Request your free E-Guide “The Dual Access Block” which includes a transcript of this podcast >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/dualaccessblock  

What is a dual access block? Well, this is what we call a block that has two frontages – at opposite ends of the home. 

This may be via two street frontages, because for some reason there’s been a subdivision that’s left a sliver of land only one block deep. Or it may be because the home faces a park where pedestrians can arrive at the home – but it has street access for car at the other side of it. Or perhaps, it has rear lane access at one end, and a street frontage at the other. 

Your home may not have dual access strictly speaking - but perhaps it overlooks a park, or reserve area or golf club to its rear. However, as a result its back is more exposed, you might have popped a gate in your back fence, and you end up having two frontages as well. So some of these strategies used for dual access blocks will also apply to you. 

If you’re listening in Australia, you may be familiar with the last season of The Block, which featured dual access blocks. There was a street on one side, and a laneway at the other end of each site.

Old cottages were relocated to the front of each site, with a new two-storey extension designed for them.  

The extension had a kitchen / living /dining and deck at the rear, and then a garden. Then, on the rear laneway, a two storey building was built, which had garaging at the lower floor, and a studio over the top. These are also known as Fonzie Flats – in honour of Arthur Fonzarelli from Happy Days. If you don't remember Happy Days, I’m showing my age here. But it was a TV show we watched as a kid, and Fonzie lived in a flat over the Cunningham’s garage.  

I'm not kidding though - this type of development is seriously known as a Fonzie flat in the property industry. And so I'll talk a bit more about this design strategy for dual access blocks, later in the episode. 

There will be some parallels between a dual access block, and a corner block. However, I find that dual access blocks require some different thinking because of what happens to a home when it’s basically straddling between two public interfaces. What happens it has to face or address a frontage at either end of the block, maintain security and appear like its not turning its back, can be a bit different to the exposure of a corner block. 

However there are consistent challenges and opportunities when it comes to designing for a dual access block that are worth being aware of to get great outcomes.  

And, I take you 10 key questions to ask about your dual access block, and the home you’re building or renovating on it. These questions will help you create a home that suits your land, and creates a great outcome for your lifestyle. 

Whether choosing a home off the plan, building a custom designed home, or renovating and extending your existing one, there are certain things to know so you can make the most of your dual access block. 

Listen to the episode now! 

