Important considerations when selecting rural land for your new build

When it comes to choosing the site to design and build your home on your rural land, it feels like the world is your oyster because you have all this open space to choose from – a vast blank canvas waiting for its masterpiece, but unlike an artist's canvas, your land is not flat, even and uniform.

If we take the canvas metaphor a bit further, choosing your land is more like preparing to create a sculpture where you have to use the materials you are given. To be genuinely stunning, comfortable, and healthy, your house design and build should be guided by the land and its features. Only by building with the land and ecosystem, including topography, soil, ground stability, climate, and orientation of the sun (to name a few), will you be able to realise a true masterpiece.

The Maddren Homes team has been building homes in Auckland for more than 80 years. During that time, we've learned a thing or two about building new homes that harmonise with the land and their rural setting, where your home becomes something that is part of a broader landscape - the more it is part of the land and its surroundings, the more joy you will get from it.

Climate

To begin with, talk to your neighbours - particularly some of those that have built recently - to get an idea about the local climate and the pros and cons of the neighbourhood you live in. Valleys, hills, and slopes sometimes come with their own micro-climate, and it is essential to consider this because wind direction, trees, and the orientation of the sun can have a massive impact on your comfort levels.

Topography

Do you need to compromise between a great view and a sun-orientated north-facing hillside? Building rurally means you will have to consider factors such as water run-off patterns, floodplains, soil stability, and erosion. Ideally, you can have everything, sun, and views, or you may need to make some compromises like carrying out additional earthworks. Maddren Homes can advise you on making the most of your topographical features.

Town planning requirements

While your property may be rural and remote, local town councils will want a say in what you build and how it impacts the surrounding landscape. Living rural means, you can see for miles, which means your new home may have a profound impact on the landscape. For this reason, local councils may have rules around colour, height, and what you do with the natural fauna and flora on the land.

The power of balance

Building your dream home on a rural site may involve some compromises. The key is to balance what is ideal, desirable, and practical. For example, utilities such as road access, electricity, water (town water or water tanks), and sewerage will be impacted by the proximity of your new build from the road because distance equals time and money.

Talk to Maddren Homes about the various factors you need to take into account before the design and build process begins – it may make all the difference when it comes to building your home.