2 Professionals To Engage Before You Begin The Construction Of Your New Country Home
Escaping the hustle and bustle of busy city living for a more relaxed life in the country is an increasingly popular choice for many Australians. With the rising cost of living and the prohibitive price of urban homes, country life is also appealing because of its comparative affordability.
If you've found the perfect piece of bush acreage, then the next step will be planning and building your new country home. Bush blocks make wonderful locations for homes with the peace and quiet and the surrounding natural beauty. However, building on this type of block can also pose logistical issues that you don't encounter when building in an urban environment.
To get started on your new country home, here are two professionals you'll need to engage before building can begin.
1. A surveyor
Having your bush block thoroughly surveyed should be the starting point of your building project. Land surveyors essentially create a three-dimensional map of your land, identifying the presence of geographical features as well as large natural elements, such as trees. They focus on the relative positions of features as well as the gradient of slopes and the height of the raised areas.
A professional survey map will be an essential tool for the design and construction of your new home. Your architect or building designer will rely heavily on the information provided on the survey map to design a home that is structurally and aesthetically appropriate for your block.
2. A land clearer
One of the biggest appeals of buying a bush block is the abundance of mature native trees you'll be surrounded by. Unfortunately, it's unavoidable that a number of these trees will need to be cleared to create a building site for your new home. If your block is virgin bush, you may also need to have an access driveway cleared from the municipal road.
Some people are tempted to attempt this part of the process themselves, but it's highly advisable that you use the services of a professional land clearing contractor to do it. They have the experience and the equipment to remove trees safely, and they use techniques that will minimise damage to surrounding trees that are being retained.
Although it may be difficult watching large, established trees being cut down, you can mitigate their removal by using their timber. Some trees can be processed by local sawmills to create structural or decorative timber features for your home. You can also store the timber for use as firewood during the colder months.
