So you’ve decided to build a home in the country – congratulations! Now the hard part – where will you build your home and what kind of block do you need?
Here are some key tips from our team of luxury builders in Perth on how to choose the perfect rural block for your new home.
The first question is location – where will you buy? With the Perth metro area ever-expanding, you need to think about how far out of the city you want to be, and how long do you plan on living there.
With some rural areas set to become suburbs of Perth in the next 10-20 years, it would be prudent to plan ahead if you’d prefer to remain an acreage property and not be swallowed up by planned changes to zoning and land use.
Another factor that will help you find the perfect rural block is to consider what facilities and services you need nearby.
Do you have young children that will be going to school in the near future? While it might be easy to be rural while they’re toddlers, when they’re teenagers and need to commute to school, sports and parties, a 2 or 3 hour round trip could become tiresome.
What about shops, medical centres, and restaurants? Investigate how far away your desired services and facilities are and determine if you’d be happy to travel the distance when they’re needed.
Often when you buy a block of land in an established suburb, the block will have been tested and prepared for a new build. But when you’re buying a rural block, you’re probably going to have to undertake a range of tests yourself.
Soil testing is essential to find out if there may be any issues building on the land, and it’s worth checking the history of the land and what it was used for, as that may be affecting its current state.
Aspect and slope are also important as they can affect the design of your build as well as the cost, especially if the block will need some degree of levelling to create an appropriate space to build.
When you’re buying an acreage property, you need to check if there is a building envelope already in place.
This is the set location within the block you would be allowed to build a home.
The last thing you want is to plan to build in a particular area of the block, only to find that’s not permitted and your home just won’t work in the location earmarked as the building envelope.
Rural blocks often have no utilities connected before you build.
Many have no provisions for water and sewerage connections either so you need to budget for rainwater tanks and a septic system.
Don’t forget to plan for ongoing maintenance costs for these systems as well.
Zoning is important to check before you buy any rural block. Can you build the kind of dwellings you plan to? Will you be able to subdivide later on if you wish to? Or will your neighbours?
You might want a large block with minimal neighbours but if your neighbours have the option to subdivide as well, you could end up feeling like you’re back in suburbia in a few years’ time.
Some other factors to be aware of are land usage rights and native vegetation clearing legislation.
With land usage rights, people may be permitted to use or access your property either now or in future (e.g. as a right of way footpath or bridlepath, or to look for mined or natural resources).
Native vegetation clearing can be prohibited in some places if there is a high level of biodiversity or it may impact the environment negatively (and many other reasons). If there’s a tree or area on your block you’re unable to clear, will this impact how you would use the property?
You can read the full rural planning guidelines for WA here.
You might not plan on selling your dream home for many years, but it is something to have at the back of your mind when you’re choosing your rural block.
An unusual location, shape or slope may not bother you, but it could make your property less appealing to others if you need to sell and move on.
Are you ready to choose the perfect rural block for your new home? Our team of luxury builders in Perth has a wealth of experience when it comes to building homestead properties around Perth.
Call us today on 08 9355 1788 or get in touch online with our custom home builders now.
Recognised as one of Perth’s Leading Custom Home and Farmhouse Builders, JFK Custom Homes builds homes for the Perth Region including the Perth Hills.
