Home designs for narrow blocks

Jandson has designs to suit almost all types of residential blocks in the Sydney and Central Coast region.

The right home for a narrow block isn’t just a wider home squashed in or with some rooms cut off. Each room needs to be usable, have plenty of access to natural light and be far enough from the neighbours for everyone to feel comfortable.

What’s a Narrow Site?

In established suburbs, narrow blocks tend to come in three sizes:

10.06 metres, or 33 feet
12.19 metres, or 40 feet
15.24 metres, or 50 feet

In new land releases, narrow blocks will usually be:

9 metres wide
12.5 metres wide
15 metres wide

Jandson has built on blocks of all these sizes, and even narrower, all over Sydney.

What we’ve learnt from building on hundreds of narrow blocks —

Every local government area and council has different rules about how wide your side setback needs to be – ranging from a zero-lot alignment (no setback) in some new land releases, to over 2 metres for double storey homes in some suburbs. Confirm how far from the fence your new home needs to be with your council or design panel right from the start of your new home journey.
Look for articulation down each side of the home. It will reduce the amount of shadow your new home casts on the neighbours, and provide opportunities for incorporating windows that don’t face your neighbours walls and windows.
Think about car parking. A double garage is at least 5.5 metres wide – if your home can only be 8 metres wide, then your garage doors will be the majority of your facade. Eaves, a balcony, or a clever roofline all help draw attention from the garage doors.
Don’t automatically delete the eaves of your new home in order to gain an extra few centimetres. Instead, retain eaves where they’re needed – above windows facing the Northern sun. If that’s not possible, consider awnings or pergolas above your windows.