For many Australians, the dream of home ownership involves character, history, and the unique charm of a classic Queenslander or Colonial cottage. Moving a house—lifting a structure from its original site and transporting it to a new location—is a powerful way to achieve this. It is the ultimate act of recycling, saving a piece of history while bypassing the carbon-heavy manufacturing process of new builds.
However, while many buyers spend months searching for the perfect house, the success of the project often hinges on a different factor entirely: the land.
Choosing the right block of land for a removal home is a strategic decision that dictates your budget, your timeline, and the ultimate feasibility of your project. Unlike building from scratch, where a slab can be poured to suit the site, a removal home arrives as a complete structure. It requires a site that can not only accommodate its footprint but also allow for the heavy logistics involved in its delivery.
An unsuitable block can lead to council rejections, massive excavation costs, or even the heartbreaking realisation that the house physically cannot be delivered to the site. To help you navigate this process, the Dalby Team has compiled this comprehensive guide on selecting the ideal land for your next project.
Understanding What Makes Land Suitable for a Removal Home
When shopping for land, it is easy to get swept up in the views, the location, or the price tag. However, a block that is perfect for a brand-new slab-on-ground build might be a logistical nightmare for a relocatable home.
The core difference lies in the delivery method. A new build involves bringing materials in piece by piece—bricks, timber, and concrete trucks. A removal home involves bringing the entire building (or large sections of it) on the back of a hydraulic trailer. This requires “accessibility” in a much broader sense.
Furthermore, removal homes are typically set on stumps (piers). This offers distinct advantages, such as airflow and easy access to plumbing, but it also means the ground conditions must be stable enough to support the point-loads of those stumps. When viewing land, you need to look beyond the surface aesthetics and consider the engineering reality beneath the grass and the path from the highway to the front gate.
Soil Testing and Ground Conditions
One of the most critical steps in choosing land is understanding what lies beneath the surface. In Queensland, particularly in areas like the Darling Downs, soil reactivity is a major factor in construction costs.
Before purchasing a block, or immediately upon doing so, you should commission a soil test. This test, conducted by a geotechnical engineer, will assign a “Site Classification” to your land according to Australian Standard AS2870.
Understanding Soil Classifications in QLD
The classification tells you how much the soil is expected to move (shrink or swell) with moisture changes. This directly impacts the type and depth of footings required for your removal home.
- Class A & S (Stable/Slightly Reactive): These are ideal. They require standard footing depths, keeping your stumping costs lower.
- Class M (Moderately Reactive): Very common. Requires slightly deeper or stronger footings but is generally manageable.
- Class H1 & H2 (Highly Reactive): Common in “black soil” areas. These clay soils swell significantly when wet and shrink when dry. You will likely need adjustable steel stumps and deeper foundations to cope with the movement, increasing your budget.
- Class E (Extremely Reactive): These sites require specialist engineering and can significantly increase foundation costs.
- Class P (Problem Sites): This includes sites with soft fill, landslip risks, or abnormal moisture conditions. Construction here can be prohibitively expensive.
At Dalby Removal Homes, we include standard steel adjustable stumps in our sales, but the depth they need to go into the ground depends entirely on your soil test. A “cheap” block of land with Class E soil can end up costing you tens of thousands more in foundation work than a slightly more expensive block with Class S soil.
Block Slope and Site Levels
The topography of your land is another major cost driver. While high-set Queenslanders look majestic perched on a hill, getting them there is a challenge.
Impact on Transport and Unloading
Removal trucks and hydraulic trailers need a relatively level area to maneuver and unload the house. If your block has a steep gradient, the trucks may not be able to position the house directly over the new footprint. This might require the use of a crane, which adds a significant layer of expense and complexity to the move.
Impact on Foundations and Drainage
A flat block (0-5° gradient) is generally the most cost-effective. It requires minimal earthworks and standard stump lengths. As the slope increases, so does the complexity:
- Gentle Slope: May require some cut-and-fill to create a level pad or varying stump lengths.
- Steep Slope: Will require significantly longer stumps (potentially requiring bracing engineering) or extensive retaining walls to stabilise the site.
Drainage is also paramount. You want a block where water flows away from the house site, not towards it. Pooling water under a stumped house can change soil moisture levels, causing foundations to shift over time. If the block is at the bottom of a hill, you may need to budget for extensive ag-drains and stormwater management.
Access Requirements for Transporting a Removal Home
You might have found the perfect flat block with stable soil, but if the truck can’t get there, the project stops in its tracks. Assessing access is about tracing the journey from the main road all the way to the final stump position.
Road and Driveway Width
A removal home is a “wide load.” Even when cut into sections, pieces can be upwards of 8 meters wide. We need to ensure the roads leading to your property can accommodate these dimensions. Narrow, winding country lanes with overhanging trees or tight bridges can be impassable.
Your driveway entrance (crossover) needs to be wide enough for the truck to swing in. Standard residential driveways are often too narrow. You may need to temporarily remove fence posts, gates, or even widen the crossover with gravel to facilitate the delivery.
Overhead Obstacles
Look up! Are there powerlines crossing the street or your driveway?
