Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 41Aug 21, 2013 1:58 pm Decorate your home. It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is. MY BUILD THREAD https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65479&p=1035832#p1035832 Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 42Aug 21, 2013 2:13 pm mdstudio hannahzoe83 Liliana It wouldn't help you get access to sunlight for your solar panels though. Maybe blocks should be pre-designated for single or double story houses but this would mean developers and others becoming a lot more serious about solar access and energy efficient housing. I completely agree. I think that estates should have allocated areas designated for single or double storey houses. The problem is that the government push for us to be more environmentally friendly and save the earth etc but this isn't followed through in building practice. It's a shame and I'm sure in years to come something will be put in place but for now us single storey builders have to live with the risk. It is unfortunate, but in the end people only do whats best for them. in WA the R-Codes where recently re-designed. Up until the final gazetting date the WAPC changed overshadowing laws so that new building had to take into consideration for solar panels, major openings, outdoor living areas. It would have gone a long way towards resolving these issues, however due to overwhelming negative feedback, it was reversed at the 11th hour and it is back to a straight percentage of block area. That's just crazy, those laws make all the sense in the world to me. I can't believe they were reversed! Today's world is all about renewable energy and about lifestyle (a lifestyle that we are lead to believe we can have by the builders and estates that we build in). If we aren't given the opportunity to create our own energy, especially when you have gone to the trouble of having solar installed on your roof, how does that match up to the message that the government and green groups are trying to push on us? Thanks for the drawings Stewie. I'll be interested to see the double vs single storey version when you get round to it. Hopefully it'll answer a few questions for those worrying about how it will affect them. Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 43Aug 21, 2013 6:11 pm And here are the second storey shadow diagrams. Property A remains the same but I have added a second storey to Property B - 2440mm stud height for the second level 300mm for the floor. This would be a pretty common scenario for most project homes. The footprint of both houses on their respective sites remains the same. Double Storey Shadow Diagrams 21st June 9 AM http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stJune9AM_zpsf62d03dc.png 21st June 12 PM http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stJune12PM_zps884c9b5d.png 21st June 3 PM http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stJune3PM_zps6ebde4d0.png 21st December 9 AM http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stDecember9AM_zpsf6afa47d.png 21st December 12 PM http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stDecember12PM_zps45c01f48.png 21st December 3 PM http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stDecember3PM_zpse3bf6502.png 21st June 12 PM Rear Elevation http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stJune12PMRearElevation_zps9a48f055.png 21st December 12 PM Rear Elevation http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stDecember12PMRearElevation_zpsf40d7dd9.png 21st June 12 PM Perspective http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc455/stewiesno1/21stJune12PMIsometric_zpsf535df1d.png As you can see Property A is now heavily affected by the bulk of the house of Property B. The windows to the dining and kitchen on the Northern side receive almost no sun now and the timber deck at the back on a winters day would not get much of it until mid afternoon. Hope this helps someone either buying a block and/or designing their dream home. Cheers, Stewie Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 44Aug 21, 2013 6:57 pm Nice diagrams - Might be worthwhile noting the distance between the two houses Stewie and a distance on the extent of shadow fall. Just a thought. Not all houses will be so close together. Cheers. Completed a knock down and rebuild in northern Melbourne. Handover completed 27/09/2013 and now moved in. Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 46Aug 21, 2013 10:45 pm Stewie D I mentioned in my single storey post that they are both 900mm off the side boundaries giving them 1800mm wall to wall. Stewie Ah so you did. Must have missed it Completed a knock down and rebuild in northern Melbourne. Handover completed 27/09/2013 and now moved in. Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 47Aug 22, 2013 7:50 am Thanks for all the work with the diagrams Stewie D. A great effort which might help new home owners make decisions. If anyone is interested the following link takes you to a document put out by the Sustainable Energy Authority in Victoria and talks about siting and solar access: http://www.kbhomes.com.au/files/pages/P ... he_sun.pdf The document states that for optimum solar access you need to be "at least ten metres from a double-story obstruction". This is known to the people who are responsible for Rescode but until Rescode can be used to ensure housing has the capacity to be energy efficient, we are all better off taking Stewie D's advice to heart by which I mean: Build as if you were going to end up with a two-storey house to your north. Because, even if you have a one-storey house next to you today, you may end up with a two-storey if the house next door is sold and extended and, until something changes, Rescode will not protect your solar access. This article by Michael Green sums up the situation and gives you a good case study of what happened to one couple: http://www.michaelbgreen.com.au/overshadowing Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 48Aug 22, 2013 8:49 am I hope you don't mind Liliana but I've just added the link to that pdf in the sustainability links page in the Eco Living section