FOR RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST CLICK HERE

Request your free E-Guide &ldquo;The&nbsp;Dual Access&nbsp;Block&rdquo; which includes a transcript of this podcast &gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="http://www.undercoverarchitect.com/dualaccessblock&nbsp;&nbsp;">www.undercoverarchitect.com/</a><a href="http://www.undercoverarchitect.com/dualaccessblock&nbsp;&nbsp;">dualaccessblock&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>
What&nbsp;is&nbsp;a dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;block? Well,&nbsp;this&nbsp;is&nbsp;what&nbsp;we&nbsp;call&nbsp;a&nbsp;block&nbsp;that&nbsp;has&nbsp;two&nbsp;frontages&nbsp;&ndash; at&nbsp;opposite&nbsp;ends&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;home.&nbsp;
This&nbsp;may&nbsp;be&nbsp;via&nbsp;two&nbsp;street&nbsp;frontages,&nbsp;because&nbsp;for&nbsp;some&nbsp;reason&nbsp;there&rsquo;s&nbsp;been&nbsp;a&nbsp;subdivision&nbsp;that&rsquo;s&nbsp;left&nbsp;a&nbsp;sliver&nbsp;of&nbsp;land&nbsp;only&nbsp;one&nbsp;block&nbsp;deep.&nbsp;Or&nbsp;it&nbsp;may&nbsp;be&nbsp;because&nbsp;the&nbsp;home&nbsp;faces&nbsp;a park&nbsp;where&nbsp;pedestrians&nbsp;can&nbsp;arrive&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;home&nbsp;&ndash; but&nbsp;it&nbsp;has&nbsp;street&nbsp;access&nbsp;for&nbsp;car&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;other&nbsp;side&nbsp;of&nbsp;it.&nbsp;Or&nbsp;perhaps,&nbsp;it&nbsp;has&nbsp;rear&nbsp;lane&nbsp;access&nbsp;at&nbsp;one&nbsp;end, and a&nbsp;street&nbsp;frontage&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;other.&nbsp;
Your&nbsp;home&nbsp;may&nbsp;not&nbsp;have&nbsp;dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;strictly&nbsp;speaking&nbsp;- but&nbsp;perhaps&nbsp;it&nbsp;overlooks&nbsp;a&nbsp;park,&nbsp;or&nbsp;reserve&nbsp;area&nbsp;or&nbsp;golf&nbsp;club&nbsp;to&nbsp;its&nbsp;rear.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;result&nbsp;its&nbsp;back&nbsp;is&nbsp;more&nbsp;exposed,&nbsp;you&nbsp;might&nbsp;have&nbsp;popped&nbsp;a&nbsp;gate&nbsp;in&nbsp;your&nbsp;back&nbsp;fence, and&nbsp;you&nbsp;end&nbsp;up&nbsp;having&nbsp;two&nbsp;frontages&nbsp;as&nbsp;well. So&nbsp;some&nbsp;of&nbsp;these&nbsp;strategies&nbsp;used&nbsp;for&nbsp;dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;blocks&nbsp;will also&nbsp;apply&nbsp;to&nbsp;you.&nbsp;
If&nbsp;you&rsquo;re&nbsp;listening&nbsp;in Australia,&nbsp;you&nbsp;may&nbsp;be&nbsp;familiar&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;last&nbsp;season&nbsp;of&nbsp;The Block,&nbsp;which&nbsp;featured&nbsp;dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;blocks.&nbsp;There&nbsp;was a&nbsp;street&nbsp;on&nbsp;one&nbsp;side, and a&nbsp;laneway&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;other&nbsp;end&nbsp;of&nbsp;each&nbsp;site.
Old&nbsp;cottages&nbsp;were&nbsp;relocated&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;front&nbsp;of&nbsp;each&nbsp;site,&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;new&nbsp;two-storey&nbsp;extension&nbsp;designed&nbsp;for&nbsp;them.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The&nbsp;extension&nbsp;had&nbsp;a&nbsp;kitchen&nbsp;/&nbsp;living&nbsp;/dining&nbsp;and deck at&nbsp;the&nbsp;rear, and&nbsp;then&nbsp;a&nbsp;garden.&nbsp;Then, on&nbsp;the&nbsp;rear&nbsp;laneway, a&nbsp;two&nbsp;storey&nbsp;building&nbsp;was&nbsp;built,&nbsp;which&nbsp;had&nbsp;garaging&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;lower&nbsp;floor, and a&nbsp;studio&nbsp;over&nbsp;the&nbsp;top. These&nbsp;are&nbsp;also&nbsp;known&nbsp;as&nbsp;Fonzie&nbsp;Flats&nbsp;&ndash; in&nbsp;honour&nbsp;of&nbsp;Arthur&nbsp;Fonzarelli&nbsp;from&nbsp;Happy Days.&nbsp;If&nbsp;you&nbsp;don't&nbsp;remember&nbsp;Happy Days,&nbsp;I&rsquo;m&nbsp;showing&nbsp;my&nbsp;age&nbsp;here. But&nbsp;it&nbsp;was a TV&nbsp;show&nbsp;we&nbsp;watched&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;kid, and&nbsp;Fonzie&nbsp;lived&nbsp;in a flat&nbsp;over&nbsp;the&nbsp;Cunningham&rsquo;s&nbsp;garage.&nbsp;&nbsp;
I'm&nbsp;not&nbsp;kidding&nbsp;though&nbsp;-&nbsp;this&nbsp;type&nbsp;of&nbsp;development&nbsp;is&nbsp;seriously&nbsp;known&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;Fonzie&nbsp;flat in&nbsp;the&nbsp;property&nbsp;industry. And so&nbsp;I'll&nbsp;talk&nbsp;a&nbsp;bit&nbsp;more&nbsp;about&nbsp;this&nbsp;design&nbsp;strategy&nbsp;for&nbsp;dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;blocks,&nbsp;later&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;episode.&nbsp;
There&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;some&nbsp;parallels&nbsp;between&nbsp;a dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;block, and a&nbsp;corner&nbsp;block.&nbsp;However, I find&nbsp;that&nbsp;dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;blocks&nbsp;require&nbsp;some&nbsp;different&nbsp;thinking&nbsp;because&nbsp;of&nbsp;what&nbsp;happens&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;home&nbsp;when&nbsp;it&rsquo;s&nbsp;basically&nbsp;straddling&nbsp;between&nbsp;two&nbsp;public&nbsp;interfaces.&nbsp;What&nbsp;happens&nbsp;it&nbsp;has&nbsp;to&nbsp;face&nbsp;or&nbsp;address&nbsp;a&nbsp;frontage&nbsp;at&nbsp;either&nbsp;end&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;block,&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;security&nbsp;and&nbsp;appear&nbsp;like&nbsp;its&nbsp;not&nbsp;turning&nbsp;its&nbsp;back,&nbsp;can&nbsp;be&nbsp;a&nbsp;bit&nbsp;different&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;exposure&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;corner&nbsp;block.&nbsp;
However&nbsp;there&nbsp;are&nbsp;consistent&nbsp;challenges&nbsp;and&nbsp;opportunities&nbsp;when&nbsp;it&nbsp;comes&nbsp;to&nbsp;designing&nbsp;for&nbsp;a dual&nbsp;access&nbsp;block&nbsp;that&nbsp;are&nbsp;worth&nbsp;being&nbsp;aware&nbsp;of&nbsp;to&nbsp;get&nbsp;great&nbsp;outcomes.&nbsp;&nbsp;
And, I take you 10 key&nbsp;questions to ask about your dual access&nbsp;block, and the home you&rsquo;re building or renovating on it. These questions will help you create a home that suits your land, and creates a great outcome for your lifestyle.&nbsp;
Whether choosing a home off the plan, building a custom designed home, or renovating and extending your existing one, there are certain things to know so you can make the most of your dual access&nbsp;block.&nbsp;
Listen to the episode now!&nbsp;
FOR RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST <a href="https://undercoverarchitect.com/podcast-dual-access-block-of-land/">CLICK HERE</a>