- Powerlines: If lines are too low, they may need to be lifted or disconnected by the energy provider during the move. This attracts a fee and requires coordination.
- Trees: Overhanging branches on your property or the nature strip can damage the roof of the house. You may need council permission to trim or remove vegetation to create a clear path (usually 4.5m to 5m height clearance is safe, but check with your removalist).
The “Squeeze” Factor
If you are looking at a block in a built-up area, consider the neighbours. Are there cars parked on both sides of the street? Are there traffic islands or roundabouts that a long heavy-haulage truck can’t navigate? In some cases, a police escort is required to manage traffic, which is a service we coordinate, but the physical constraints of the road network are fixed.
If you are unsure about access, the best approach is to speak to our team early. We can look at satellite imagery or perform a site inspection to flag potential issues before you sign a contract.
Council Zoning and Planning Rules
In Queensland, moving a house onto a block is treated similarly to building a new one—you need approval. However, removal homes have specific layers of regulation you must check.
Zoning and Overlays
Check the zoning of the land with the local Regional Council. Is it zoned for Residential use?
More importantly, look for Overlays:
- Character/Heritage Overlays: If you are moving a house into a character precinct, the house must often match the style of the street (e.g., a pre-1946 timber home). Conversely, some modern estates have covenants banning removal homes entirely to maintain a “new build” aesthetic.
- Flood Overlays: If the land is flood-prone, Council will dictate a minimum habitable floor height. This might mean your removal home needs to be high-set (2m+ off the ground), which increases stumping and stair costs.
- Bushfire Overlays: This may require specific building materials (like screening or non-combustible cladding) which can be costly to retrofit to an older timber home.
The Council Bond
Unlike a new build where you pay the builder progressively, removal homes often trigger a “Security Bond” requirement from the Council. Because you are moving a second-hand structure that may look “rough” upon arrival, Council takes a bond (often between $10,000 and $30,000) to ensure you actually finish the renovations.
This money is held in trust and returned to you once the house is inspected and a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. You must have this cash flow available on top of your purchase and renovation budget.
Services and Infrastructure Considerations
A block of land is only a home site if it can be serviced. The availability of utilities varies wildly between a suburban infill block and a rural acreage.
- Power: Is there a pole nearby? Connecting to the grid from a distance can be expensive (approx. $3,000 per pole). If it’s a rural block, will you need a transformer?
- Water: Is town water available at the boundary? If not, you will need to budget for rainwater tanks (often 45,000L+ required by code for rural dwellings) and a pressure pump.
- Sewerage: In town, you simply connect to the main. In rural areas or un-sewered estates, you must install an On-Site Sewerage Facility (septic system or treatment plant). This requires a specific soil test and can cost between $12,000 and $20,000 depending on the system design.
- Stormwater: Where will the roof water go? Council will require a plan for discharging stormwater to the kerb or a legal point of discharge.
Rural vs Residential Blocks
The choice between a sprawling rural paddock and a tidy residential lot creates two very different project profiles.
Rural Blocks: Generally easier for access and delivery. You usually have plenty of room to position the house for the best solar aspect and views. However, the hidden costs lie in services (tanks, septic, power runs) and potentially poorer soil conditions (black soil plains).
Residential Blocks: Services are usually ready at the gate, saving money on infrastructure. However, access is the headache. Tight streets, powerlines, and fences make delivery complex. You are also strictly bound by boundary setbacks (usually 6m from the front, 1.5m from the side), which limits which houses will fit on the lot.
Common Land Selection Mistakes to Avoid
Over our decades of experience at Dalby Removal Homes, we have seen buyers make the same errors. Avoid these pitfalls to ensure a smooth project:
- Buying Privately: We strongly advise: Never buy privately. When you buy a removal home from a private seller, you inherit their problems. You have no guarantee of the structural integrity for transport, and coordinating the move yourself is a minefield. Dealing with a reputable company ensures the home is assessed, insured, and professionally transported.
- Assuming “Flat” means “Good”: A flat block in a flood zone is worse than a sloped block on a hill. Always check the flood maps.
- Ignoring Width: Buying a house that is 10m wide for a block that has a 12m frontage leaves you almost no room for side setbacks or driveway access past the house. Always match the house width to the land frontage minus required setbacks.
- Forgetting the Bond: Many first-time removal home buyers spend their renovation budget on the land purchase, forgetting they need $20k+ cash for the Council bond before the house can even move.
Conclusion
Choosing the right block of land is the foundation of a successful removal home project. It requires a balance of vision and pragmatism. You need to verify the soil, measure the gate, check the council maps, and count the powerlines.
By doing your due diligence on the land, you ensure that when your beautiful removal home arrives, it settles onto its new stumps smoothly, legally, and within budget.
If you have found a block of land and aren’t sure if it’s suitable, or if you’re looking for the perfect home to put on it, the team at Dalby Removal Homes is here to help. We can guide you through the process, from trades and services recommendations to logistics planning.
Ready to start your journey? Explore our current range of houses for sale or contact us today to discuss your land and your vision.
