Building on a narrow block starts with understanding what you want from your home and how we can make it work on your land. You might want a generous kitchen and living area, somewhere quiet to work or enough backyard for the kids. Our job is to help you work through those priorities and find a layout that suits.
Here are some of the things we look at when designing a home for a narrow block.
Start with how you want to live
We start by talking through how you live day to day and which spaces matter most to you. That helps us work out where to give you more room and where a smaller space will do the job.
If you like to cook while keeping an eye on the kids, an open kitchen, dining and living area might be a priority. If someone works from home, a quiet study could be more useful than a second lounge.
From there, we look at how the rooms connect. Long hallways and awkward corners can take up valuable space, so we pay attention to how you’ll move through the home as well as what fits into each room.
Our guide to five design decisions to consider before building your new home on the Central Coast covers more of the choices worth working through early.
Consider whether a second storey makes sense
Building upwards may give you room for extra bedrooms or another living area while keeping more of the backyard available. It can also help separate shared living spaces from quieter parts of the home.
We’ll talk through whether that makes sense for your budget, your block and the way you want to live. Stairs need room too, so we account for those when comparing what a single or double-storey design could offer.
Work out parking early
A garage takes up a fair share of a narrow block’s frontage. Its size and position can influence everything from your front entry to the amount of light reaching nearby rooms.
We’ll ask how many vehicles you need to accommodate and what else needs to fit in the garage. From there, we can compare the options and show you what each would mean for the rest of the floor plan.
Driveway access and planning requirements will also play a part in what works on your block.
Balance natural light and privacy
With neighbouring houses close by, careful window placement helps a narrow home feel bright and comfortable without leaving you on display.
Some of the options we can explore include:
- A courtyard or light well to bring daylight further into the floor plan.
- Skylights above internal spaces such as hallways or bathrooms.
- High windows that let in light while maintaining privacy.
- Rear windows and sliding doors that open the living area towards the backyard.
The direction your block faces matters, too. We look at where sunlight will reach the home, how neighbouring buildings affect it and where windows can encourage airflow.
Where windows face neighbouring homes, frosted glass or external screening may be useful. Screening can also make a courtyard or alfresco area feel more private if it’s overlooked by nearby windows.
Give storage a proper place
Storage can be easy to overlook when you’re focused on fitting in bedrooms and living areas. But having somewhere for school bags, linen, cleaning products and everything else makes a real difference once you move in.
We look for opportunities to include storage within the layout, whether that’s built-in cupboards, a practical pantry or space beneath the stairs. In tighter areas, a cavity sliding door may also free up room that a hinged door would need to open.
Higher ceilings and consistent flooring through connected areas can help the interior feel more open. These choices work best alongside a well-considered layout.
Understand the block before finalising the plans
There’s more to a block than its width. Planning controls, the slope of the land, soil conditions, existing services and construction access can all influence the design and budget.
A tight site may need extra coordination for deliveries and equipment, which can affect construction costs and timing.
Site investigations and planning are part of our design and build process. We talk you through what we find, what it means for your plans and where adjustments may be needed.
You can read more in our guide to what building a custom home with us actually looks like.
Make the backyard part of the plan
We want your outdoor space to be somewhere you’ll use, even if there isn’t a lot of it. That might mean making room for a dining table under cover, keeping a patch of lawn for the kids or finding a sunny spot for a small garden.
Easy access from the kitchen or living area can make the backyard more useful. Built-in seating and carefully positioned planting can also leave more room to move without filling the space with furniture.
Understand the block before finalising the plans
If you own a narrow block or are considering buying one, we’d love to hear what you have in mind. At SenSé Homes, we work with clients across the Central Coast. You can start with one of our designs, bring your own plans or develop a design with our team.