Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 14, 2009 5:15 pm The advise is always to place the house so that the living area faces North.
How important is it? Would it be a bad idea to have the living area facing South? We found a block of land in the area we like however the house we like would have the kitchen/living area and alfresco on the South side. I wonder if it is worth considering? Re: House orientation - how important? 3Mar 14, 2009 5:28 pm Well, probably not that simple ,Joles - if that would mean sliding doors and alresco at the front
But this depends on where you live - it is hot and dry most of year in my area and a south faceing liveing area would be fine - as I have said before, what I would avoid is glass sliding/bifold doors and an alfresco faceing west . We have our lounge room facing north and casual liveing across full width of house - glass sliding doors to east faceing alfresco. You may be able to play around with your window positions on some of the liveing area so some of the window area faces east or west, catching more sun - I don't know your plan to see if any currently blank wall could be swapped with window. I don't think the kitchen window faceing south matters, given so many modern house plans have no kitchen window at all (my own preference is for kitchens with natural light but thats aanother story ) Re: House orientation - how important? 4Mar 15, 2009 8:32 pm Joles, I can't flip the house and put the alfresco on the North side. This is because the North side has to be stacked next to the fence, otherwise it wouldn't fit on the block.
Here is a how the block looks like (approx.). The street runs on the West and South side. The house we were considering is the EDB Bridgeport 28, which is approx. 13 x 21 m. self::bbcode_second_pass_code_cb With the propose sitting, the house would be 1.3 m from the Northern edge and 4.5 m from the Eastern edge. Bedrooms would be on the North side but that wouldn't be a problem because the neighbour house on the North side will shade them But we are more concerned with the alfresco (with sliding doors) and living area being on the South side. I guess for summer it's good (keep it cool) but for winter the living area wouldn't get much sun. Also the largest part of outdoor area is on the street side. But I guess that can be fenced for privacy? Re: House orientation - how important? 5Mar 16, 2009 11:07 am North living orientation is very important for catching that winter sun and saving money on heating bills, whilst heating up your concrete slab. Bedrooms generally should be on the southern side of the house to escape the hot nights in summer. www.fasham.com.au they specialize in designing the perfect house according to how your block faces the sun. My suggestion is ring them and have a chat. Re: House orientation - how important? 6Mar 16, 2009 11:22 am Quote: North living orientation is very important for catching that winter sun and saving money on heating bills, But, as I have said before, this depends on your location If you live in a cool area with less sun/heat (say, Tasmania) you may be trying to maximise the light and warmth and so a south faceing liveing area may not be a good idea. If you are liveing in a dry hot area like me, controlling warmth/light/glare is more important. Heating bills are are non-issue here, I never heat the house during the day even in winter, only in the evening, and cooling is far more important to me. I don't think it matters so much which way bedrooms face, especially if you mainly use your bedroom for sleeping at night when there is no sun from any direction ,even for shiftworkers who sleep in their bedroom during the day as you sleep with the blind down/curtains closed anyway- the liveing areas, especially those with large windows, and the outdoor liveing area is what is relevant. Re: House orientation - how important? 7Mar 16, 2009 12:17 pm We have a north facing orientation. Our upstairs rumpus and downstairs den will be facing north. Our kitchen and lounge/dining will be facing south & west.
Whilst yes it would be nice to have full sun all day in the kitchen and general living area it can't be helped as I won't be having my kitchen at the front of the house as I don't want people walking down the street seeing me eat my breakfast in my PJ's! Re: House orientation - how important? 8Mar 16, 2009 12:48 pm We have a 2 storey house. It was originally single story. Downstairs has no north facing windows and is cold all winter. Upstairs has an array of north facing windows. We get the cool breeze in summer and the winter sun. The difference between the two levels is amazing, especially during winter. The temperature variation is at least 5 degrees. You get this heat for free. Re: House orientation - how important? 9Mar 16, 2009 2:35 pm Gearbox We have a 2 storey house. It was originally single story. Downstairs has no north facing windows and is cold all winter. Upstairs has an array of north facing windows. We get the cool breeze in summer and the winter sun. The difference between the two levels is amazing, especially during winter. The temperature variation is at least 5 degrees. You get this heat for free. Of course, upstairs are generally warmer regardless of orientation. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: House orientation - how important? 10Mar 16, 2009 6:26 pm Facing south is not the end of the world. But can you get some high level north windows anyway, (above the roof line)and still face south. Lots of south facing glass is notorious for letting heat out in winter, as well as not letting it in, so maybe pull back a bit on the amount of glass facing south, and try to get that high level north clerestory window in. The worst thing you can do is sign a building contract without a pre contract review. Over the years many people have come to me with disputes where they just signed… 0 8351 0 627 You’re on the right track, wire brush in a grinder then a zinc rich epoxy primer then a top coat of some sort, like a waterproofing membrane. Raising the concrete would… 1 7035 |