If we haven’t met before, I’m Amelia Lee, the architect behind Undercover Architect: an online business to help and teach homeowners like you how to get it right when designing, building and renovating your home.

Undercover Architect is all about giving you access to the industry knowledge and insights you need to avoid the mistakes and dramas that can cost you thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. And it’s about levelling the playing field, so that the world of renovating and building doesn’t seem so mysterious, and you can be the active driver in your project, navigating it with know-how and confidence.

Undercover Architect helps and teaches homeowners through this podcast, the website, and online courses and programs, including my flagship program, HOME Method. I truly believe that when you know the questions to ask, the steps to take and the best way to create a home that works, feels great, and that you feel great in, you can enjoy the process of building and renovating, as well as the home you move into at the end of this ambitious journey.

Consider Undercover Architect your secret ally: whoever you’re working with, and whatever your location, your budget or your dreams. For more, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com

If we haven’t met before, I’m Amelia Lee, the architect behind Undercover Architect: an online business to help and teach homeowners like you how to get it right when designing, building and renovating your home.
Undercover Architect is all about giving you access to the industry knowledge and insights you need to avoid the mistakes and dramas that can cost you thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. And it’s about levelling the playing field, so that the world of renovating and building doesn’t seem so mysterious, and you can be the active driver in your project, navigating it with know-how and confidence.
Undercover Architect helps and teaches homeowners through this podcast, the website, and online courses and programs, including my flagship program, HOME Method. I truly believe that when you know the questions to ask, the steps to take and the best way to create a home that works, feels great, and that you feel great in, you can enjoy the process of building and renovating, as well as the home you move into at the end of this ambitious journey.
Consider Undercover Architect your secret ally: whoever you’re working with, and whatever your location, your budget or your dreams. For more, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com

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