Browse Forums Building A New House Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 21Aug 24, 2014 6:43 pm Yeah we are in WA. Will contemplate eaves to the rest at least. Do u think it would drastically reduce light into the south facing rooms on that side though? I'm amused to note the current house on the block (we are living in it pending KDR) does not have a single north facing window! Obviously we have learnt a lot since 1964! Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 22Aug 26, 2014 10:35 am re. windows. Double glazing will help cut down the noise (particularly if it's specifically designed for this, ie. different thickness panes), but it won't help cut down heat from direct sunlight much. Double glazing reduces convective heat (ie due to air movement), & conduction (reducing heat from ambient air entering from outside in summer, & escaping in winter).
But double glazing does not reduce radiant heat (heat from direct sunlight). So it's not effective at reducing heat from the hot afternoon sun. For this you need low-e glass, or direct shading from trees, vertical awnings or shutters. Plus I'd seriously consider reducing that western master window, adding one to the south. As you say, the western window is lovely now, but won't be on a hot summers day. Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 23Aug 26, 2014 10:41 am lozza99 Obviously we have learnt a lot since 1964! lol. I think there's still plenty of builders that haven't learnt much at all. Many don't consider the sun's path when designing, & get by with the bare minimum, with regards to energy efficiency. Just put in a bigger AC & gas ducted heater This wasn't an option in the past. Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 24Aug 26, 2014 11:25 am re. south facing eaves. I love eaves! I can't believe builders are allowed to build houses in Austrailia without eaves. This is particularly true for the northern aspect, to shade summer sun, so it's great you'll have northern eaves. Where I'm living, my south facing bedroom has no eaves, with a sliding glass door leading outside. It's the only poorly designed aspect of the build I can think of. On warm steamy summer nights, when it's raining, I can't open the glass, as the rain will come in. So I cook. So I'd have eaves all around, if possible, not just to protect from the sun, but also from the rain. In winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, the light coming into your southern rooms will be reflected light. So I don't think having south facing eaves will reduce the light quality much. In summer, the sun is higher in the sky, & rises in the SE, setting in the SW. I'm not sure how much south facing eaves will effect natural light levels at this time of the year, or how much direct sunlight they'll block, as the sun will be low in the sky when it's to the south, in the early morning & evenings. Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 25Aug 26, 2014 1:29 pm re. study/store. I tend to agree with Tristanium. There's a reason why habitable rooms need a window, for light & adequate ventilation. If you're going to spend much time in the study, I'd seriously consider moving it. Even a small study nook, with access to light would be better. I see you've got a big block, which is quite deep. I'd try to design a house that is only 2 rooms wide (plus a hallway), except for the 3 at the front. This way all rooms get access to light, & better cross-ventilation, which is important in summer. So I'd stretch the plan a bit, towards the rear of the block, moving bed 4 (or the study) to the southern wall. Narrowing the width of much of the build, means you'd have 2 yards, a backyard, & a side yard. If you keep the build quite close to the southern boundary you'll have a northern side yard. This will be great for winter sunlight, & prevent overshadowing of your house from your northern neighbour. So I'd probably ditch the location of the study/store. Also I'd look at maybe moving the garage to the SW corner, swapping it with the master/media rooms. This would result in a straighter entrance hallway. It would also locate your ensuite closer to your laundry/kitchen, shortening your plumbing runs. I don't think a splashback window in the kitchen (the only unshaded north facing window in winter) is the best solution for passive solar design. I'd prefer to have larger north facing windows in a lounge/family/meals area. So I'd try to rotate the kitchen by 90°, maybe moving the scullery near where the store is currently located (as it doesn't need natural light), & move the meals or living room (which is quite far from direct sunlight) to the northern wall. Currently, the living room has circulation space (pathways to move about the house) all around it, it may feel like a thoroughfare. Too much circulation space is a waste of space. Also moving the living room to the northern wall will also make it easier to place furniture in that area, as you'll have a wall to put it against. Also I'd rotate the alfresco by 90°, so it doesn't take up so much of the northern aspect. May not all work out, I'm doing it in my head, not on paper, but if you incorporate some of this you should end up with a lighter, more comfortable house. ps. I really like the kid's area, with the games area & minor bedrooms all linked off one hallway from the living area edit: I just discovered your block dimensions. Nice & large, so lots of scope to get your plans just right Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 26Aug 30, 2014 12:14 am I agree with ddarroch. I'd also consider a double door opening to activity to make moving furniture easier. Recently moved to a 60's home in need of some improvement! http://s797.photobucket.com/user/leenii ... ch%20House Old house: http://s797.photobucket.com/albums/yy25 ... loo/House/ Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 27Aug 30, 2014 3:42 pm lozza99 The two west facing rooms (media & main bed) are having 8.3 (?)mm laminated glass at this stage. I'm strongly considering double glazing - does anyone have an idea on approx cost? We have a primary school with what sounds like trumpet practice each lunchtime across the road so double glazing was the original idea and I was talked down to the laminated glass by the sakes guy. Cost isn't a major factor (he estimated $3k but was plucking a figure out the air) but would be nice to get an idea. People who have double glazed - did you go through builder or do post handover. I also hate awning windows (can't explain it, not logical, just do - feel free to talk me out of it) so for light & ventilation reasons we have to have a bigger window. Our current bedroom is in that exact same spot with an even bigger window & I love all the light & view BUT we moved in in July so haven't experienced evening summer heat yet We had 2 west facing bedroom windows in our last house and they were very hot in the summer. In WA the energy efficiency mob no longer allow windows on the west side. No rhyme or reason however, as we were forced to remove our verandahs on both the west and east sides of the house unless we agreed to have double glazing on all windows and doors. The quote was a massive $25000! We removed the verandahs!! I LOVE your kitchen by the way. Good luck with it all. Re: About to build - critique my plans please :-) 28Aug 31, 2014 12:03 pm I'd swap games and bed 4. Then you can put double doors on game into living to keep an eye on the kids. Down the track if you want a bigger living area pull the wall down and you can put nice double doors to outside. Really tight at the top of the stairs- how to get furniture into those rooms? Study books - does anyone really use them these days? Large storage closet would be more functional. 2 6886 Ask the council if there is a chance of getting build over easement exemption. Sometimes easements are unused and 24cm is not all that much. Good luck. And yes any builder… 2 13773 If there have been changes, variations, during construction then the drawings should be revised, the building permit amended and the current, as built drawings given to… 2 4488 |