Constructing a home on a sloping lot can lead to an enhanced lifestyle and improved environmentally sensitive design outcomes, say leading builders who are encouraging homebuyers to view graded blocks as ‘opportunities’.
Pathway Homes and McLachlan Homes, which both have displays on sloping lots in the Ellendale community at Upper Kedron, say these sites better allow homeowners to capture views and breezes, while creating stand-out bespoke designs. Pathway Homes Builder and Director Peter Luckmann said the right sloping lot could ‘significantly increase your lifestyle’ and improve your re-sale value. “Some people see sloping lots as challenges but we see them as opportunities, with any elevation offering enhanced views and the ability to orientate to maximise prevailing breezes,” he said. “A sloping design features a second storey at the front or back of the home – depending on the direction of the grade – meaning you can create more opulence and street appeal. The design should be sympathetic to the individual lot, so you spend your money on clever design that mitigates site works – and as a custom builder, we do this at no extra cost.”
Luckmann said the Pathway display at Ellendale – situated on a lot that sloped from back to front – was a prime example, with the four bedroom design making a dramatic statement from the street and overlooking a natural bushland corridor. “The two storey elevation at the front is impressive, with the larger facade providing the opportunity to use different materials, further enhancing its street appeal,” he said. “The lower level is its own ‘wing’, featuring a bedroom with ensuite ideal for ‘multi-generational living’, with the ability for an older child or family member to come and go as they please. The slope also creates a ‘void’ under the home, which can be used down the track for an extension that does not impact the balance of the home. For the design we display at Ellendale, this extension could be anything from a self-contained granny flat, to additional bedrooms, an office or games room. The upper level contains the balance of the living areas and its height from street level means increased privacy and amazing bush aspects from the balcony, where you can enjoy shade in the morning, while in the afternoon you can kick back by the rear pool.”
McLachlan Homes owner Brad McLachlan agreed sloping lots allowed buyers to create an individual design to suit their lifestyle and personality. “The right design helps maximise the views as you go about your day-to-day living and allows you to be creative with how you use the space,” he said. “It improves the opportunities for ‘zones’, for example a kids’ zone on the lower level, which is removed and private, yet part of the family space. All of this means your home design can be more interesting, with a combination of different levels and outlooks over stair voids and from balconies that is only limited by your imagination.”
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