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 also.

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 builder also needs to be able to adapt to the surroundings and understand orientation, wind ratings and other aspects you may encounter building on acreage land.

Does your acreage home require special access and/or be within high wind or bushfire zones? How will your acreage home access things like NBN, electricity and sewerage? All these things an experienced acreage builder like us here at Avondale Homes will be able to advise you on.

You can also rest assured that our team works 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.

THE 5 THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING AN ACREAGE HOME:

1) ACCESS OF SERVICES TO THE SITE & ASSOCIATED COSTS

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

If you are required to extend power a long way from the road, or require power installation, the additional costs can sometimes be be significant and a well experienced acreage home builder can tell you this at first glance.

Secondly, if your site does not have a sewerage system, you may need a septic tank and absorption trenches to be installed also and this should be one of the first things you consider when building a new acreage home as this can add extra cost and time to your build.

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

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).

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

Access to your acreage property is a very important consideration as 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 or talk to your builder about a solution if required.

4) YOUR FLOORPLAN & EXTERIOR AESTHETICS

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

Your acreage floor plan 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 home office so you can work from your dream home in comfort.

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

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 design of your acreage home 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 typically 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.

Here at Avondale Homes, we have a range of luxurious acreage homes perfectly suited to take advantage of large acreage lots, and can also customise to suit your needs.

Avondale Home Design: Oakdale 412

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.

Position your home so that your alfresco area is shielded from the wind, but so that breezes flow through the house in Summer. Taking these factors into account may also help to reduce your living costs (such as heating and cooling) by maximising energy efficiency, whilst making your home a lot more comfortable day to day.

….And then there’s 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.

Have a question? We’d love to hear from you! Give our friendly and experienced Team a call today on (07) 5647 3708, to find out more about how we can help you enjoy all the benefits of building an acreage home.