A house designed for your specific block costs less to build and more to live in than a plan dropped onto it. The difference is decided in the first two hours on site, before anything is drawn, by recording the sun, the breeze, the fall, the views and the constraints, and then designing to all five.
Sun
In Brisbane the sun is the cheapest thing you own and the most expensive thing to get wrong. Living areas to the north get winter warmth and are easy to shade in summer. Get it backwards and you will run air conditioning for thirty years to correct a decision that cost nothing to make properly.
Eave width, glazing size and the position of the outdoor living all follow from the aspect. On a north facing block the standard plan usually works. On an east or west facing one it usually needs turning.
Breeze
A house that catches the prevailing breeze needs less cooling and simply feels better. That means openings on opposite sides of living spaces, and knowing which direction the breeze actually comes from on your block rather than in general. At Newport it comes off the bay. In Samford Valley it follows the valley.
Fall
A slope is an opportunity most people treat as a problem. Level changes, better views, airflow under the house and a home that looks like it belongs on the site. The choice is whether to reshape the land to suit a plan, which means excavation and retaining, or to step the house with the ground, which usually costs less and looks better.
Views and privacy
These two work against each other and both get resolved at design stage. The view you want is often in the same direction as the neighbour you would rather not see. Window placement, screening and the position of the outdoor living solve it, and none of it can be solved after the slab is poured.
Constraints
Every block has them. Setbacks, easements, overlays, the trees you are not allowed to remove, where the wastewater system has to sit and how far it must be from a boundary or a waterway. These are not obstacles to design around at the end. They are inputs at the beginning, and they often improve the house.
What this looks like in practice
We assess your land before anything is drawn and record all five. Then the house is designed to suit what is actually there. Because we design and build in the same company, what gets drawn is what gets built, and nobody is inheriting somebody else’s drawing and repricing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you record on site before designing a home?
Five things: the sun, the breeze, the fall, the views and the constraints such as setbacks, easements, overlays and protected trees. It is decided in the first two hours on site, before anything is drawn. The same visit feeds the site assessment that makes the price reliable.
Which direction should a Brisbane home face?
Living areas to the north get winter warmth and are easy to shade in summer. On a north facing block the standard plan usually works, while on an east or west facing one it usually needs turning. Eave width, glazing size and the position of the outdoor living all follow from the aspect.
Is a sloping block a problem to build on?
A slope is an opportunity most people treat as a problem: level changes, better views, airflow under the house and a home that looks like it belongs on the site. The choice is whether to reshape the land to suit a plan, which means excavation and retaining, or to step the house with the ground, which usually costs less and looks better. It is also why a project design struggles on a slope.
Why does it matter that the same company designs and builds?
Because what gets drawn is what gets built. Nobody is inheriting somebody else’s drawing and repricing it, so the design and the price come from the same people. Who owns the drawings is a separate question, covered in who owns your house plans.
We build in North Lakes, Narangba, Newport, Samford Valley and Banksia Beach, and we will walk a block with you before you buy it. Call 0483 949 127.
For the full picture on costs, timeframes, contracts and how to check a builder, read Building a Custom Home in Brisbane, The Complete Guide.
