5 Acre block - How would you design it? (see pics)
I've got a 5 acre block which came with a shed home, looking now to build a house next to the shed.
If you had this block, how would you design your house/driveway etc with 500k to spend on the build?
Also, Any ideas what to do with this wet area?
Comments (16)
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Would love to see your reno ideas
Comments (16)Our house is similar, but we are empty nesters and down sized about 4 years ago, our needs would be a bit different to a growing family, we are currently in the throes of having two smaller rooms made into one area to further open up a previous renovation to give us a bigger open space..we also have an ensuite and a combined laundry / second laundry space. The good thing is that being a brick veneer house the reconfiguring is relatively easy with modern technology and big beams. As above try and have a big open space, we have been out of our home for a month now and still a way to go, add living away from home to your budget or stay with family. I will try and post the plan but here are a couple of journey pics ..the last photo was before trying to show how the two rooms decided the space making the living room very small and a bit dark...the aim of this project is to have space for a bigger gathering than about 4 people before overcrowded. Light is really important, nice big windows essential, the darkness of the living I thought I could live with, but it did get me down, I a, looking forward to having a much lighter space...See Morehouse design help for riverfront block
Comments (13)thanks everyone. oklouise, plans look fantastic! After some serious evaluation and looking how much garden would be left at the back with all the bedrooms downstairs (and wanting to put an 8x4 shed at the back) we are almost concluding that we need to put some stuff upstairs to maximise the block. Initially we thought about just one room but it seems the setup costs to get up there (approx 60k we've been told) make us think we may as well put more up there and maximise the size of the block to allow us to have a garden and veggie patches, trees, chicken coop etc. I was concerned if we gave the kids their own space upstairs we would never see them, but I think in reality putting the second living area upstairs with 2 bed and a bathroom is probably going to extend the life of the house and appeal to more if we do well it later.. . I also read a few chapters of a book from the 1970s architect talking about the optimum design for small families suggesting that there should be 3 non bedroom areas; one for children, one for adults (to not be parents) and a common area for both, which resonated with me - can't recall the name of the book. We spoke with a engineer 're the excavation for garage and they estimated 60k, and I think I'd prefer to build up in that case. not sure if I would bother with a balcony though as it would push us to to 3 outdoor areas, but may really improve the facade with a balcony... listened to those podcasts from the undercover architect - absolutely fantastic. so much food for thought. Now realise how lucky we are to have the view north....See MoreHow best to position house/windows on block??????
Comments (12)Follow the path of the sun over a day, & throughout the year. When the sun is to the E & the W it is low in the sky. This means eaves become less effective, & other shading techniques must also be used, such as vertical awnings, external shutters, low-e glazing or trees. Also the sunlight at this time is nearly perpendicular to the window area. This means the sunlight is more intense & also that more of it passes through the window, & less is reflected. You're right in saying that generally W glazing is the worst, & should be minimized or eliminated. This is because the sun strikes W windows in the afternoon, at the hottest time of the day. Making it difficult to cool a home in the evening. E windows face the exact same problems, with regards to the sun being low in the sky, & perpendicular to the window surface. But this occurs in the morning, when it is generally cooler, & still gives the occupants some time to try to cool the house by cross ventilation. However, it's obviously better to minimize this heat build up through E windows in the first place. Conversely, N glazing will be shaded by eaves in summer, when the sun is high in the sky, while admitting winter sunlight, when the sun is lower in the sky. Northern eave length can be adjusted to suit a particular climate. In Brisbane the eave length should be somewhat larger, so north windows are also shaded in the shoulder seasons of spring & autumn, admitting winter sunlight. Even without eaves, in summer N sunlight is from very high in the sky, striking windows far from perpendicular to the window surface. So much more of that sunlight is reflected off the window surface, with less being transmitted through the window into the home. Though of course, I wouldn't recommend having no eaves. But as you say, limiting E glazing may come at the expense of limiting cross ventilation. So it's a balancing act, with different glazing solutions for different climate zones, local conditions, individual homes. But generally, the highest proportion of glazing should face N, as it can warm the house in winter, but not in summer. E glazing (which warms the house in summer) & S glazing (which cools the house in winter) should be incorporated for cross ventilation & daylighting purposes, but at a lower proportion than N glazing. W glazing should be minimized or