Building on a small section

Land in New Zealand’s metro areas is becoming increasing scarce – which of course means the prices are on the up. This isn’t going to change in a hurry. New land is hard to come by, and when it does become available, it’s usually divided into smaller and smaller pieces. 

By the time a section is split into separate titles and is granted resource consent, it’s likely to be fairly snug. For many homeowners, this raises the question, can I still build my dream home?

The good news? The answer is yes. With a little design magic, even the most compact spaces can hold a dream home.

As demand for city living grows, smaller sections and infill housing are becoming the norm. Kim Baldwin, Landmark Homes Wellington franchisee and designer, has seen this shift firsthand. 

“People generally don’t want to drive a long distance to work and school. They want to stay within a general area and travel less, if possible,” he says. 

The ‘quarter-acre dream’ of the ‘70s has faded somewhat for most Kiwis. Instead, homeowners are focusing on location and low-maintenance living. 

“Most clients don’t want lawns or massive, landscaped sites now,” says Kim. “They’re happier for a smaller site that makes good use of space – and is easy to look after”. 

This demand is led city councils to make subdivisions more viable. In Auckland, for example, the Unitary Plan has made it easier to build multiple dwellings on small sections, especially in west and central areas. 

So how do you fit your dream home onto a smaller piece of land? According to Kim, it’s all about smart design.

“The footprint is more compact, so we’re having to come up with more clever solutions around the functionality and layout of homes,” he says. 

The first step is analysing the site. Once a feasibility study is complete and council consent granted, the design process begins. 

Landmark Homes offers a range of Ready to Build house plans that can be customised to fit tighter infill housing areas. Narrow sections may seem challenging, but with innovative approaches, they’re far from impossible.

Here are some key strategies Landmark Homes uses to maximise space and functionality:

• Build upwards instead of outwards: Two-storey homes are ideal for compact sections. For example, parents can enjoy a master bedroom upstairs while children’s rooms remain downstairs.
• Embrace open plan living: Hallways are often unnecessary in smaller homes, so designs focus on eliminating wasted space. Bedrooms can radiate off the main living areas.
• Get creative with storage: Clever hidey-holes under stairs, attic spaces, and built-in storage between rooms ensure every square metre is utilised.

“When you take the hallway out and make the home an open-plan design, you gain a lot of square metres,” says Kim. “There’s no surplus wasted space in any of our homes.”

Every client’s needs – and site – are different. Sometimes clients bring in plans drawn up by another architect that simply don’t work for their land. That’s where Landmark Homes’ expertise really shines, as Kim and his team create designs tailored to both the client’s vision and the site’s constraints. 

One standout example is a recent project where Kim adapted Landmark Homes’ Leigh Ready to Build design for a particularly tight section divided into three titles. 

The Leigh, a townhouse plan designed for compact sites, is flexible enough to be rotated to suit almost any site. To maximise the harbour views, Kim and his team moved the living area upstairs and shifted the bedrooms downstairs. They also incorporated a split-level floor to accommodate the sloping site.

These clever modifications retained the original Leigh’s aesthetic while making it fully functional for the smaller space. The result? A home that not only met but exceeded the client’s expectations.

“They love it. It’s still got the look of the Leigh, but it works a lot better for them on their site,” says Kim.

Designed for smaller sections, these Landmark Homes Ready to Build plans combine style, functionality, and smart use of space.

City living may be getting tighter, but with Landmark Homes, your dream home is still within reach. A little design magic, clever planning, and a Ready to Build plan can bring your vision to life. 

Explore Landmark Homes stunning Ready to Build house plans today – and start creating a home you’ll love.