Things To Consider Before Building An Acreage Home

The benefits of building acreage homes in Brisbane

For a long time now, people have loved living on acreage properties, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. While it’s true that many people grow up in rural areas and choose to stay there, we’ve seen an increase in recent years of former city-dwellers looking to get away from it all.

The popularity of acreage homes in Brisbane has skyrocketed, which is perhaps an indication that cities are over-crowded and people are looking for a more peaceful way of life. We’ve built hundreds of acreage homes for people throughout Brisbane, so we certainly understand the appeal.

Not only do you get a more relaxed life in the country, but when building a new home, you get all the benefits a modern home can offer. Sure, you might be on tank water instead of town water, but that’s about the only difference. And it’s a difference you’ll hardly even notice, with the water filtration systems available today.

You also usually get much more land for your money. You could buy a large parcel of land away from the city, and it probably won’t cost you any more than a small block of land in the suburbs. You’ll be closer to nature, you can even try your hand at growing your own food, even a little bit of livestock.

The possibilities are endless when you decide to move to an acreage home, but is it really that simple? Ina  lot of ways, it sure is, however there’s always a few things you need to be ready for when building your new home.

Finding the expertise you need

Not all builders are experts in acreage homes. With so much housing construction taking place in the suburbs and around larger cities, it’s quite conceivable that many local builders have never built a home on an acreage property. It’s not a criticism of them at all, it’s just that the opportunity doesn’t present itself as often as say, building units in suburbia.

So, when you’re planning to build your acreage home, it’s important to find builders who are experienced and passionate about building beautiful country homes. You may think all homes are much the same, and while that’s true to an extent, there are plenty of intricacies to acreage home building that city builders may not be familiar with.

We’ll touch on some of those specifics in this article, but there’s a whole host of reasons you want to work with experienced professionals. Obviously, if your builders have built plenty of acreage homes, they will already have a stack of purpose-ready designs for you to choose from. With that said, they’re also going to be pretty comfortable making adjustments to those designs, because they know that country homes are often dream homes. As such, you should find more design flexibility to get that tunning house in the country you’ve always dreamed of.

Acreage home builders also understand the lifestyle you’re looking for. Something more peaceful, plenty of space for the kids to run and play, open plan living and making the most of the environment to ensure safety and comfort in your home.

3 Things to Consider When Building Acreage Homes

So, we’ve talked about the fact that you want experienced acreage home builders to handle construction of your home. But how about the things you need to consider for yourself before getting started? Obviously, when your builders understand acreage home construction, they’ll be able to guide you through these requirements, but these 3 tips will help you prepare even better.

Access to the site

Firstly, access to the site is a little different than it is when building in the city. Mainly, this is because you not only need to consider vehicle access, but access to services too. Your acreage property needs to have access to power, water and sewerage. If it doesn’t there may be some additional connection costs you need to be aware of.

Sometimes, power needs to be extended a long way from the road. In this case, the costs can go up. The additional costs may include installation, cabling and an upgraded meter box for 3 phase power.

If there’s no sewerage, you’ll need a septic tank and absorption trenches. These things are all fairly common in rural living, but it’s just something you’ll need to be aware of in terms of budget, as well as the time it may take to get up and running when you factor in installations and council approvals.

Most building contracts also require ‘all weather access’, because your builders don’t want to be held up just because there’s been some rain around. When building an acreage home, this may require some driveway work is done before construction can start.

Bushfire zone and wind ratings

Often, acreage properties fall in bushfire prone areas. It’s an unfortunate risk that comes with being close to bushland. It’s not uncommon, but it’s something to think about before building. Firstly, are you prepared to live in a bushfire prone area?

If you are, you’ll need to have a Bushfire Attack Level assessment done, and your home construction will have a few extra requirements. You’ll need to use fireproofing materials such as fire-rated glass, insulation, timbers and metal. There are also a few other adjustments made to make your home safer in the event of a fire.

If you’re in a high or open area, you might even find there’s a higher wind rating in the area. To combat stronger winds, your home will be engineered slightly different with more bracing. It’s best to check all of these things out beforehand, because naturally it will add to the cost of building somewhat.

The right house design for your land

Finally, think carefully about the land and where your home is positioned. You’ll obviously want to take advantage of great views, but you also need to think about how you can maximise comfort with the orientation of your home. Do you want as much all-day sun as possible? Do you want an outdoor area that’s more sheltered from wind? Do you want play areas for the kids that are in view of main living areas?

Thinking about all these things beforehand gives you the best chance of ending up with a perfect home. Best of all, experienced acreage home builders know exactly how to guide you through.