A Guide to Choosing Your New Home Design

For many people, the idea of building a home begins with one simple question: where do I start?

That’s where a considered home design becomes invaluable. Rather than beginning with a blank page, thoughtfully developed and regularly updated designs provide a clear and confident starting point, shaped by experience and refined through real builds, not the pressure of designing everything from scratch.

At Bradford Homes, our stunning Design Collection has been created specifically for Adelaide blocks and lifestyles. These designs are not intended to limit choice, but to provide clarity and a starting point for your very own home. A well-resolved foundation that can be adapted where it matters most.

When you partner with Bradford Homes you are instilling trust in not only good design outcomes, but also solid guidance to ensure your new home design not only suits your lifestyle and needs but also aligns with your BUDGET expectations.

Our Preliminary Design and Planning Service (PSA process) is built around a depth of detail and early coordination that creates clarity from the very beginning.

By engaging engineers, designers, energy assessors, and planning consultants early, we ensure site conditions and regulatory requirements are fully understood before decisions are locked in - reducing uncertainty and avoiding unnecessary surprises later on.

This approach reflects Bradford Homes commitment to upfront, transparent due diligence that removes guesswork and builds confidence.

Site & Location

Before room layouts or finishes are considered, the block itself plays the most influential role in shaping a home. Frontage width, depth and orientation and surrounds all affect how a design sits on the land and how spaces feel.

The Bradford Homes Design Collection brings together an extensive range of new home designs, each with clear information around frontage, bedrooms, living areas and number of levels. This allows you to explore what will realistically work on your block, without guesswork.

Statement Facades / Street Appeal

Bradford Homes continues to set the benchmark in not only practical and functional floor plans but known for our statement façade inspired by the Scott Salisbury brand. Bradford Homes offers a diverse range of unique styles, innovative statements with varied materials and pallets all hand-picked by our award-winning team. Bradford Homes continues to design and develop new, innovative and inspiring statement facades that set an enviable standard within the South Australian market. Whether you are after a specific style or theme, Bradford Homes can help deliver on your unique vision.

Why Frontage Matters More Than You Think

Across Adelaide, particularly in established suburbs where subdivision and infill are common, frontage widths vary significantly. A well-designed home responds directly to these conditions.

Considered subdivision? If you have a block with a minimum frontage of eight metres this could be the perfect site to look at turning one home into two homes, with our subdivision expertise. 

Designs suited to narrower frontages, often from around eight to nine metres are all excellent examples of sub-divided blocks or 'half blocks' and above, focus on efficiency and intelligent zoning. Living areas are carefully planned to feel open and connected, even on compact sites.

Average frontages, typically range from nine to twelve metres, allow greater flexibility. These blocks often support wider living spaces, additional storage and more generous room proportions.

On wider frontages, generally twelve and a half metres and above, designs can open up further. This creates broader living zones, stronger street presence and greater flexibility in layout and façade expression.

Within the Design Collection, homes can be explored by frontage range — helping you understand how different widths influence layout and liveability.

Single Storey Living, Refined

Single storey homes remain a popular choice across Adelaide for their simplicity and ease of living. These designs prioritise flow, light and comfort, bringing everyday living spaces together while maintaining privacy in bedroom zones.

Bradford Homes single storey designs typically include two, three or four bedrooms, open-plan kitchen and living areas, and layouts that respond well to narrow and mid-width blocks. They are particularly well suited to subdivided and infill sites, where smart planning is essential.

These homes are designed to feel calm, connected and practical, spaces that support everyday life without feeling overcomplicated. Single level living supports ease of movement and long term comfort, making these homes a considered choice for both growing families and those looking to simplify over time.

When Space Moves Upwards

Double storey homes offer a different response to the block, particularly where frontage or depth allows for vertical design.

By building upwards, these designs create natural separation between shared living spaces and quieter retreat areas. Multiple living zones, private  spaces and additional bedrooms allow the home to evolve as needs may change.

Whether you have a wide or narrow block in Adelaide, double storey homes balance scale and functionality, offering flexibility without increasing the home footprint.

A Foundation, Not a Fixed Outcome

The Bradford Homes Design Collection has been carefully developed to provide clarity and confidence when starting your build. Each design is thoughtfully planned, refined through real builds, and created to suit Adelaide blocks, neighbourhoods and lifestyles.

These homes offer a well-considered foundation — balancing functionality, liveability and quality — while removing the uncertainty that often comes with starting from a blank page.

Where feasible and subject to approvals, thoughtful modifications can be made to Design Collection layouts, including refining living spaces, adjusting bedroom configurations, or selecting alternative façades and internal finishes. This allows each home to feel personal, while remaining grounded in a proven design.

Custom Home Design

In addition to our curated designs, Bradford Homes also offers custom home design for those seeking a more bespoke approach.

