The right block of land

Hi everyone,

Hope weekend is going great.

I am a first home buyer in Sydney and looking to buy a block of land and then build a 4 bedroom house on it. I am considering outer western suburbs and northwest in Sydney.

Since most of you have been through the same process before or currently going through it, I wanted to get your advice regarding picking up the right block of land.

I am looking to building a 13X22 meter house so a minimum frontage of 15 meter is a must. Given a choice from a new street, I want to know which blocks have the best value for money.

Currently I am thinking following factors.

1) Are corners blocks worth less or more?
2) How important is for the land to be leveled?
3) Anything to do with higher/lower side of the road?
4) Direction of the sun - does it matter?
5) Proximity to power/council infrastructures/any restrictions?
6) Proximity to schools/parks?

What other things should be considered while evaluating a block of land?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Hi impulsive,

I don't know about in NSW but in Vic the high side of the road is always a good selling point as you get to lord it over the neighbours, some people seem to love that! The more level the land the cheaper the site costs as you won't need retaining walls and cutting and filling. North facing is another big selling point as the south side will always have the least sun so think about how that will affect your plans. Our old house had a pool on the south side and the house always cast a shadow over it which was a big pain.

The others are personal preference really, some people love the access corner blocks give, others hate the exposedness (that's not a word is it). Just like some people love being close to schools and infrastructure and others hate it. I would suggest it is good to be close to schools, but not right across the road, as the traffic in school streets can be terrible, also parks at night can attract hooligans. So think close, but not too close. If you can be near a bus or a train it is a bonus, but again, close but not too close.

Hope that helps

I think Fallen_Apple has some very good points there!!! I would always chose higher side of street, no worry about water/rain flooding into doors/garage. Personally would never chose a corner block, least secure & more council land to look after (front & side!) but they're usually cheaper if buyer is on a budget. Schools, parks, shops & transport all good to have in the area but not on doorstep (think cars parked on your verge everyday). Oh & i'd never purchase a block/house facing an intersection, safety factor & headlights shining through windows/doors at night would drive me crazy.

The best orientation is one that has your living areas facing North, so a block facing North is usually not ideal. A block that faces East or West is generally best as the majority of house plans have living areas down one side and bedrooms on the other. With an East or West facing block you then can get your living areas facing North and your bedrooms facing South. If your plan has living areas across the year of the house, then a South facing block is best so your living areas face North.

As for higher/lower side of the road, depends on how your house plan sits. If there is significant height, think about views and which rooms will get them. Not much use being on the high side of the road if the front of your house is a rarely used study and a garage as the views will be wasted.

Views is also something to consider in relation to the block being flat. Flat blocks will keep the costs down, but if every block is flat and there's very little change in levels in the area around your block, it came make for a very bland street scape later on. Slopes and changes in levels (they don't have to be massive changes) can create interest, but can also add to costs.

I personally hate corner blocks because of headlights as cars turn and security. We lived on a corner block and more than once we thought a hooning car would land in our loungeroom as it turned the corner.

The pros and cons of corner blocks are discussed in depth in various threads.
So is block orientation - as I have said many times, this depends a lot on your floor plan, and your location.
The biggest thing to avoid IMO is large glass doors and an outdoor alfresco area facing west - at least it certainly is here in harsh summers of SA's west coast.
Most plans can be manipulated to avoid this: we flipped ours sideways to make alfresco area be on the east side.

Clost to schools etc will be more important to some than others but is always a good selling point - a quick look at real estate ads will see frequent mention of this.
However, resale aside, this is obviously not relevant to you if you dont have school age kids or you never catch public transport anyway.

Hiii All!!

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Any suggestions on what side the land should be facing for a layout as seen?? I knowww I'm pre-planning (looking for layouts before we have a plot to build on!! -It's the excitement of a first home buyer )

We're thinking of an alfresco in between the family and the garage... & - IF budget allows..

Keeping in mind Melbourne's winters and random weather changes....I'm guessing a north facing land? I really don't know. COuld anyone share some light??

Impulsive311 - I'm in the same boat as you were! What did you go for finally?

Thank you!!!

hi Ash2012. I would definitely go for north on the right hand side. that looks like a similar plan to ours, only flipped. we have north on the kitchen/alfresco/living side and it works great

I would agree with donuts but I would get the windows on the family moved to the family so they faced north and then put some shading on all the north facing windows to keep out the summer sun. perhaps a 1m wide pergola