Acreage Home Designs

We custom-build acreage homes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast areas

“The overall process was very smooth and the team were always thinking in advance. My father, also a builder, was very impressed with the quality. The design is fabulous – we have got what we didn’t even know we wanted.”

Lea & Anne, Brookwater

Building an Architect Designed Home on Acreage – Where to Begin?

What’s the biggest challenge when building an architect designed home on acreage? – Well, some acreage sites are just too good – you have so many options!

There’s always more than one great spot you can build on, views in all directions! Sunsets and sunrises to enjoy – where do you start? How do you make sure you’ll be living in the best home possible on this special piece of land?

If you are little overawed by the possibilities, and how to get your custom home design right, let us help. Forget the jungle of options – you’ll find that once you go through a detailed site appraisal, with our in-house Architect, a clear direction will unfold and you’ll have a strong concept that will drive all of your design decisions.

There’s a lot to consider! See below for a few of our tips on the main considerations on an acreage site.

LET’S DISCUSS YOUR
DESIGN IDEAS

SITE SLOPE

The slope of the area you plan to build on will have the biggest effect on your project costs. Most often we underestimate the real slope when just standing on the site. lt’s important to get a detailed contour survey first and assess all the options and building locations.

BUSHFIRE RATING

This can have a big impact on cost too. You may need to provide additional fire proofing construction or have an area of trees cleared. Getting a detailed Bushfìre Report that assesses each face of your home independently may cost more up front but can save you a lot in construction costs and lead to the best positioning of your home.

WIND RATING

If your acreage property is positioned on an exposed platform or high on a ridge, you will be subject to a higher wind rating. This means you’ll need more bracing and engineering. So it’s best to find out now before design gets underway.

WATER TANKS

The slope and distance of tanks need to be considered as well as the capacity you are after and whether you want in ground or above ground tanks. They are a significant cost including pumps, rainwater heads, excavation and plumbing so factor the complete cost in early.

VEHICLE ACCESS

You need to provide vehicle access in your building contract as All Weather Access. That means its your responsibility to ensure the builder and suppliers can access the site throughout construction. You may need to import road base or cut a well-designed road or driveway before construction commences. The length of the driveway and the type of finish can make this another consideration in your acreage home design plans.

VEGETATION PROTECTION

This is important to establish early, before designing your home. If there are any vegetation protection zones over your property, there is always time involved in getting a NAL Permit or a change to your building envelope if required. Sometimes its worth going through this process to get your home in the best location and sometimes the constraints of your site leave you with limited choices.

BOUNDARY SETBACKS

These can vary for rural areas and be important if there are any secondary dwellings on the site. We always check these requirements before design begins.

SITE DRAINAGE

This Is an important part of your design – including how the site cut is contoured, how water is moving around the house and the best location points to pick up extra ground water. These can be overlooked and left for you to work out after construction. We recommend they be integrated into your storm water damage plan and site works from the start.

SEWAGE SYSTEMS

The location of sewage and the type of soil around the home need to be considered early. Approvals for plumbing with on-site sewerage can also add weeks to your approval. We’re very knowledgeable about the different systems and options available for your site. Some systems are more expensive up front while others have more maintenance costs over the life of the system. We can give you our best advice on all options.

POWER TO THE SITE

If you need to extend power a long way from the road or if your need to get Energex involved for any installation work to your site, the costs can be significant so get some quotes before you buy or early in the process. You may also need 3 Phase power and allow additional funds for an upgraded meter box and cabling.

SOLAR POWER

Your design and roofline may also need to take into account Solar Power and the extent of panels you require. Allowing for future battery storage can also be planned for.

VIEWS

Of course there’s the all-important views! Sometimes your views are to the South or West and you still want an outdoor area to enjoy the winter sun. You might be looking towards the South East and need protection from winds and storms coming in from that direction. Some of these conflicting interests can be easily resolved with good planning & design.

With all the above, an experienced Architect and Builder will manage these site requirements and pick up on the finest features of your site with ease.

Acreage House Plans

The roofing, framing of views, achieving great air-flow, creating protected outdoor living – these can all compliment the unique potential of your new acreage home.

Civic Steel Homes are not just a Builder and we aren’t just a Designer.
We’re BOTH.

Our talented in-house Architect is also our Licensed Builder and he works with you throughout your project. Its a total one-one-one service with the backup of our Project Managers who each have 20+ years experience. Together, our small team will fine tune all the details for you.

Luxury Acreage Home Designs Gallery