Working closely with our experienced design team, clients can create a home tailored specifically to their block, lifestyle and priorities. From unique layouts to fully custom floor plans, our custom home process allows greater flexibility while maintaining the same commitment to design integrity, compliance and build quality.

The result is a home that reflects how you live, thoughtfully designed, carefully considered, and built to the same high standard Bradford Homes is known for.

Finding Your Starting Point

Choosing a home design is not about limiting options. It’s about finding clarity.

At Bradford Homes, we take the time to understand you, your block, and how your home needs to function. By exploring designs that respond to frontage and proportions, we create a clear and confident starting point for your build.

Our Design Collection is both a starting point and a source of inspiration. It features thoughtfully developed homes designed to suit a wide variety of blocks and lifestyles. For many clients, these designs feel right from the outset. Where further consideration is needed, our in-house designers work closely with you to accommodate your requirements, whether that relates to block conditions, room sizes, or the way spaces are used day to day.

Explore the full Design Collection to see how different layouts respond to different frontages and lifestyles.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Bradford Homes Design Collection 

What is the Bradford Homes Design Collection? 

The Design Collection by Bradford Homes is a curated range of professionally developed home designs created specifically for South Australian blocks, suburbs and lifestyles. These designs respond to the realities of building across metropolitan Adelaide - including subdivided land, infill sites, established suburbs and new housing estates. Each home has been carefully planned to suit common Adelaide block sizes and frontage widths, while reflecting how South Australians live today. Rather than starting with a blank page, the Design Collection provides a clear and proven starting point for building a new home. Every design is shaped by decades of local building experience and refined through real South Australian builds, ensuring it performs well in everyday life,  not just on paper. The collection includes a range of single storey and double storey homes, suited to families, downsizers, first home buyers and multi-generational households, balancing thoughtful design, liveability and build efficiency. 

Are designs within the Design Collection flexible? 

Yes. While each design in the Design Collection is carefully resolved, many allow for thoughtful modifications. As an example some clients may want to simple: Adjusting room sizes or layouts, re configure different spaces to suit entertaining, include additional storage to suit family living, selecting alternative façades to respond to local streetscapes, personalising internal finishes, fixtures and materials. In South Australia, planning requirements and site conditions can vary between councils and suburbs. As part of our standard process, Bradford Homes will guide each client through the planning compliance requirements and ensure, structural integrity and build quality are maintained, while still allowing your home to feel personal and tailored. 

How do I know which design suits my block? 

In South Australia, the shape of your block plays a significant role in determining the right home design. Frontage width, depth, orientation and access all influence how a home sits on the land and how it feels once built. Each Bradford Homes design includes clear information on: Minimum frontage requirements Number of bedrooms and bathrooms Living areas and storeys Overall layout and zoning This helps you quickly identify designs that suit your block — whether you’re building on a narrow infill allotment, a traditional suburban block or a wider site in a new development. From there, our team can guide you on how the design responds to your land and where refinements may be possible. 

What frontage widths do Bradford Homes designs suit? 

The Design Collection reflects the wide variety of frontage widths found across Adelaide and surrounding suburbs. Narrow block homes, from around eight metres and above, are designed with efficiency and intelligent zoning in mind, ideal for infill and subdivided sites common across metropolitan Adelaide. Mid-width blocks, typically from ten to twelve metres, allow greater flexibility in living spaces, storage and room proportions. Wider frontages, generally twelve metres and above, support broader living zones, stronger street presence and greater façade expression. Designs within the collection can be explored by frontage range, making it easier to understand how different block widths influence layout, flow and liveability. 

Are these designs created specifically for South Australia? 

Yes. Every home within the Design Collection is designed locally, with South Australian conditions firmly in mind. These designs respond to: Common infill and subdivision conditions across Adelaide Local streetscapes and neighbourhood character orientation for natural light, cross-ventilation and summer living How South Australians use their homes, entertaining, open-plan living and connection to outdoor spaces By designing locally, Bradford Homes ensures each home feels suited to its environment, climate and community - not a one-size-fits-all design adapted from elsewhere. 

Should I choose a single or double storey home? 

Single storey homes are a popular choice across South Australia for their ease of living, efficient layouts and strong connection between spaces. With living areas and bedrooms on one level, they are particularly well suited to downsizers, families with young children and multi-generational households, where accessibility and proximity are important. Double storey homes offer greater flexibility, particularly on blocks where space allows or where maximising internal living area without increasing the footprint is a priority. By building upwards, these homes create natural separation between shared living spaces and private zones, which suits growing families and multi-generational living arrangements. In South Australia, double storey homes are often chosen on wider or deeper blocks, or where families want room to adapt as needs change over time, such as accommodating adult children, extended family or guest spaces. Both single and double storey homes within the Design Collection are designed to support long-term comfort, adaptability and liveability, reflecting the way South Australians build and live.