Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Dec 23, 2013 2:11 pm Hi all, Below are my floorplans: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My biggest concern is the huge window in the void area of the living room which is currently facing west. More info here: http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=68555 If I mirror the floorplan, it makes the huge windows face east instead which should make the heat more bearable (I think!!). But then, other areas would be getting the heat such as the alfresco, Bed 1 and other bedrooms on the 2nd floor. Should I flip my plans around? Any suggestions deeply appreciated!! Thanks! Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 2Dec 23, 2013 3:01 pm Hi there, Personally i don't think it will have an effect on being solar passive, as long as you minimise windows east and west and provide eaves for window shading. If i were me (personally), I would swap the alfresco with the kitchen/dining area to maximise the northerly sun. Move the ensuite to the east side of the house to maximise the north. Rule of thumb for me is: Maximise living areas on the north with plenty of windows Bedrooms to the east Laundry, Bathrooms,Garage (non habitable rooms) to the west. Minimise windows to the south (cold, damp ) PS I would be filling up that void with plenty of windows to let the winter sun it Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 3Dec 23, 2013 3:58 pm Hi, I replied in your other thread. I disagree with the previous poster and think these windows are a big issue. I didn't even realise they were in the main living area, I thought the entrance for some reason. What about some metal screening on the far side of the courtyard to kind of enclose it the courtyard, provide privacy but also shade? Like some laser cut screens? That way you can still look out onto the nice courtyard buy have shade... Just a thought... Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65085 Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 4Dec 23, 2013 4:38 pm mwccl If I mirror the floorplan, it makes the huge windows face east instead which should make the heat more bearable (I think!!). But then, other areas would be getting the heat such as the alfresco, Bed 1 and other bedrooms on the 2nd floor. This is the way I see it. In the existing plan the biggest space vulnerable to the west is the centre of the house with a two storey window. A two storey window in the middle of the house facing west almost turns the whole house into a greenhouse. Ideally you need something two storeys high on the outside providing a huge amount of shade so that would be something structural and likely expensive or a big tree which has its own potential problems especially in a small garden space. After seeing EmyN's post I think she's got an idea with the laser cut screen courtyard, I think that would look fabulous, but I reckon you might need to talk to an architect about that and it adds to your costs and I'd guess something that big would need additional building approval. In the reverse plan the biggest space vulnerable to the west is the alfresco. It is under a one storey high roofline, has lots of ventilation and unlike the rooms of the house its use is more optional and discretionary. It looks like the other areas affected by having windows on that side are the kitchen and powder room on the ground floor and the bathroom on the top floor? You can minimise the size of those windows and use relatively simple structural features and maybe plants to shade the windows and the alfresco. Bedroom 1 window faces south and would be sheltered by the alfresco roof so I'm not sure what your concern is there? Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 7Dec 23, 2013 5:46 pm Your builder will need to cook the books to achieve a 6 star rating regardless if you flip your design. Where are you building? Are you building volume or custom builder? Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 8Dec 24, 2013 8:15 am Without getting into depth about your specific orientation (way more qualified people to comment on that, than me), but just wanted to mention - that although people talk of avoiding windows facing east and west etc - esp habitable rooms etc (which I know is true) - take into account existing trees or surrounding structures that limit the sun. We don't all live on a paddock with 'unblocked' sun coming from every direction. Most of us live in neighbourhoods with houses either side, existing trees and fences etc (maybe not so many existing trees or neighbours in new estates etc..... but you get the drift ). So anyway, whilst what everyone is saying is true and valid, keep in mind existing shading. For eg, my son's bedroom faces east - but next door neighbours have two huuuuge trees which reduces the amount of morning sun coming in. And our small laundry window faces west but next door neighbour's house/roofline also blocks out some of the direct sun coming in. The other thing you could consider, is making windows on the east and west smaller. Window in my son's bedroom for eg, is a long narrow window higher to the eaves. Means he doesn't have a 'view' out of his window, but it would only be a view to the fenceline if he had a full size window, so that's OK. Or having awnings. Good luck with it all. HHCIB Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 9Dec 24, 2013 2:37 pm Sunshine2013 Hi there, Personally i don't think it will have an effect on being solar passive, as long as you minimise windows east and west and provide eaves for window shading. If i were me (personally), I would swap the alfresco with the kitchen/dining area to maximise the northerly sun. Move the ensuite to the east side of the house to maximise the north. Rule of thumb for me is: Maximise living areas on the north with plenty of windows Bedrooms to the east Laundry, Bathrooms,Garage (non habitable rooms) to the west. Minimise windows to the south (cold, damp ) PS I would be filling up that void with plenty of windows to let the winter sun it I think you might have misunderstood the plans cause my house is actually North facing. The arrows on the plan haven't been drawn the "normal" way. