Read Your Block Before You Draw a Single Plan

Every block of land has a personality. The angle of the slope, the way the morning sun falls across the rear yard, where the prevailing winds come from in winter, what the neighbours can see into and what they cannot. Treat that personality with respect, and the home almost designs itself. Fight against it, and you will spend the rest of your life paying heating bills, drawing curtains and apologising to your neighbours.

A common mistake I see across the North Shore is families falling in love with a floor plan first and trying to make the block fit it second. The result is a beautiful design that loses half its appeal the moment it is dropped onto the wrong site.

A few practical things worth thinking about before any concept work begins.

Look at where the sun rises and sets. The eastern aspect is gentle morning light, which suits the main bedroom and breakfast area. Northern light is the gift that keeps giving through winter, so this is where you want your living spaces and floor-to-ceiling glass. The west takes the worst of the summer heat, and is generally the wrong place for a kitchen. A good roof overhang or a properly designed verandah on that side will save you a fortune in cooling.

Think about the cold winds. In Sydney they tend to come from the south. If you can put the garage on that side, you have given yourself a free thermal buffer.

Consider the neighbours honestly. Where do their windows look? Where do yours need to look? Privacy is best designed in from the very first sketch, not bolted on later with screens and hedges.

Finally, check the rules. Local environmental plans, development control plans and any covenants attached to the land all shape what can be built. Better to know about a restriction at concept stage than after you have paid for full documentation.

A good Sydney North Shore builder will walk the block with you before talking design. If anyone tells you their plan can work on any site, that is your cue to keep looking.

If you have a block on the North Shore and you are not sure how to read it, come and have a chat at inh.com.au/Sydney North Shore.