What you need to know about narrow block home designs

Narrow block home designs are all about making the most of limited space. Going vertical by choosing a double-storey design is a good option for your narrow house plans, as is facilitating spaciousness by including thoughtful open-plan elements.

Narrow blocks are often more affordable, which frees up budget for the build itself. Here are the key design principles to make the most of a narrow lot:

Go vertical

Narrow homes typically have a small horizontal land footprint, which means space can be added by building vertically. Choosing two storeys means you can still have three or four bedrooms plus more than one living space even on a narrow block. 

Two storeys can provide more options for privacy within the home and allow you to more clearly separate living and sleeping zones.

Choose open-plan

Doors, corridors and walls eat into your floor area - something you can't afford on a narrow lot. Open-plan layouts that combine kitchen, living and dining make the home feel far more generous.

Bring in light

Bring light in through large windows at the front and rear, alfresco areas, and balconies. Our Zen and Belview designs both use these features to make narrow lots feel more spacious.

Flow between indoor and outdoor

A seamless connection between indoor and outdoor areas makes a narrow home feel larger. An alfresco extends your living space and gives you somewhere to entertain, and with the right furniture and weather protection, it's usable year-round.

Minimise waste

Grand entrances and wide hallways might look impressive, but they chew through floor area you can't spare. Well-designed narrow lot homes cut the wasted space and put every square metre to work.

With those design principles covered, here's some terminology you'll come across when shopping for narrow lots:

Specific lot dimensions

Narrow blocks come in a range of sizes, but generally anything under 12 metres wide is considered a narrow lot. Some home designs suit even tighter blocks. You can check the 'Lot Requirements' in the panel next to each floor plan on our site to see what fits your land.

When selecting from our range of home designs, Eve, Haven, Leona and Verve need at least 10 metres width; Onyx requires 9.5 metres; Zen and Belview can be built on blocks as narrow as 9 metres; and the Kyro fits lots just 7.5 metres wide.

Rear-loaded garages

A rear-loaded garage is accessed from the back of the home rather than the front. This keeps the streetscape clean and avoids a garage door dominating the façade. This is a real advantage on narrow lots where frontage is limited. 

Note: This is only an option if there's a way to access the back of your block, like a back lane or shared driveway. If there's a property directly behind you with no way through, a rear-loaded garage won't be feasible.

Zero lot designs

Zero lot might sound like you have no land at all, but it actually refers to blocks where you're permitted to build very close to the property boundary. This requires home designs that work with minimal side setbacks, including considerations like window placement and drainage. Our Zen, Belview and Leona designs are all suited to zero lot blocks.

If you're ready to explore your options for narrow land, browse our full range of narrow lot home designs.