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 10Dec 24, 2013 2:42 pm EmyN Hi, I replied in your other thread. I disagree with the previous poster and think these windows are a big issue. I didn't even realise they were in the main living area, I thought the entrance for some reason. What about some metal screening on the far side of the courtyard to kind of enclose it the courtyard, provide privacy but also shade? Like some laser cut screens? That way you can still look out onto the nice courtyard buy have shade... Just a thought... Yup. I agree the windows are the issue but they are also one of the main feature that we loved when we saw the display home. It makes the house/living area look a lot more spacious and bright. If we flip the design, would the morning sun still cause the house to heat up a lot during summer? I am not sure if we can have such a high laser cut screen. My frontage is only 15m with the land size being 450sqm. I am afraid that the council might not approve it. Wouldn't it be considered similar to a wall? Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 11Dec 24, 2013 2:47 pm JazzyJess mwccl If I mirror the floorplan, it makes the huge windows face east instead which should make the heat more bearable (I think!!). But then, other areas would be getting the heat such as the alfresco, Bed 1 and other bedrooms on the 2nd floor. This is the way I see it. In the existing plan the biggest space vulnerable to the west is the centre of the house with a two storey window. A two storey window in the middle of the house facing west almost turns the whole house into a greenhouse. Ideally you need something two storeys high on the outside providing a huge amount of shade so that would be something structural and likely expensive or a big tree which has its own potential problems especially in a small garden space. After seeing EmyN's post I think she's got an idea with the laser cut screen courtyard, I think that would look fabulous, but I reckon you might need to talk to an architect about that and it adds to your costs and I'd guess something that big would need additional building approval. In the reverse plan the biggest space vulnerable to the west is the alfresco. It is under a one storey high roofline, has lots of ventilation and unlike the rooms of the house its use is more optional and discretionary. It looks like the other areas affected by having windows on that side are the kitchen and powder room on the ground floor and the bathroom on the top floor? You can minimise the size of those windows and use relatively simple structural features and maybe plants to shade the windows and the alfresco. Bedroom 1 window faces south and would be sheltered by the alfresco roof so I'm not sure what your concern is there? So it does sound like flipping it would be the right way to go. Like you mentioned, sacrificing the alfresco which would not be used as much seems like the way to go. I guess I can probably get some shades for it if it gets really bad. Thanks for pointing out that only the alfresco seems to be affected. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 12Dec 24, 2013 2:48 pm d@n Why not reduce the size of the window or make another room with the void? Unfortunately, that is definitely something we would like to keep - Huge window and void, Which is why we are trying to make it work. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 13Dec 24, 2013 2:50 pm snuck Remember that east windows get a lot of morning sun - not an issue in a kitchen, but they will then heat up for the whole of the day... just a thought. So I would still have the same issue if I flip the windows to the other side? Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 14Dec 24, 2013 2:51 pm Sunshine2013 Your builder will need to cook the books to achieve a 6 star rating regardless if you flip your design. Where are you building? Are you building volume or custom builder? I am building in Perth, WA. It's a volume builder. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 15Dec 24, 2013 2:53 pm How Hard Can it Be Without getting into depth about your specific orientation (way more qualified people to comment on that, than me), but just wanted to mention - that although people talk of avoiding windows facing east and west etc - esp habitable rooms etc (which I know is true) - take into account existing trees or surrounding structures that limit the sun. We don't all live on a paddock with 'unblocked' sun coming from every direction. Most of us live in neighbourhoods with houses either side, existing trees and fences etc (maybe not so many existing trees or neighbours in new estates etc..... but you get the drift ). So anyway, whilst what everyone is saying is true and valid, keep in mind existing shading. For eg, my son's bedroom faces east - but next door neighbours have two huuuuge trees which reduces the amount of morning sun coming in. And our small laundry window faces west but next door neighbour's house/roofline also blocks out some of the direct sun coming in. The other thing you could consider, is making windows on the east and west smaller. Window in my son's bedroom for eg, is a long narrow window higher to the eaves. Means he doesn't have a 'view' out of his window, but it would only be a view to the fenceline if he had a full size window, so that's OK. Or having awnings. Good luck with it all. HHCIB Yup. All our neighbours (side & back) are all double storeys as well. We were hoping that would provide us with some shade but it is not something that we can rely on since none of our neighbours have started building yet. