How I Choose the Right Floorplan
How I Choose the Right Floorplan
A floorplan is more than just rooms and square metres. It’s how your home actually lives day to day. Whether it works with your land, your lifestyle, and your budget is what matters most. This guide shares the way I approach floorplan selection — what I prioritise, what I flag early, and the common traps that can cost clients time, light, money or future flexibility.
Because building shouldn't feel risky.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Start with Lifestyle, Not Layout
Before you think about rooms, shapes, or façade options — we start with one question: How do you want to live?
That means asking the right internal questions:
- Do you need one kitchen or two?
- Are you an outdoor entertainer?
- How many bathrooms do you really need?
- Is a theatre or a study part of how your family lives?
- Do kids need their own zone?
- Do you host guests or extended family often?
- Are you balancing work-from-home and family life?
We build the floor plan around how you’ll actually use the space — not just how it looks on paper.
Once we know the spaces you need, we configure them to make the most of natural light and flow.
But lifestyle needs to align with budget.
The more rooms you need, the bigger the house. And the bigger the house, the higher the build cost.
So it’s not just about dreaming up a wishlist — it’s about balancing what you want with what you’re happy to invest in.
This is why we often start with your budget range and non-negotiables, then build up from there. That way you get a design that supports your lifestyle without overcommitting or underdelivering.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Think About Future You
The best floor plans are not just built for today. They are designed to work for how you will live in the years ahead.
One of the most important questions I ask is: How do you think life will look in one to three years — and then again in five, ten, or fifteen?
Because the truth is, from planning to permits to construction, you are often one to three years away from getting the keys to your new home. So the version of your life you are designing for may already be changing by the time you move in.
- Will your kids be teenagers by the time the house is ready?
- Will a second child be in the picture or kids starting school?
- Is a work from home office a short term need or something permanent?
- Will elderly parents need to move in or stay over more often?
- Do you want to sell in ten years or stay here for good?
Good design plans ahead.
We focus on flexibility, smart zoning, and building in space that can adapt over time so you do not need to renovate just to keep up with life.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Your Driveway and North Decide the Whole Layout
Before you even look at a floor plan, one of the first things I check is this: Where is north, and where is your driveway
Because once you know those two things, you can answer the next question — Do I need a design with the living areas on the same side as the garage, or the opposite
This is critical.
Get it wrong, and you will waste months looking through display homes, comparing brochures, or falling in love with a design that simply does not suit the block.
In some cases, we can explore changing the driveway location, but this depends on the developer's approval, where the services are, and what is already locked into the estate layout.
In a knockdown rebuild scenario, you may not have as much flexibility when it comes to moving the driveway. Things like existing services, power poles, pit locations, or council regulations can all limit your options.
It is not a definite no, but it does mean that driveway position becomes a critical piece of the puzzle.
You want to know early whether your preferred plan actually suits the block, or if you will need to look at alternatives that make better use of the layout.
We use orientation, driveway side, and block width to rule out the wrong plans early so the ones we are reviewing have a real chance of working.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Fit the Plan to the Block
You can fall in love with the perfect floor plan, but if it does not suit the block, it is not going to work.
That is why we always start by asking: What are the rules, limitations, and opportunities of the land itself?
Here is what we look at first:
- Setbacks: Every site has minimum front, side, and rear setbacks that control where the house can go. These vary by zone, title type, and estate guidelines.
- Neighbour context: Do the neighbours have double-storeys that could block light or overlook into your yard? Is there a fence already in place that affects usable space?
- Trees and overlays: Are there trees — either on your site or next door — with protected root zones or local laws? Are there overlays like vegetation protection or building height limits that we need to factor in?
- The MCP (Memorandum of Common Provisions): In estates, the MCP outlines key restrictions like façade styles, garage width limits, roof pitch, building height, and fencing. It is a legal document and often determines which designs are even eligible to be approved.
- Views and sunlight: Is there a view we want to capture? A side of the block that will get great afternoon light? We use the block’s orientation to place the living zones where they will perform best.
- The building envelope: This is the part of the block you are allowed to build in. The right floor plan should work with this envelope — not fight against it or require heavy changes.
Choosing the right plan starts with understanding the block.
It is about designing within the boundaries, but also seeing the opportunity that others might miss.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Smart Zoning and Flow
Zoning and flow are what separate a functional home from a frustrating one.
It is not just about what rooms you include. It is about where they go, how they connect, and what gets in the way.
We look at how you are going to live in the space. What needs to feel open? What needs to feel private? What zones need to be close together and which ones should never be?
Here are a few examples we always check:
- Alfresco and backyard access: Can you get to the alfresco easily from the kitchen or meals area? Is the view to the yard and pool clear and usable or blocked by walls and tight angles?
- Bedroom placement: Avoid bedrooms that share walls with bathrooms. Showers and toilets on the other side of a headboard can be a nightmare to live with.
- Powder room location: A powder room off the main hallway or kitchen with no buffer means no privacy. It makes guests feel awkward and becomes a pain point in everyday living.
- Too many doors in tight spaces: Hallways with four or five door swings clashing into each other are poor design. We clean this up by rethinking how people move through the space.
- Noise zones versus quiet zones: Separate theatre rooms, laundries, and rumpus rooms from bedrooms. Kids and guests can be loud. The floor plan should keep the noise where it belongs.
- Architectural moments: Every great home should have a moment that feels special. Whether it is a gallery hallway, a skylight over a void, or a framed view from the front door, good design builds in these moments, not just features.
It is not about making the plan fancy. It is about making the home feel better to live in.
Spaces should work together, not compete with each other.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Paper First, Display Second
The biggest mistake most people make is starting their search with display homes.
Once you walk into a display, your opinion is instantly influenced by things that have nothing to do with the floor plan:
- The colour scheme
- The furniture and styling
- The way the space is decorated
- The upgrade path you are not told about
- Even the staff member on duty that day
Instead, I recommend this approach:
Start on paper.
Review the actual plan and ask:
- Does this design suit our block
- Does it give us the natural light we want
- Does it zone the house in a way that works for how we live
Once you have found a plan that works for the land and your lifestyle, then go see the display.
You will walk in with clarity, not curiosity.
Sometimes the display will feel underwhelming because the staff were unhelpful or the colours did not match your taste. But none of that changes the structure of the home.
Other times, the display will feel amazing because of all the upgrades. But that may not reflect what you will actually build.
Going in with an understanding of why the plan suits you will lead to a far more educated choice. One that is based on logic, not just surface impressions.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Budget, Builder and Floor Plan Go Together
It is easy to get caught up in floor plans, but the builder you choose plays just as big a role in what you can build and what it will cost.
The same floor plan, at the same size, can cost almost double between two builders. That is because every builder has different pricing models, levels of flexibility, and inclusion ranges.
Here are a few things to consider early:
- Are you looking for a volume builder or something more boutique
- Do you need customisation or is off the shelf enough
- Are you focused on keeping costs low or investing in higher end finishes
- Do you want a quick build or are you willing to wait longer for something more tailored
Your builder affects what floor plans are available, what changes you can make, and how much freedom you have to adjust things along the way.
This is why I always look at the builder and the floor plan as a combined decision, not one before the other.
Choosing the right builder for your style, budget, and block will make the whole process smoother and more aligned.
If you are unsure where to start, we cover exactly how I compare and select builders in the next section: How I Choose a Builder.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Need Help Choosing a Builder?
Knowing which builder is right for you is just as important as choosing the right plan. If you want to understand how I compare builders, assess value, and match them to different client needs:
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Need Expert Help Choosing the Right Floor Plan?
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