Going Underground - Horizon Homes Sydney

Adding Underground Parking and a Basement to your Custom Home Design

Since land prices are at a premium in Sydney, many people are considering adding underground parking and a basement to their new build designs. It certainly helps to maximise the amount of living space on your block.

But if you are considering adding basement parking to your new home build, here are some things to consider:

You need an experienced builder

A basement is a space you can’t afford to get wrong. Make sure your builder has experience with basements, because there are a lot of engineering and potential water leak issues that need to be considered. If you have future issues with your basement, they can be very difficult to fix. Your underground garage needs to be over-engineered to give you peace of mind.

More than just parking

Underground parking helps you maximise the amount of living space available on a block. In many cases, it also allows you to park more than two vehicles. It can also allow a lot more storage space. Depending on your council, you may also be able to add additional living spaces like a home gym, cinema room or golf simulator in the basement area.

Homes with basement parking tend to sell for a premium, so the extra cost of a basement can be a good investment.

Narrow blocks

Underground parking can be especially appealing with narrow blocks. Consider adding a turn table on the floor of the garage, so you drive in front ways and when you need to drive out the turn table gently spins the car back towards the garage door so you can easily drive out.

Council approvals

In most cases, if you want to build a basement, you will need to go through a Council development application (DA) process to get the build approved. If you want to get a complying development certificate (CDC) then the structure above the basement can only be one storey high. If you are in a flood prone area, it may be more difficult to get a basement approved. Touch base with your local council prior to designing your new home to see if there are any issues restricting you from building a basement. Or, if you build with Horizon Homes, we’ll help you navigate that process to get the right answers.

Contact Horizon Homes for your knockdown rebuild

Horizon Homes is a luxury custom home builder in Sydney. We help people design and build their dream homes. This includes building homes with basements. If you’d like to discuss your knockdown rebuild and learn more about our process when designing spaces like basements, we’re happy to set up a meeting to discuss your build plans in greater detail.

Our Bella Vista Display Home, Jack’s Point is now open seven days a week from 10.30am – 4pm. Alternatively, we can meet you at the Horizon Homes Design Studio in Five Dock by appointment.

What our clients say

“It’s hard to imagine your dream house. It’s better if someone just builds it for you. That’s how we felt with the house that Horizon Homes designed and built for our family. Horizon are a very professional, delivery oriented and detail focused company. Challenges with the site were dealt with effectively and on time... costs came in on budget. We would unhesitatingly recommend Horizon for your bespoke home design & build.”

Colette and Anthony, Greenwich

“Our journey with Horizon Homes was wonderful. Our house looks amazing... we chose Horizon Homes because they said they could do any style, their display house had good quality and the team was so easy to talk to. The design process, choosing colours and finishes were so much fun... Denis and team gave us useful advice so our budget didn’t blow out. The construction process went smoothly and finished on time. We highly recommend Horizon Homes and we could not be happier. ”

Daniel & Cicilia, Castle Hill

“We wanted to build with a local family builder who would give us time to design our dream house. Denis had some fantastic ideas and advice and turned our dreams into reality. All building work started and finished on time and our supervisor, Danny had a level of communication that far exceeded our expectations. We were really impressed with the quality of the finishes, the attention to detail and the effort taken to handover a faultless home. Such a positive experience from an exceptional builder. ”

Collette, Box Hill

“Our experience with Horizon was supportive from start to end. As beginners in the knockdown and rebuild process, I felt they guided us through the journey. The quality of our finishings was excellent... I still love coming home to our house more than a couple of years later. Horizon were a delight to deal with and we got the house of our dreams out of it!!!”

Aaron, Concord West

“I cannot thank you guys enough for what you have done. Despite the restrictions of land size you have put up an amazing house. Your professionalism and just the way you conduct your business is by far of the highest standards.”

Sarisha & Aadesh, Rodd Point

“We had a good idea of what we wanted in our new home and Horizon Homes made it a reality. The build time was just as they had forecast and no request big or small was too difficult. From the minute we met Denis we knew he was the builder for us. Denis was honest and up front from the beginning. We really appreciated this.”

Peter, Ryde

“Horizon Homes is professional and efficient. Everything is documented and handled in a manner that is transparent, clear and concise. We have also found that their attention to detail from the signing of the contract to handover has been excellent. Our home is stunning and everything that we expected it to be. Horizon Homes comes highly recommended by us.”

Morgan & Kes, Cherrybrook

“They took care of every step of the knock-down and rebuild, from the very beginning to handing over the keys… They prepared the council DA application… looked after the entire building process with exceptional quality, workmanship and keen eye for details… the entire team was honest and up front… We are so grateful that we chose Horizon Home to complete our new home project…”

Elaine and Adrian, Concord

“We were really happy with the service we received from Denis, Liam, Esther and the team. Communication at all stages of the project was top class. Our build process went smoothly, and importantly Liam has been really responsive to any requests we have had since moving in. I would highly recommend Horizon Homes and complement them on a job well done!”

Justin, Lane Cove West

“We built our first dream house with Horizon Homes. Denis and the team are very professional and helpful from the very beginning. Our house now is one of the signature on our street. We really enjoy the whole process with the team. And hopefully we can build again with Horizon Home in the near future!”

Johnny and Kiki, Wahroonga

“Horizon worked with us to design the house we wanted. They listened to our brief and gave excellent advice and suggestions. We love the result. Our home is spacious, light-filled and maximises the potential of our downward sloping block. There were setbacks throughout the build, which meant that our house was completed behind schedule, but Horizon had good communication processes in place and we cannot fault the quality of the overall build.”

Clare and Stuart, Lane Cove

“The construction process was smooth, with regular communication keeping us abreast of what was happening... our site supervisor (Danny) was always approachable and addressed all our concerns to achieve the final product of a beautiful double story home in Concord that we are very proud of! We recommend Horizon Homes for their personal touch, ability to listen to our needs and the values they displayed during the project - Openness, Honesty and Transparency - and most of all, for keeping our confidence high during what is typically a stressful time.”

Tony, Concord

“After considering 50+ builders we eventually decided on a custom home with Horizon and are very happy with our choice. Denis and Danny were extremely helpful during the custom design phase, working within our budget to design our dream home... things ran on budget and schedule, and we were regularly updated regarding progress, so thankfully this was a stress-free period. The quality of build was excellent... we have been living in the house for over 6 months now and love it - we would definitively choose Horizon again and highly recommend them.”

Shaun and Jun, Kellyville

“We built our first home with Horizon Homes... all the questions were answered and the whole build process ended up being very smooth. Our variation requests were happily accommodated. The whole team... were professional, friendly and easy to work with. The house turned heads and the quality of the build speaks for itself. We’ll unthinkingly hire them if we were to build again.”

S & S, Strathfield