eliminated, as it is very detrimental in summer. These optimum glazing proportions will differ, depending on your local conditions, & the building design. Generally living areas should be positioned to the north. As this side of the house will be lighter (from northern sunlight) & warmer in winter. Yes, some E or even W aspect is OK. But you don't want to use E aspect for living areas if it pushes the bedrooms to the W, as this is the absolute worst location for bedrooms. You do have a northern frontage, but it's quite wide, & the block is quite large. So luckily you should be able to design a house where northern light isn't too influenced by the garage out front. With that block size, as OKLouise had suggested, you may be able to come up with an interesting design that incorporates courtyards or even pavilions, to help with cross ventilation. Getting northern light inside your home, while also maintaining privacy. Good luck with the design process, & the build....See MoreWhere to start with planning a 10acre property
Comments (9)Hi T Whit, Firstly, congratulations. How lovely to have 10 acres and a view! Also really glad that you are taking the sensible approach and aren't rushing into anything. Perhaps the best place to start is finding an architect or building designer with whom to work through your ideas and come up with a concept. Whether you engage an architect or building designer really depends on three things: your budget, the size of your project and, probably the most important thing, finding a professional person with whom you feel comfortable working. The whole process will always run more smoothly when a good working relationship is established. Once you have a plan you are happy with, it may also make sense to engage an interior designer to look it over prior to submitting to council or beginning construction, to see whether the flow of the internal design is optimal and where any adjustments might be made. Once you have council approval, it's costly and time-consuming to make significant changes as you'll then need to re-submit the plans. An interior designer can also help with exterior colours and finishes, selection of all the internal finishes, lighting, fixtures & fittings and would be able to provide detailed design of kitchens, bathrooms, built-in joinery etc. which trades will need. There are so many details to consider in any building project, so best to have as much of it as possible worked out before the project gets underway. Having said that, it's also an "organic" process and your ideas and tastes may well change during the design process, so it's good to have people you can trust on board to help with important decision-making and to workshop ideas. Best of luck with your project!...See More
4 years ago- 4 years ago
- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
See pic below with direction of North.
Just to answer some of the questionsExisting shed is a 2 bay work shop down stairs, upstairs is an open plan design with small kitchen and bed. Not bad as a bachelor pad but not really suitable for a family of 4 hence the need to build a separate house.
The upstairs area of that shed will become a jamming room with drum kit etc.
views of the hills cannot be seen at single story level, Not real keen on building multi level as i have issue with my knees and would rather avoid stairs.
The plan is to build a 4 bedroom house with -
- 2 bay car garage
- Study room
- Patio at the back
- Doing some kind of landscape at the back of the block to be viewed from back patio.
- single level.
- steel frame
Summer temps are max 29 min 21.
Winter temps are max 22 min 11
Prevailing winds are easterly
I'm considering building a pond in that wet area as I have access to some heavy machinery.You may notice a large dirt pile, Hoping to fill in low areas in around the wet section and use top soil from what is dug out from a pond.
- 4 years ago
i would divide the block into separate fenced areas for different purposes..eg front paddock for pasture for any stock, area near existing shed for vege gardens, water tanks, garden sheds and septic drainage, new house in the centre angled for passive solar advantage and roof top solar panels, guest parking and gravelled turning area, dam across the back and space between the dam and house for mown lawn playing area and locked gate fenced off for child safety (especially visiting kids) with deep planted borders of mixed trees and shrubs to avoid too much mowing (a few sheep will mow anywhere) and create a wildlife haven but a pond/dam needs to be big enough to avoid quick evaporation and then will attract birds and frogs and we kept silver and golden perch and well worth the effort to create a feature in your lower views .. add a central island or floating island (instructions available) but make sure that there's a clear 2m wide mown walkway all around the dam, house and sheds and to and from the house for a snake free walkways and then consider a gazebo and jetty for picnics by the water...something like this but not to scale
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4 years agoI’d maybe look at building along the south side of block with the garage at western end perhaps slightly in front or level with shed, and a decent entry statement to signify main residence. Running a narrow house down block to maximise sun exposure and privacy with living at ne corner.
- 4 years ago
PRO4 years ago
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PRO4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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oklouise