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? 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 10491 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 18189 |