Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Nov 11, 2010 1:15 pm Hi all, I'm in the "still dreaming" stage of home building (currently have a mortgage on a small place but would love to one day build). I do have my dream home in mind and have been thinking about house orientation (no block of land yet, so I can do what I want in my mind!!). I was thinking about having an alfresco area and facing this to the west - to catch the setting sun and stay warm outside for longer in the evening. But as the alfresco area would lead off the meals/kitchen area, and as I would like bifold doors there, the amount of glass would mean that the kitchen would be a very hot place to be on a summer afternoon. What would be the ideal position for the alfresco area so that the kitchen doesn't end up stinking hot, but at the same time, the alfresco isn't freezing because there's not enough sun? thanks! Re: House orientation - alfresco area 2Nov 11, 2010 2:49 pm I have always used a Northern aspect for any gathering areas. Cooler in Summer due to shading and Warmer in Winter with sunlight coming in. This has worked a treat for our last 2 houses in Central Queensland with decks and alfrescoe areas. Re: House orientation - alfresco area 3Nov 11, 2010 5:53 pm Alfresco facing full west will be shaded in the morning and blistering in the afternoons - in Australia north is recommended for living/alfresco areas and having as fewer windows as possible on the East and West sides of your house. Unfortunately my living/alfresco is orientated south so it will be nice and cool in the summer but shaded and quite cold in winter. I planted a nice weeping willow on the west side of the alfresco so it’s protected from the afternoon sun and being deciduous it will work in the winter to get some sunshine. Preliminary agreement 23/11 Contract 22/03 Prestart 06/04 - finalised on 30/04 Unconditional approval 10/05 Demolition 05/07 Slab 26/08 Brickwork 13/09-06/10 Roof frame started 07/10 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32292 Re: House orientation - alfresco area 4Nov 11, 2010 9:54 pm Ours faces east which I find quite good - gets morning sun, which is nice but not hot and glarey like the harsh afternoon sun - in fact we deliberately flipped our house plan so area did not face west. Yes, I appreciate North is meant to be ideal but front of our block faces North so that wasnt really an option. CDC Housing Code 3 When to apply Floor Area external face of wall vs Gross Floor Area internal face of wall. Reading thru CDC Housing Code 3, lets take a lot 915sqm.… 0 11637 Hi all, Trying to workout the minimum stepdown required between slab for my house and the outdoor alfresco area. Garage is 100mm lower than rest of the house and plan was… 0 3643 Hello! I've alfresco pitch of 3 degrees sitting just below the highlight window. Need advice on below: 1. Will the 3 degree pitch be ok to drain the rain water? The roof… 0 3286 |