You’ve got a block of land and you’re ready to build your new home, but there are several things you need to consider and costs that will need to be outlaid to build your dream home.
There are many resources available like the Federal Government’s Your Home website where you’ll find helpful advice.
The likely site preparation and costs can include soil testing, site topography & aspect, site survey, vegetation, service connections, site access, and more. Here is a brief outline of those aspects that may help in your building journey, and if you choose to go with Kurmond Homes we can provide advice along the way.
Undertake soil testing
If you’ve never built a home before, it may seem unnecessary to undertake soil testing, but it’s an important early step to establish how much the soil is likely to move, expand and contract based on different levels of moisture. For example, an area with clay-based soils has a greater potential to change volume than others, so the house footings need to be designed in a way that helps protect against soil movement.
Soil testing will be undertaken by an expert who will look at soil type, salinity and reactiveness. From this information, a builder like Kurmond Homes will determine the type of slab and the total number of piers your new home will require.
Understanding site topography & aspect
In general, the flatter the block of land, the lower the costs involved in preparing the site to build a new home. This is because there is less work to prepare non-sloping land, however building on a sloping block can still be cost-effective with the right level of planning.
At Kurmond Homes we can help you design a house to respond to the natural topography of the site.
Another important consideration is the aspect or orientation of your new home on the block. Ideally, you want to position your new home to take advantage of the orientation of the sun and the prevailing winds. By establishing the best orientation to suit your climate zone and sun trajectory, you will improve the comfort of your home and reduce heating and cooling needs.
It’s not always easy to change the orientation of an existing block, particularly in an established suburb, but Kurmond Homes can provide advice about the best way to work within the constraints.
Site or contour survey
A site or contour survey undertaken by an expert may also be required to understand the slope and boundaries of your site.
An uneven or sloping block will likely require more work before building can commence to ensure stability, and this is likely to cost more.
The contour survey will help identify any challenges that may arise when building on your block and will help determine where the block may need to be cut and filled, where slab levels will be set, and where any surplus will need to be removed.
At Kurmond Homes we can provide advice on how to prepare your site for building. Be aware that many home builders will not factor site preparation into their base price so make sure you understand the inclusions before signing a contract to build your dream home.
Consider vegetation
Particularly if you are building in an established suburb with a knock down rebuild project your site may have vegetation or trees you need to remove. Ideally, you’ll keep some of the established vegetation if it’s far enough away from your home. Trees and vegetation play an important role in keeping temperatures down in summer and provide aesthetic appeal.
If you’ve got established trees on your block it is important to contact your local council to learn which trees might be protected and cannot be removed. Perhaps some of the existing vegetation can be preserved to provide wind protection or form part of the site drainage system.
Once you know what is going and staying, you will have costs to remove unusable material like soil, grass and vegetation. An experienced builder like Kurmond Homes can provide guidance to minimise any unnecessary costs.
Check all your service connections
Depending on your location, service connections may include electricity, gas, telecommunications, stormwater, plumbing and sewer lines.
If your site is in an established suburb, most of these will already be in place but you’ll need to double-check that each of them is sound as they may require upgrades. If yours is a knock down rebuild project you’ll need to have key services disconnected before demolition and reconnected as part of the build.
In a new housing estate, most of these services will already be available but you’ll need to check each of them and factor access to them into your costs.
Site access can be tricky
If you’re building in an established suburb where your block is surrounded by existing homes, your builder will need to identify additional costs that could be required for delivering and handling materials and equipment during the build.
Potential costs include fencing, scaffolding, as well as permits, traffic control and more, and Kurmond Homes can provide advice about these aspects.
Kurmond Homes can help with site advice
At Kurmond Homes, it is the client’s responsibility to provide us with a site that is ready for building, but we do provide advice to help you navigate the process.
Building a new home is a major commitment, and it’s good to have an experienced, dependable team like Kurmond by your side.
To discover more about building your dream home with Kurmond Homes, please contact us today or visit one of our display homes.
