In New Zealand today, and particularly when you get closer to the major cities, land to build on is in scarce supply. Due to the high demand for land in already densely populated areas, housing lot sizes are trending smaller rather than larger. With less space available, home builders are now being required to build smaller homes if they want the convenience of being close to a city. So, if you don’t like the idea of small house plans in NZ, you’ll need to start looking at less-populated areas.
However, many people love the idea of a smaller house because it means less maintenance. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a retiree or a busy professional, there are plenty of reasons that New Zealanders are shunning large, spacious homes and properties in favour of something smaller. With that in mind, let’s look at some tips for maximising the space with small house plans in NZ.
More natural light
One of the best things you can do to create the illusion of more space is to open your home up to natural light. Firstly, a lot of this depends on your ability to position the home with your main living areas facing north. The actual direction may vary depending on which part of the country you build in, but generally, north-facing homes get the most natural sunlight during the day.
Secondly, consider how you’ll access that natural light. Large, sliding glass doors to an outdoor space are a great way to let light in, as are big windows. Just make sure you also have great blinds or curtains to block the sun when needed and also to help trap in the warmth during winter. Natural light creates an illusion of more space, and it’s even more effective when you consider an open-plan design.
Open-plan designs
In smaller homes, adding more walls is essentially just wasting space. It makes everything feel a little more cramped, and far from being just an optical illusion like our natural light tip, internal walls literally take up valuable space.
Try to open up certain areas of the home where possible. Combining the kitchen, dining and living room is a great way to create one larger space. A large sliding door coming off this open-plan area and leading to an outdoor dining area is also another way to trick the eyes into thinking the entire area is more spacious.
Smart storage solutions
In many older small home plans in NZ, it was common to sacrifice storage in favour of open space. However, this can actually work against you because it usually leads to more clutter in the home which makes everything feel smaller. Using some smart storage solutions is a much better way to go.
For example, if two bedrooms share a wall, create a built-in wardrobe in each room on the same wall. Each room then gets a wardrobe that’s half the length of the wall, and you’ve only sacrificed a minimal amount of space. Your builder can recommend a huge range of smart, modern storage solutions to help keep your home clutter-free.
Higher ceilings
This idea doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with giving you more space that you can use. It’s more about the visual effect that higher ceilings provide. With a higher ceiling, the room automatically becomes larger, technically. That extra height won’t give you much functionality, but it certainly does make a room feel much bigger.
Use sliding doors
Sliding doors are essential when working with small house plans. You may not be able to use them everywhere, for example, at the front door. But think about your internal doors such as those in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Using what’s known as ‘cavity doors’ still gives you all the privacy you need and they can be lockable. But the door slides into the wall cavity rather than opening up into the room, which essentially makes unusable space.
For external doors, we’ve already touched on sliding glass doors to bring in more natural light, but they also have the bonus of being a space-saving option wherever you have your entry and exit points.
Multi-purpose areas
Finally, if you’re still struggling for room, why not try to combine certain spaces so that they become multi-purpose? As an example, many people like to have a dedicated study in their home. But with technology being so much smaller now, not to mention paperless, do you really need an entire study?
One option might be to use a study nook in the living room, or even in the corner of the master bedroom. You could even create a small study area in the dining room by using a smaller table, especially if you’re not the kind of family who sits around the dinner table for meals anyway.
Need help with small house plans in NZ?
Stonewood Homes has built over 6000 homes for New Zealanders since 1987, and we’re proud to be recognised as one of the country’s leading building firms. We’re all about making the process of building your dream home as easy as possible because it should be a time to enjoy. We offer a range of stunning house designs, and these can be customised to suit your needs. We also specialise in custom home builds, and if you’re working with small house plans in NZ, we know exactly how to maximise your space for optimum comfort.
To find out how we can help make your dream home a reality, contact the friendly team at Stonewood Homes today and we’ll be more than happy to discuss your needs.
