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Live in the best suburb at an affordable price often means we don't buy a large site for our dream home.
You can afford acres of land if you spend hours travelling to work. But most of us want suburbs that are close to school, shops and work. To make it affordable, site sizes are sacrificed.
What's the constrain?
The obvious constraint is less land and closer to the neighbours. But specifically, what does it mean for you?
1. Emotional. The house feels small, tight, and cramped because it is often darker and closer to neighbours.
2. Physical. Reduced air flow. Wet and mouldy. Discomfort and breathing problems in the worst-case scenario.
To sum up, your design focus should be on tackling these two problems head-on. This article contains six ideas for a successful design.
Site orientation
There are some places where you don't have the opportunity to select your site orientation. If you find your site in that perfect suburb at a good price, go for it. There are five more design ideas below that you can use.
If you are buying a site in a new suburb, where there are options and you don’t have to pay a lot more, choose a site that accesses the street from the south side. If that’s not available, pick sites that access from the east or west.
Your garage will face the street. Road access from the north will mean your garage will face north. Save the north daylight for habitable rooms such as the living, dining, bedrooms, if possible.
Sketch: Site access from the north side
2. Internal courtyard
Sometimes when reading a set of plans, it feels like an internal courtyard is a waste of space. Especially when you want to maximise and build every inch for the family.
Where you build to the boundary, you need solid walls for fire safety. Rooms will have no natural light and you cannot open windows on those walls. That means your rooms are dark, and it can get damp with mouldy.
Internal courtyards add great value to your rooms. A well designed courtyard means three slightly smaller rooms. But these rooms are light-filled, well-ventilated, and is much better for toilet, a bathroom, and/or bedrooms.
And there is nothing stopping you from opening up to that small courtyard for your light-filled cup of coffee that's screened from wind and gusts by your home.
You can be creative and place wet items in the courtyard. Things like bath, or cloth hanging in the courtyard to further get rid of damp and mould.
Internal courtyard doesn't need to be large. Every 1.2 x 3m courtyards should fill 3 rooms with light and ventilation.
3. Skylight
If you can't get internal courtyards, provide skylight to your rooms.
Two notes:
You can't install skylight if there are rooms above.
For waterproofing, if your roof above the room slopes less than 7 degrees, request construction detail from your architect to divert rain water away from the skylight. This will reduce the work that the silicon seal needs to do, and minimise your risk of water leaks.
4. Ceiling height
Instead of the standard 2.4m high ceiling, invest a few thousand dollars more for a 2.55m high ceiling, or even 2.7m if possible.
For living room, dining room, and the other public spaces. A high ceiling makes the space brighter, feels bigger, and provides better air flow.
For the bedrooms. A high ceiling means it's much easier to fit bunk beds for the kids. Bunk beds are fun, kids love their own 'superhero secret cave'. It also means you save that space in the bedroom that can double up as a study desk or an extra sofa bed underneath the bed.
If in doubt, visit builder's display homes. You will rarely find display homes built with 2.4m ceilings. (Google keyword: "Display homes near me.")
5. Storage
A tidy home feels brighter, bigger, and more comfortable. To achieve that, you need easy-to-access storage spaces to things away easily.
Here’s some storage ideas:
- Design some small cabinets and cupboards in the home to store away small or commonly used items.
- Built-in shelving, under-bed storage, and even hanging organisers
- Build a large shed at the backyard. Sometimes you may need two or three sheds. Make the storage space as easy to access as possible. Put some shelves in those sheds so you can store both small items and large items easily.
- You may store things in the roof. If you design that, build the roof at 30 degrees or steeper instead of the standard 22 degrees. Install an attic ladder for easy access. Install yellow tongue floor boards on the truss to protect the ceiling insulation and other equipment in the ceiling.
Retrieving stored items is as important as storing them away. Set up some A4 pages on the wall, recording what you store in the shed and the roof. This will help you find the item when you need it.
If you can't find an item when you need it, you will buy the same item again, costing you money.
6. Space hierarchy:
Different families have different needs. Some owners like their master bedroom to face the street with a view, while others prefer the sitting room with the view that everyone can share and gather. We can design to accommodate the needs.
A common family problem we've found throughout the last 20 years is that cell phones and social media have reduced family face-to-face communication.
Our preferred space hierarchy is designed to increase family interaction. We suggest it is better and safer for kids to sit around the kitchen island bench and surf Instagram or TikTok, rather than staying inside their bedrooms doing the same.
If you see face-to-face communication as important, we recommend assigning the best view, orientation and size to the living room and the kitchen island bench.
You may also add a small sitting room on the upper floor for the game console, the PlayStation or the other toys.
Bedrooms, toilets, bathrooms, and garages are places people sometimes hide inside as their "cocoon." You can consider minimise those room size if your site limits your house area, or if you want to maximise your return on every dollar you invest.
Ideas to retrofit if you have already built your home:
a) Replacing furntirue with multi-purpose furniture pieces. Instead of opting for a traditional dining table, for example, consider a table that can be folded down and stored away when not in use. Or opt for a sofa bed that can be used for seating during the day and as a bed at night.
b) Choose the right colour palette. Light, neutral colors will make a room feel more open and airy, while dark colours can make a room feel cramped and small. Use light colors on the walls, floor and ceiling to reflect light and create the illusion of a larger space.
c) Consider using mirrors to create the illusion of more space. Mirrors reflect light and can make a room feel larger. Placing a large mirror on a wall opposite a window can help to make a small room feel more open and airy.
Discuss with your Architect about your needs:
Your preferences are important. Some families love outdoor and backyard, while others want more parking. Some families need a prayer room, while others need a piano room and a home office.
All of these are important, and you should share all requirements with the architect to achieve the most suitable design.
Call or ask us a question if you want to learn more about your project.
Disclaimer: We assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. The information is for general purposes only with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness, or timeliness. You must engage a suitable consultant for your specific situation.
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