Browse Forums Buying Land 1 Oct 12, 2018 6:50 am Hi guys, We’re looking at purchasing a block in Kurrajong that is built up quite high with amazing views to the rear. It’s 800sq and will have houses either side. It ticks all the boxes except the orientation. The rear of the house faces majority South, interested to know any other Sydney Siders with South backyards and the pros and cons. As the block is elevated there will be no houses behind shadowing the block. Pics attached Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Pros & Cons of Sydney blocks facing North West 2Oct 12, 2018 8:19 am It's a good orientation. How wide is the side at north? Wider implies you can be creative with designing the layout to make max use of the orientation. If you can..consult an architect....it will be worth it. Just in case the block slopes towards the south, make sure you put in effective drainage as that area may not receive enough sunshine. Ensure your roof design is optimum for solar install (the lot orientation seems to be optimum for solar) Goodluck. Re: Pros & Cons of Sydney blocks facing North West 3Oct 12, 2018 10:19 am IamSAM It's a good orientation. How wide is the side at north? Wider implies you can be creative with designing the layout to make max use of the orientation. If you can..consult an architect....it will be worth it. Just in case the block slopes towards the south, make sure you put in effective drainage as that area may not receive enough sunshine. Ensure your roof design is optimum for solar install (the lot orientation seems to be optimum for solar) Goodluck. Thank you for your reply! The block is only 17.5 wide but around 45m long. It does slope towards the south so great tip on the drainage. We were considering an architectal home to benefit from all aspects, I was just nervous as the rule of thumb seems to be to have your rear and living facing north/east. Re: Pros & Cons of Sydney blocks facing North West 4Oct 13, 2018 7:53 am We have almost exactly the same orientation (without the rear views!). It can certainly be done, either through an architect or yourselves with some research. Our architect incorporated courtyards and roof windows to get the north light into our rear living spaces. You could also use clerestory windows, skylights. Definitely worth speaking to an architect if it’s in the budget. I lived in the old house on the site that was a run of the mill rectangular box with south facing living areas - the lights and heating had to be on most of the time in winter. And if you do design to draw in the north sun, make sure you have adequate shading for summer! Re: Pros & Cons of Sydney blocks facing North West 5Oct 13, 2018 7:59 am Hillsbuilds We have almost exactly the same orientation (without the rear views!). It can certainly be done, either through an architect or yourselves with some research. Our architect incorporated courtyards and roof windows to get the north light into our rear living spaces. You could also use clerestory windows, skylights. Definitely worth speaking to an architect if it’s in the budget. I lived in the old house on the site that was a run of the mill rectangular box with south facing living areas - the lights and heating had to be on most of the time in winter. And if you do design to draw in the north sun, make sure you have adequate shading for summer! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!! We are deginately interested in a custom design for this reason however have no idea how much this will cost just yet! If you have any pics to share I’d love to see! Re: Pros & Cons of Sydney blocks facing North West 6Oct 13, 2018 8:02 am Here’s my thread. The build has only just started, and this weather is not helping! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92728&p=1824089#p1824089 Standard uninsulated double brick has an R value of around 0.7. An insulated standard 90mm stud timber frame can have an R value of around 2.7. Even if you insulate a… 17 12045 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 19987 The warning is on the sticker on the door too. Second the aluminium powdercoat 6 18198 |