Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 05, 2015 1:01 pm Hi, So I'm looking to build on acreage. I've spotted a block for sale which suits my needs, which is quite cheap and with lovely views too. The only issue is the block is south facing (i.e. a south facing backyard). My concern is the amount of natural light which would enter the home. The information on the net mostly discusses the lack of passive heating. Would a house with south facing living areas still look quite bright inside? We really want a bright, open feeling home. We are potentially considering building the McDonald Jones Bronte for this particular block. Note, I have no concerns on the lack of passive heating - I'd put in undefloor heating to all the foyer, kitchen, family, meals, bathrooms anyway. Thanks Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 2May 05, 2015 3:48 pm In the northern hemisphere, "north light" is sometimes considered the best light to have. This might be for lighting a portrait, or sometimes architecturally. The advantage it has is that it is consistent, without strong sunlight and shadow, and not changing so much in response to the sun/clouds. You will get less total light than when the sunlight is streaming through a northern window, but in cloudy conditions it will end up about the same anyhow. If the sun is too hot, and the western window is blocked by blinds, then the unobscured open south window will give more light. Southern aspects also have the advantage that when you look out a south-facing window, you look to the sunlit side of the objects outside. This can mean more reflected light back in the window. So I'd agree that the issue with southern glass is more about thermals, and you can still get quite good natural daylight access. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 3May 06, 2015 8:09 am Hi AB, Not sure how configurable the house plans are if you're going with a volume builder, however you could consider a north light roof style to filter the natural light in. Our block is West - East, with the backyard facing east, and we'll be doing a north light roof to get natural light to the hallways, and a pitched rear roof to the deck with windows above at the back. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 4May 06, 2015 2:23 pm Have you had a good read of both these excellent threads ? Passive Solar Design in Sydney viewtopic.php?f=35&t=71561 House Orientation viewtopic.php?f=31&t=55057 Stewie Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 5May 07, 2015 2:21 pm Thanks for the links, not much at all on natural light. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 6May 07, 2015 3:40 pm Hi I think if you have a backyard facing the the south then that means the front is north facing which is supposed to be the best way to face, and if you then having all the main living areas in the front you get all that light coming in. This is how I understand it. Cheers Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 7May 07, 2015 4:30 pm Thanks Lorri. Most of the living areas will be south facing - that is where the view is. A formal lounge and dining would be north facing however. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 8May 09, 2015 12:42 pm oneJohn is absolutely correct in saying that "northern light" was valued in artist studios in the northern hemisphere, as it produced consistent indirect light. Grand Designs (series 12, episode 6) features an artist studio with a vast north facing window. My sister has a house that faces south, in an elevated position, with magnificent bushland views about as far as the eye can see. The living areas face this view, as do most of the bedrooms upstairs. It really is great to see all that bright green light reflected off the bushland, particularly in the morning. This is a double brick house, with very minimal north facing windows. You couldn't pay me to live there, it's absolutely freezing in winter (this is only Sydney, so not cold). They have a massive gas heater, running flat out for the evening, but the brick absorbs much of the heat. So I really do hope you've thoroughly researched your heating needs. What type of underfloor heating are you looking at? I would definitely recommend hydronic (hot water) heating. As electric underfloor, although cheaper to install, is extremely expensive to run, & will cost an absolute BOMB to heat such a large area! For electric (resistance) heating, 1kW of electricity produces 1kW of heat (the same with an electric bar heater). A hydronic system supplied by a heat pump may produce 4-6kW of heat for each 1kW of electricity used. Or a gas hydronic system may be a good option, though of course gas prices are going up a lot. Underfloor heating is not always a particularly efficient form of heating, although it can be very comfortable. Depending on the set up, the very large thermal mass, results in thermal lag (ie. it takes a long time to heat up, & a long time to cool down). So it really need to run 24/7, & it more appropriate for colder climates. I'd only face my living areas south, to the views, if; * I did not live in a cold or cool climate. * I would receive ample reflected light off surrounding surfaces. * I built a tight, very well insulated, light-weight structure to reduce heating needs (brick absorbs heat from heat sources, making them work harder). * I could include substantial PV solar, to offset electricity costs for the higher levels of heating that will be required. * I could include double glazing, to minimise heating requirements. I'd also consider a skillion roof, with north facing windows, to introduce northern light & sunshine into the south facing living areas. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 9May 09, 2015 1:59 pm Acreage_Builder Thanks for the links, not much at all on natural light. For Natural light it would be hard going past having the front of the house facing East than have all of the living areas on the north side of the house including the Alfresco on the north west corner rear of the house. That is my understanding of achieving lots of natural light. Skylights can also come into play to assist in your endeavour. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 10May 09, 2015 8:38 pm Those links discuss how you should orient your house correctly to take full advantage of passive heating etc . If you choose to orient your house the wrong way then that is your issue and you will probably have much higher energy costs to run your home. I fail to understand how if you are on acreage you can't place your house the right way?? Stewie Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 11May 10, 2015 1:20 am Strange that you can't work with both views and light since you are on acreage. It's all about how the house is designed. A clerestory house design can already serve this purpose. You can have all the views you want from south and capture light you want from north. The only downside is that the house won't be able to enjoy efficient passive heating from sun. Work with your designer to come up with something. Re: Oritentation and Natural Light 12May 10, 2015 8:35 am ddarroch - Thanks. The idea with the underfloor heating was just a warm surface to walk on in winter - supplemented by ducted reverse cycle air con. Appreciate your comments on the cost of heating, but we would place as many solar panels on an outbuilding as it could fit to offset our electricity costs. Stewie D - the front of the block is north, and the views are to the south. That is why you would want to orientate the house in a non-optimal way (from a passive solar perspective). Snowing - I'm not a fan of the clerestory house design to be honest. We have started to think about double storey so we can have some rooms double aspect (kitchen, meals, family). At this point in time, looks like the BAL rating on the block will not be cost friendly, so we are thinking of letting this one go and waiting for the more desirable north aspect to come up. 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 6684 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 11633 That was always going to be a challenge and a test of patience. Full marks to your mate. 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