Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 10, 2018 11:36 am Hi all, We are building a double storey home on a site which is west (minda more north west) to the rear. Need some advise re design. Most of our living spaces will be at the back, ie kitchen, family and dining. Here is draft plan. We are not sure whether to have the alfresco on the right as per plan or above the family. We want to block out the summer sun but let in the winter sun. Should we have a covered roof or one that can be opened up when needed? Thanks heaps guys! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: House rear facing west 2Aug 10, 2018 11:49 am Dee1980 We are building a double storey home on a site which is west (minda more north west) to the rear. Need some advise re design. Most of our living spaces will be at the back, ie kitchen, family and dining. Here is draft plan. We are not sure whether to have the alfresco on the right as per plan or above the family. We want to block out the summer sun but let in the winter sun. Should we have a covered roof or one that can be opened up when needed? Thanks heaps guys! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If, what I have marked on your image is correct, then you are all good and you should leave the alfresco where it is. You'll just need to have some external protection for those northwestern family room windows from the harsh summer sun in the West, which could be achieved by planting a nice deciduous tree in the western corner of your yard. Also, good that you have eliminated windows from the western wall of the family room and kitchen. A roof that opens above the alfresco will give you greater flexibility, so if you can afford it, then install that. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: House rear facing west 7Aug 10, 2018 1:01 pm Dee1980 Hi and thankyiu so much for your comments. Here is a proper plan with upstairs as well. Its a project home so we have to flip the house if we want the garage on the other side, should we do that? No, absolutely not. Re: House rear facing west 8Aug 10, 2018 1:06 pm Dee1980 See where the alfresco is-above family. Should we move it to be in between family and dining instead? Would work where it is too. Sometimes when the weather is cooler and you are kicking on with a beer and a wine, it’s nice to have that evening sun to that last bit of warmth before you move inside. You'd lose that if you put it in the corner between the dining and family room. However, in the middle of summer, you want relief from that same sun, although the sun sets further west in summer, so a well placed deciduous tree would be good idea. Do you have room to your boundary to plant a tree there? Have you used a sun tracking app to determine exactly where the sun rises and sets at different times of the year? Re: House rear facing west 9Aug 10, 2018 2:21 pm Thankyou for all your comments. Yes we have plenty of room in the back. Should we plant the tress right at the back or closer to the house? The alfresco will probably be a covered one and i will have sun blinds installed so that they can be pulled down in the summer heat. I have used a sun tracker app yes but dont really understand it much! i will also have double glazing on the windows/doors facing west. It might be a bit darker in the mornings but the light is still light, so you should be getting it. Similar to what you see from your western windows 3 19969 The warning is on the sticker on the door too. Second the aluminium powdercoat 6 18101 Hi All, see above image. The required setback from the rear boundary in my case is 5m, as you can see the shape of the site and location of the boundary is slightly… 0 8333 |