Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Natural light 2Aug 06, 2018 6:52 pm There are a few builders I’ve seen building that may be of some interest but I haven’t been inside their homes. http://greenhomesaustralia.com.au http://www.greendesignhomes.com.au/contact-us/ I’d suggest finding an architect or draftsperson to consider orientation of your property, height of neighboring houses, trees etc that may impact on natural light. They’ll also be able to assist you to maximize passive heating and cooling. http://www.yourhome.gov.au In my experience, Builders...just want to build. Some will just add windows... but in the wrong locations, not effective and can lead to increased heating and cooling costs. Natural light 3Aug 06, 2018 7:21 pm Architect or building designer is probably what you need. A draftsperson might advise on orientation, or they may just draw a bunch of rooms. You could also do some research yourself and work with a draftsperson to save some costs - a good starting place would be http://www.yourhome.gov.au EDIT: Aha, snap on the link gaudi! Re: Natural light 5Aug 06, 2018 8:31 pm Sure, but you want the windows facing the right way. So for example huge windows facing west would be a no no, as the rooms will get incredibly hot and glare-y in the evenings. Just food for thought . Have you a site yet? Re: Natural light 6Aug 06, 2018 8:46 pm Hillsbuilds Sure, but you want the windows facing the right way. So for example huge windows facing west would be a no no, as the rooms will get incredibly hot and glare-y in the evenings. Just food for thought . Have you a site yet? Yep. There are few months before the land is released. So am looking for ideas beforehand Re: Natural light 7Aug 06, 2018 11:35 pm a) Maximum glazing to the north, minimum to the south, east and west. b) Do not put covered alfresco to your north, use vergola instead. East and West are better locations for covered alfresco. c) Make sure your north/north east and north west do not have much of a shading from the trees or houses. Re: Natural light 8Aug 07, 2018 7:51 am There are few months before the land is released.- Does that mean you already have your land and just waiting for the council to prepare and release it? Or you yet to buy one? If you are yet to buy one, then keep in mind orientations and choose an appropriate plot, this will pretty much determine if you will have a light-filled and energy efficient home with minimal cost to achieve it so. As the wise ones said above see http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/orientation also see http://anewhouse.com.au/2012/02/block-orientation/ Once you know your site and its orientation, you can start thinking of floor plans to suit it. I have used an online tool below to come up with my draft floor plan. It is not perfect, but you will end up having good enough draft to show to a draftsman to formally complete it. The tool also allows you to project 3D of interiors. https://homestyler.com/ All the best. Re: Natural light 9Aug 07, 2018 10:55 am ligongl There are few months before the land is released.- Does that mean you already have your land and just waiting for the council to prepare and release it? Or you yet to buy one? If you are yet to buy one, then keep in mind orientations and choose an appropriate plot, this will pretty much determine if you will have a light-filled and energy efficient home with minimal cost to achieve it so. As the wise ones said above see http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/orientation also see http://anewhouse.com.au/2012/02/block-orientation/ Once you know your site and its orientation, you can start thinking of floor plans to suit it. I have used an online tool below to come up with my draft floor plan. It is not perfect, but you will end up having good enough draft to show to a draftsman to formally complete it. The tool also allows you to project 3D of interiors. https://homestyler.com/ All the best. I already have the land. Just waiting for council. The lot orientation is good. Thanks for the advise Re: Natural light 10Aug 07, 2018 11:02 am You can always ask for different windows on a standard plan. Re: Natural light 11Aug 07, 2018 11:10 am bestspecials You can always ask for different windows on a standard plan. I think I need to clarify a little bit We were looking at http://elandrahomes.com.au/ And http://www.sarpelhomes.com.au/sienna-lee-design/ Both of which we liked the quality of the light in the house. Was wondering if there are other builder which have the same. Natural light 12Aug 07, 2018 8:23 pm Quality of light depends on house orientation and window positioning and shadowing from neighbor houses, trees etc The block you choose should determine your house plan if you are building to maximize light. If these builders say they maximize light and energy efficiency in their design then that’s brilliant. If not, they may not design your house to your block. Your house may not be as bright as the exactly same design at display. Read from the websites listed above and you will know much of what you need to know to have a smart design. Large northerly windows can bring in light to large open plan areas and into hallway. Be smart with size of windows using the information on the above websites. I have large westerly windows upstairs as well as northerly. And yes upstairs is hot on low 30’s summer day. Double glazing and thick curtains help somewhat. But a smarter design at planning stage would have been better. Designer Skylight upstairs are a great way to bring in extra light on southerly side if there’s an area that’s darker. I have one above my stairs with raked ceiling. You can get skylights that can be closed over on hot days or one with an opening window to let hot air out. Velux website has some you can look at. Hi, planning on using the attached stone pieces in my bathroom. I want to remove stains and gloss seal. Can I get some advice on best way to remove stains and best… 0 6700 Hi - thanks for your reply. Yes I think 'Ill go for whitish with very speckly bits rather than pure white something like this. PS was actually 2008 I built the… 2 11674 That was always going to be a challenge and a test of patience. Full marks to your mate. Did you discuss the wet area near the trampoline? 16 17325 |