Planning your dream family home comes with special considerations. Outlined below are key features for you to think about when planning your family home.
Upgrade to the family home of your dreams with Stockland
Many people describe owning a “dream home” as a life achievement that tops their bucket list. Whether it’s a new house with all the mod cons or a block of land where you can build your own customised home, planning your dream family home comes with special considerations.
As you upgrade from your first home, you have the benefit of foresight, of knowing what has and hasn’t worked in the past. You’re in a position to be more selective. Since you're likely planning to live in it for the foreseeable future, you’ll definitely want to choose a home with features for your family's long-term lifestyle.
When buying or building your dream home, here are some of the features you’ll want to look for.
Family-friendly locations
As an upsizer, you may have a long list of requirements for your dream home itself, but be more flexible about the location. Whichever way you look at it, being a homeowner means you’re part of a larger community and it’s critical that you find a neighbourhood that suits the needs of your family before you buy.
Liveability and amenities
A neighbourhood’sliveability includes factors like a feeling of belonging, connection with neighbours, opportunities to stay healthy and fit and being in a secure, safe environment.
And liveability is enhanced by having amenities that bring families together and make their lives easier. Parks and playgrounds, shops, schools, childcare and sporting facilities are all important, as are community centres, libraries and medical facilities.
Neighbourhood features
And there are many other questions to ask yourself. Do you want to live somewhere with green space and a country feel or closer to a bustling city centre? Is being close to the ocean, in the catchment for a particular school or near shopping centres, restaurants and cafes important to you? While living in a suburb with ample public transport and easy commutes has traditionally been high on the priority list, it’s become less critical recently with the boom in remote and hybrid jobs and more people working from home.
Buying or building
As your family grows and you become more focused on finding the best home to meet your needs, you may also find yourself weighing up the relative benefits ofbuilding vs. buying a home.
While you may have to compromise on a few features, the benefits of purchasing a completed home are obvious. You have a fabulous new place to live with just a turn of a key. Building a house, on the other hand, may take longer but has the potential to provide you with decades of happy living in a space that’s designed exactly to your specific requirements.
Building and buying are both completely valid options and in the end, the decision comes down to how critical it is for you and your family to have more creative control and a customised home that is completely your own.
Family-friendly home styles
A growing family is what prompts many people to make the decision to build or buy their long term home. This means that you need to consider not only the size of the house itself but also the floor plan, number of rooms and the larger outdoor area.
Floor plan
With younger children, having a second area where they can play and spread out their toys makes sense, as does an open living plan that allows adults to see and supervise kids from every vantage point.
Bedroom and study space
As kids get older and want their own space for study and privacy, having enough bedrooms or an additional room that functions as a home study or home office can be crucial to both sibling peace and parental sanity.
Bathrooms and ensuites
With growing or larger families, competition for “bathroom time” and having to shower in shifts can lead to untold frustration and make everyone late for work and school. When your family gets to this stage, having an ensuite or an additional bathroom can make life so much easier for everyone.
Storage
A growing family often goes hand in hand with an ever-increasing number of possessions. When sporting equipment, school books and dirty socks threaten to take over your life, having smart storage solutions to keep the clutter at bay is essential to well-ordered spaces that everyone can happily share.
Outdoor living
An important part of a long term dream home for most people involves having the area and scope for an attractive and functional garden and outdoor entertaining area. Not only will it be a central hub for family and friends, it will also provide your kids with a place to get fresh air, exercise and let off steam.
Buy or build your dream home in a Stockland community
If you’re excited about the thought of being able to design your dream home and have your family grow up in a true community, Stockland can help.
Discover our communities and learn more about how you can find the home that’s right for your lifestyle.
