Deciding what to buy
Land, outdoor space and renovation potential
Why a block's nominal size doesn't tell you how much is genuinely usable — slope, easements, setbacks and site coverage all matter more than the headline figure.
- A block's total area doesn't equal usable outdoor space once slope, easements and setbacks are accounted for.
- Site coverage limits directly cap how much of a lot can actually be built on.
- A separate garden area requirement sets a minimum uncovered outdoor space, on top of the site coverage limit.
- Significant trees and overlays can restrict what you're allowed to change.
- Current landscaping reflects the current owner's choices, not the land's actual potential.
Usable land, not just nominal land
A block's total area on paper doesn't tell you how much is actually usable. Slope, easements, setbacks, existing structures and awkward shapes can all reduce genuinely usable outdoor space well below the headline land size — two blocks of the same nominal area can offer very different amounts of usable garden or outdoor living space.
What limits future use
Easements (see the house guide) can prevent building or planting over a significant strip of land. Setback requirements control how close to a boundary you can build. Site coverage limits (the maximum proportion of a lot that can be built on) directly cap extension potential. A separate garden area requirement also applies in Victoria's residential zones — a mandatory minimum percentage of the lot that must stay uncovered ground-level outdoor space, on top of (not instead of) the site coverage limit, commonly tiered by lot size (roughly 25% to 35% in practice) — confirm the exact figure and which zone applies to a specific property via VicPlan or the council, since it varies. Significant trees are sometimes separately protected and can't simply be removed to make way for a renovation.
Renovation and extension potential
If land and outdoor space matter to your household now or in future, weigh a block's genuine extension potential — orientation, access, site coverage remaining, and any overlays — against your actual plans, not just its current garden or outdoor area, which reflects only what the current owner chose to do with it.
Practical checklist
Assessing land and outdoor space
- Check the property report for easements, setbacks and site coverage limits
- Check the garden area requirement for the specific lot size and zone, separately from the site coverage limit
- Assess slope and orientation's effect on genuinely usable outdoor space
- Check for protected significant trees before assuming any can be removed
- Weigh extension potential against your household's actual future plans
Questions for a professional
- What easements, setbacks or overlays affect how much of this land I can actually use or build on?