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=51738&p=790987#p790987 In a perfect world we would all be living on a 1 acre block 5kms from the city centre and have 30m to our nearest neighbour meaning you could design a pretty near perfectly orientated house with unrestricted solar access. Unfortunately with the relevant authorities trying to slow urban sprawl we are ending up with smaller blocks with next door dwellings only 1800mm ( 6 ft in the old lingo ) apart. This makes the block of land and how it is orientated that we choose to buy very important as is the ultimate design of our proposed house. I also think that if you are the first to build in your street then you should assume that you may end up with a two storey McMansion built either side of you ( maybe at the rear as well ) and design your place accordingly. We were lucky in that when I bought our old house 18 years ago I was aware of this and now we enjoy a lovely North facing backyard. We are in the final throes of designing our new place with as much sun that we can grab. Stewie Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 49Aug 22, 2013 8:59 am While I appreciate that solar access would be compromised there has to be a balance. While saying that there would be overshadowing by the adjacent building everyone seems to be saying that the owner of the adjacent property should consider the impact on solar access of the single storey. Changing setbacks is a little silly too in this day and age where block are very expensive and small. Why is it that those who are so concerned about solar access being affected by adjacent properties do not consider changing their set-backs so that overshadowing doesnt occur. If the blocks adjacent are vacant then it would be safe to assume that whom ever buys will want to maximise there investment and build within the current guidelines. Most double stories will have a boundary wall garage I would have thought. This side should be positioned to that the wider set back is on the side that requires for solar access. That would be all I would be prepared to do. I think it is also quite selfish to think that all the action should be on the part of the adjacent property owner. I try to be thoughtful but I think there must be balance. Good luck with your journey but I would assume that you may have a double storey next door. Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 50Aug 22, 2013 9:39 am I am in pretty much the same situation. Just my neighbour's two store house is already built when we bought the house. All our north facing bed room got big ceiling to ground windows. But they are still in darkness on a sunny day. Just because my neighbour's house blocks all the sunshine. We are still doing renovation. So what my plan is to knock a hole on the south bedroom wall, put a window there, so at least some daylight can come through from the sound side of the house. Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 51Aug 22, 2013 10:14 am Even South facing windows or windows on other aspects that do not experience direct sunlight can let in a good amount of ambient light which all help to illuminate a room. Have you considered skylights or more appropriately roof windows ? Stewie Re: Shadow from neighbour and solar access on our place? 52Jul 24, 2020 8:59 pm deluxes State your case to the council, see what can be done. As everyone has echoed there are requirements with councils and overshadowing, so I dont think you'll get left in the dark anyway. Just be sensitive to them as well and remember they arent deliberately trying to ruin your home... they probably arent even aware of how it will affect your plans. I had a neighbour oppose my build, simply because she didnt want a house next door! Said that the side entertaining area would push noise into her yard etc. It was a horrible shock, when all I was trying to do was build my new home on a block that I liked, I wasnt in it to upset the neighbour and was horrified that I had. But at the same time, I felt I had the right to build my home (and of course comply with the regulations that council set down) and not be pushed out. I compromised of course and built the entertainment area on the back instead, not because the council made me, but so I wasnt at war with the lady next door... And she still tried to stop the house being built there, even though she herself had only built there 3 years prior, and my block was always a house block - no surprises that someone might build on it one day. She just got used to having a a nice grassy paddock next door I think I've found with neighbourhood disputes the more empathetic you are to someone elses situation, and reasonable you are when coming to a mutual solution the better off everyone will be. She had her reasons for not wanting my house to be there, I had mine for wanting it to be there. You dont want to have bad blood with anyone before you or they have even moved in! Building next to vacant land is always going to bring surprises, it's one of the reasons people forgo building to buy established.. you know exactly what you're in for more or less. All the best and I hope you and the neighbours come to a solution that works for you both Exactly our position land we brought did not have a house build on it for 45 years for no reason so my neighbors had nice view throughout she doesn’t like a house coming in there so objecting for no reason stating overshadowing her house is also a double storey and as per builder we have passed the shadow diagram still she is opposing it For reference, this is the Austlii reference. My take on this is, that they would be breaking the law denying access to a homeowner in Victoria, or their agent from having… 1 10197 The only thing to add to these comments is that where possible it's always good to try and work with people than just say "no" because you can. Having someone… 4 18045 |