Designing for rural living

Dreaming of your ideal rural home with expansive views of your beautiful vista? You’ve come to the right place. Here at Geelong Built we are incredibly passionate about acerage designs and rural living.

Having a family farm in Paraparap for over 35 years our Director and on-site manager Andrew Carroll personally understands the beauty, lifestyle and challenges of living on the land.

Designing for your rural property is very different to designing a home on an inner-city or suburban lot. The restrictions of setbacks, overlooking and overshadowing that heavily dictate many home designs are no longer a consideration. Instead, the focus becomes on optimisation of orientation, vistas, flexible spaces, and protection from the harsh Victorian elements.

Orientation

No matter the orientation of your property we can always maximise north sun on a rural block with clever siting of your home. Even if your main outlook is to the south clever use of clerestory windows, pop up ceilings and courtyards can optimise the amount of north light and therefore passive heat we can bring into the home. We can also create crossflow ventilation through the home for those hot summer days and cosy spaces for the freezing winter evenings.

Vistas

You didn’t purchase a rural property to spend your time looking at plaster walls. Your home design has the potential to capture the unique vistas your property has to offer. Is there a beautiful gum on site? Why not create a picture window that frames this view perfectly from a cosy day bed? The important thing here is bringing the outside in as much as possible. Think large floor to ceiling windows and sliding stacker doors with green views from every room in the house.

Flexible Spaces

Just because you can have 6 bedrooms and 4 living areas doesn’t mean you should. Remember you are going to have to furnish those rooms and, more importantly, find the budget to build them! Think flexible spaces, an activity room by day and cosy lounge by night. A gym or studio that also hosts movie nights for the kids with the help of some comfy bean bags. The idea here is quality over quantity.

Protection from the Elements

When you are on the land and not crowded by other homes and buildings you can really feel the seasons as they come and go each year. Exposure to wind and the uniquely Aussie elements whilst potentially problematic can be easily solved through clever design. Courtyards are a great way to provide outdoor spaces that are protected from the prevailing winds, while verandahs and eaves of the right depth can provide protection from the harshness of the summer sun whilst still allowing the winter sun to warm your home.

The practical and VITAL elements to your rural build

It’s all well and good to talk about the aesthetic and design side of things however the most important and often overlooked elements of your rural build are the functional and practical details. Where would you like to situate the home on the property? This is the first question to ask yourself as it impacts many other vital elements. How are you going to get power to this location and how much will this cost? Do you need to consider an off grid option? If so are you willing to change your day-to-day power usage habits to live compatibly with an off grid system? Where will you situate the septic system and what sort of system will best suit the property? Water management such as tanks with overflow valves, soakage pits and water management around the property are also vital. Fortunately Andy has the experience and knowledge to ensure all of these crucial elements are considered in the early stages of your build exploration so we can help you to make informed decisions each step of the way.

Other features to consider in your rural design

·         Expansive cathedral ceilings with exposed rafters

·         Open fireplace to provide winter ambience and warmth

·         Cosy lounge room for quiet nights in

·         Large family kitchen as the central hub

·         Generous butlers pantry for food prep and hiding away the clutter

·         Views, views and more views!

Talk to us about your dream rural build. We have you covered from concept to completion and can’t wait to explore the possibilities with you.