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 16Dec 24, 2013 3:24 pm mwccl So it does sound like flipping it would be the right way to go. Like you mentioned, sacrificing the alfresco which would not be used as much seems like the way to go. I guess I can probably get some shades for it if it gets really bad. Thanks for pointing out that only the alfresco seems to be affected. I think you definately want to avoid such a big window facing west but facing east will still give you some issues to deal with. You won't get the long bad afternoon sun but you will get some warmth in the morning which isn't all that desirable in summer. What I was trying to say about the alfresco is being a roof covered one storey open space gives you easier options for shading and if it's still just too hot out there you can go in the house. But if the house heats up like a greenhouse, which is what your doing with a window like that, then where do you go? We probably should of asked you, what cooling if any are you planning? The hotter the house gets the harder any cooling system has to work and the more it costs. If you seen it in a display house which way does it face there? Whats it like on a hot day, go visit. What has the builder told you about your options? Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 17Dec 24, 2013 5:19 pm Maybe if you placed a tinting on the window this would alter the amount of east/west sun coming into the void. Also in terms of shading an awning on the outside will make a huge difference. Extending an eave to 600mm or larger to the east/west side of the void could block out a large amount of the sun, depending on the size of the window obviously. The builder will need to get the 6 star rating before they submit to council and get the approval, most likely they will make it up in another way Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 18Dec 24, 2013 5:25 pm Sunshine2013 Extending an eave to 600mm or larger to the east/west side of the void could block out a large amount of the sun, depending on the size of the window obviously. For a window that height my guess is lots larger. Theres mathematical formulas to work out how big is needed. Edit: No, sorry, that's for north. For west the sun is going to shine in the window from when it reaches past the eaves until it sets behind the horizon or the house next door or something. I reckon you just about need to roof the whole yard to block it which kinda ruins the open airey look. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 19Dec 24, 2013 9:06 pm JazzyJess I think you definately want to avoid such a big window facing west but facing east will still give you some issues to deal with. You won't get the long bad afternoon sun but you will get some warmth in the morning which isn't all that desirable in summer. What I was trying to say about the alfresco is being a roof covered one storey open space gives you easier options for shading and if it's still just too hot out there you can go in the house. But if the house heats up like a greenhouse, which is what your doing with a window like that, then where do you go? We probably should of asked you, what cooling if any are you planning? The hotter the house gets the harder any cooling system has to work and the more it costs. If you seen it in a display house which way does it face there? Whats it like on a hot day, go visit. What has the builder told you about your options? I was planning to install ducted reverse cycle throughout the house. Might have to bring the plans to an aircond place and get a quote but I might need 2 machines to cool the house. Not sure if a single aircond is enough to cool the place. The display house has the best orientation for this design as it is facing west which means the huge windows are on the south side. The builder did not give me much options. When I mention my issue with him, he just mentions that it will be fine and that I will only get 1 to 2 hours of sun as the sun is higher during summer and my neighbour will be blocking most of the sun. Re: Should I mirror my design? Advice on house orientation p 20Dec 24, 2013 9:13 pm Sunshine2013 Maybe if you placed a tinting on the window this would alter the amount of east/west sun coming into the void. Also in terms of shading an awning on the outside will make a huge difference. Extending an eave to 600mm or larger to the east/west side of the void could block out a large amount of the sun, depending on the size of the window obviously. The builder will need to get the 6 star rating before they submit to council and get the approval, most likely they will make it up in another way I did think about tinting but realized that if I tint that window, I would probably have to tint all windows in that area(living, dining and kitchen). If not, it might look a little weird. In my current house, I have mirror tinting on one of the windows that faces west and do not like it. It probably helps a lot with the heat but it is just too dark and I don't really like the look of it as well. I think clear glass still looks better. So, I was planning to have a double roller motorised blinds instead. With regards to the eaves, I was planning to make the eaves inline with the office eaves. It is currently about 600mm and if I inline them (instead of an L currently), I would be getting about 1.5m of eaves. However, according to http://www.ecowho.com/tools/passive_sol ... ulator.php , I need a 2.8m eave. Is it compulsory to have 6 star rating for council approval? Does this apply to WA? 0 114 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Ditto 3M Claw, expensive but best thing I've used to date. I put two of the 11kg ones in for a 12kg mirror on the wall, and its been great for 4 years now. 4 2139 Thank you so much for the effort. We will use it to talk with builder. We also had idea of building duplex instead and seeking suggest ions. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=106744 11 13832 |