Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 07, 2011 8:46 am We have an offer on a block at the moment which we love ... the block is somewhat unusual though as it is located at the end of a bend in a street and sits behind another block thus sharing part of the driveway with the next door neighbour. Our house will be facing one neighbours backyard so our elevation won't really be seen from the street. The block however is a nice rectangle and much bigger than the blocks (630 instead of 450) around it so it means we can actually fit the house we want on it. Does anyone have any feedback on these types of blocks? Or any comments on things we should consider? Re: Block behind another block 2May 07, 2011 9:31 am Is called a hammerhead or battle axe block (in SA anyway) - have seen in Adelaide, usually when older large blocks sub-divided. Cant see any real pitfalls - other than not seeing street from your place, but thats obvious - presuming shared driveway arrnagement is clearly defined and you have a letterbox clearly saying '10A at back' or something - may be harder for visitors, deliveries etc to find your place if they dont know its at the rear. Re: Block behind another block 3May 07, 2011 9:52 am That is how our block is. Make sure the driveway is all legally correct. ie Who "owns" it and who has "right of way"? Our situation is there is two front houses then a central driveway down to our block. The house on the left is owned by us, the site on the right is owned by the in-laws, our home is at the back. We technically own the driveway with the other two properties having right of way. But this means we are responsible for all upkeep on the driveway. Plus we have to be very strict that no-one parks in the driveway at any time - as it will block access for the other residents. Plus as Helyn said is can be a pain for deliveries and visitors. I cannot tell you how many people do not listen to the instruction of - there is a driveway central to No's @@ & ## - look down said driveway there is a new home. That is us blah blah blah!! Good thing is it is very private. Bad side can also be you have more neighbours then a normal situation depending on how the block is situated. Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Block behind another block 4May 07, 2011 10:37 am We have a similar situation with our house. Agree with PP on who has right of way and who owns the driveway. We all own part of the driveway, and therefore share maintenance. I also made sure that this was noted on my insurance policy as well. We love being back from the street, feeling more private and the way our block and house is situated we are not looking at a road or the back of a house, just over at garden so it is really quiet. Re: Block behind another block 5May 07, 2011 11:55 am Think about stormwater. If the block slopes down from the street and there are no easements you'll need a detain and pump system (=$$). Also, you'll need to pay extra for your driveway and service connections. 23 Aug 2011: Land settlement 14 Sep 2011: Block levelled 20 Oct 2011: Slab 3 Nov 2011: Frame 10 Feb 2012: Handover http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g372/Dazzab6/ Re: Block behind another block 6May 07, 2011 12:16 pm Thanks for all your comments - I had not even thought of the letter box! The driveway has been paved by the land estate and the connections seem to be at the site already and the land slopes up to the house so all these sound good. The privacy side sounds good too - do you think it is more of a threat from crime as no-one can keep an eye on the front of your house or less because no-one wants to go up the driveway? Re: Block behind another block 7May 09, 2011 5:23 pm Can you post a site plan cos I'm having trouble picturing it tho it sounds like a battleaxe. I remember getting told to be careful about sizes cos if the square metres includes the driveway then the space the house sits on mightn't be as big as what you think? That's what I was told anyway. I suppose it depends on what they mean about sharing the driveway with the neighbour. Re: Block behind another block 8May 11, 2011 9:35 pm Sure, it is lot 313 on the link below: http://www.edengreen.com.au/show_stage.asp?id=15 Re: Block behind another block 9May 14, 2011 11:04 pm Okay thanks, I see what you mean now. It looks as if the block is a regular shape and good size. The access you share with your neighbour is more like a teeny short culdesac than a driveway, right? Re: Block behind another block 10May 16, 2011 12:18 pm Yeah, that doesn't look like a driveway as such, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it was owned and maintained by the council rather than the residents. Homestead Homes SA: The Lamont Bayswood Estate; Aldinga Beach Preliminary Signing: April 2010 Floorplans: 13 June 2010 Building Contract: 19 June 2010 Selections: 28 Sept 2010 Scraped; Trenching: 21 Jan 2011 Slab Poured: 28 Jan 2011 Framing: 17 Feb 2011 | Completed 24 Feb 2011 Roof & Gutters: 02 Mar 2011 Bricks: 03 Mar 2011 Wire-up: 12 Mar 2011 Re: Block behind another block 11May 16, 2011 1:45 pm We are building on a very similar type of block and we love it. It is very private, provides a nice usable area out the front of the house and a long driveway for the kids to ride bikes. There is no traffic noise, no car lights in your front windows and you can install gates to make it even more private. The security thing could work both ways. Being so private could entice crooks but if I was a thief I wouldn't rob a house with heaps of surrounding properties, and a house where I could easily get cornered when the police trap me in a long driveway loading stolen TVs into my car. Lot 305 or 317 would be my pick........ but then again I'm NOT a crook. Building an Eden Brae Saville 27 http://karry327.blogspot.com/ Building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=44247 Re: Block behind another block 12Apr 25, 2012 8:58 pm we built on a battle axe and enjoy the privacy... so far no issues with delivery guys who does not want to drive in the long driveway. we opted for this because the suburb is a quiet one so not too much overcrowding. Old Home Restoration / Renovation Hi, just discovered all these junks left behind under the floor. Could any of these be asbestos? Best to leave as it is or clean up? Thank you for your thoughts 0 8070 Hi, Apologies - I know there is plenty out there on this but struggling to put together the puzzle. We're planning our garage/external laundry to master bedroom and… 0 11121 6 11152 |