As land in inner city locations becomes more scarce, and the rate of knock down rebuild projects increases there has been an increased demand in recent years for home builders to provide range of innovative narrow block house plans to fit these blocks.
Quite often, land availability in new estates is also limited, with small blocks providing a bargain as they are quite often the last to be sold. If you can see the potential in such a piece of land, a new small house design can still give you a home that suits your lifestyle and provides all the luxuries you might expect from a much larger home. Most builders now provide small homes, suited for these narrow blocks that feature innovative design solutions to save space, while keeping a strong focus on practicality and aesthetics.
Builders design these homes to have an efficient use of space, making the home feel much larger. One design feature that really helps is to have a strong connection to outdoor spaces, which can greatly increase the perceived size.
What are the advantages of having a small home?
- “Downsizing” your home is a great way to save on running (heating, cooling, electricity) and maintenance costs.
- Generally, a huge reduction in upkeep and maintenance time with a smaller house and block, allowing you to have more time to enjoy your home and your lifestyle.
- Huge saving for both land and construction when building a smaller home.
Compare small house designs with iBuildNew
If you are thinking about a small house design, we recommend talking to a number of builders (and comparing them here on iBuildNew). Quite often people think that small house might be below the scope of project builder, but most have a wide range of options that will suit your needs, without the need to speak to a custom home builder or get an architect involved.
Another useful step towards working out what your ideal small house should include is to generate an idea board with a site such as Pinterest. A search on Pinterest will open up a world of small house design possibilities, and let you see how people have been truly innovative with these smaller designs and made them their own.
Smaller house designs tend to make multiple uses of spaces within the home, or make certain other areas (such as a laundry) super compact while still highly functional. An entire laundry worth of functionality can be placed within a hallway cupboard, leaving more room for living. Open plan kitchen / dining / living / study spaces also make great use of the space, combining areas that would be made separate rooms in larger homes.
What these small homes lack in space, they all make up for in style and charm. By giving up your walk in robes, butlers pantry and home theatre you gain a more intimate and cosy space, with a wide range of advantages and cost savings not seen in standard and larger size homes.
Then again maybe you dont need to give anything up, have your considered building upwards?
- We’ll ask the right questions to better understand your needs
- We’ll create a recommended shortlist ideally matched to you
- We’ll answer specific questions or concerns related to home building, land purchasing or financing