Designing and building a home can be quite exciting, but you may be curious to know just how much control you can exert over the design and construction and how much is beyond your control.
Well, to some it seems like a Rorschach test, you know, the inkblots that some say look like a bear, others say it’s an elephant? Some home investors feel like they have all the flexibility in the world; others may feel restricted in getting the home that they want.
What really makes a big difference here is your choice of developer (within your control) and limitations that may be set by your local council and planning authorities (beyond your control).
The Short & Simple Answer
Design flexibility is generally quite a bit more generous than what many home buyers might assume.
Design Flexibility: Developers vs Owner-Builders
If you’re an owner-builder doing your own custom design or you’ve retained an architect, the sky is essentially the limit and you will only be restricted by things like local council minimum setbacks, height limits, coverage, and these sorts of things – still quite generous.
With a developer, you are a tad more limited, but by how much? Well, it depends on your developer. Some developers work with prefabs, others build the same styles and layouts practically wherever they can, still others lean more towards custom designs or a sort of hybrid where there are several standardised layouts and buyers can select various design features.
This latter case is quite beneficial and it drives down costs for the developer, and for clients. Of course, it comes at the cost of limiting some design options, but for many dual occupancy home buyers it’s still flexible enough to make a home really look and feel like you want it to.
Practical Considerations for Dual Occupancy Home Designs
For all custom home builds you ideally should have enough freedom to see your dream home get built up and take the shape and appearance you dreamed of. Now there are, of course, practical limitations as to what can be done, and these will always be discussed in the planning stages with your developer until a finalised design is agreed upon.
When it comes to dual occupancy homes, however, remember that you’re building two homes on a (typically) subdivided plot of land, attached or perhaps detached but nevertheless close to one another.
From a design perspective, you could have them designed completely different from one another, or you could design them so that they are similar but perhaps with a few unique touches on each. In the former case, it will take architectural designers a lot longer since they are effectively designing two very distinct units, so this will drive up costs. In many cases, it’s simply far more cost-effective and practical to have both homes share a similar layout and design.
The bottom line is that when working with a developer, you do somewhat limit your design possibilities, but when working with a specialised dual occupancy home developer with a solid track record of expertise such as Trevor Homes, you will hopefully find that your options are to your liking. Our architectural designers and technicians can make your home feel unique, never cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all!
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Get started on your path to dual occupancy home ownership with Trevor Homes.
