Getting the most from a small block with a spendthrift design
THE two-storey Allcastle Regent is competitively priced and will fit on a 400sqm block without compromising on space, writes Catherine Nikas-Boulos.
THE price of this two-storey home goes a long way to restore faith in the ability of families to purchase a new home.
Let’s face it, building a new home will almost certainly empty the coffers and that’s well before you’re at lockup stage or have even calculated what’s involved in landscaping.
A two-storey design is out of reach financially for some families, but squishing four bedrooms and living spaces on a single storey on a tiny suburban block is not feasible either.
This two-storey home, incredibly, can fit on a 377sq m block. At $192, 950, Allcastle’s The Regent is one of seven homes in its Affordables Range and this design, in particular, is priced similarly to many single- storey display homes on the market.
A single-storey design will often chew into the backyard if it incorporates all the floor space showcased in The Regent, so the team at Allcastle Homes use the motto “Getting your backyard back” to describe this house.
With suburban and new estate blocks becoming smaller, the company may be on a winning formula.
Architects often talk about making the most of a small room, and The Regent makes good on this promise. At 248sq m this home has all the living you need and want.
The ground floor has a large lounge room to the right of the porch immediately on entry.
A teenager’s space, perhaps, this room is perfect for entertaining well away from the action in the main part of the home.
The family room is positioned in the centre off the kitchen, which has been neatly tucked away to the right.
The trend of late has been to place the kitchen in the middle of the home, but this can be problematic as cooking smells can permeate adjoining rooms.
The kitchen in The Regent is well ventilated with a window above the sink and double stacker doors in the family room leading out onto the optional alfresco area.
A media room has also been incorporated into the design.
Upstairs there is another living room, proving you can have your cake and eat it too when designing for a small and narrow block.
There are four bedrooms in the base price Regent, plus an optional fifth if you upgrade.
Or there is a study on the ground floor next to the media room that could be sacrificed if you needed the space.
Upstairs, the main bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite takes up the entire rear and the secondary rooms are all over 4m x 3m.
The bathroom and the toilet have been separated, a smart move for the morning rush.
Pictures John Fotiadis
Blocks coming on to the market are narrow and shorter than the traditional blocks we were dealing with in the past.
If you were to put a larger single storey on the block you would end up with no backyard, plus a double-storey is more expensive.
The Regent is priced like a single storey, so you can build the two-storey house your family needs with the four or five bedrooms and the dream of having a backyard is still there.
• It fits on a small 377sq m block
• The kitchen is well-ventilated at the back corner of the design
• Even the secondary bedrooms are on the large side
