Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Floor plan feedback 8Feb 21, 2020 8:42 pm Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Floor plan feedback 19Feb 27, 2020 12:53 pm ddarroch I'm just looking at the basics, not how rooms will work with your lifestyle. Basics. Orientation & Passive Design. Get it right & your home will be comfortable, with lower energy bills. https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design Study this website, if you haven't already. North facing living areas, ideal, good! North facing covered alfresco, BAD, BAD, BAD!!! You want northern living areas for the northern light you receive year round, & the passive solar heating you receive in winter - that is, free heating from sunlight. To get this free heating (which is very substantial on a sunny winters day), you actually need the sunlight to enter your home in winter. An appropriate length northern eave will allow this (between 0.4m-1.2m depending on your location & whether you're shading windows or glazed doors). A covered alfresco will not, shading your windows in winter. Your first plans rotated the alfresco, down the western side of the build, a better idea. Or just have an uncovered deck to the north, & use horizonal awnings, or a pergola etc. No 2. on the bad list, a west facing master! Generally, west facing bedrooms are a very bad idea. Western windows are hard to shade (eaves are ineffective once the sun is lower in the sky), & the sun strikes them in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day. Not long after the sun has gone down you have to try to sleep in a stifling hot room. I'd relocate the master to the eastern side, probably at the front, if it's a quiet street. Locate rarely used rooms to the west. You've done that with the garage, very good! Main bathroom, laundry, a rarely used guest bedroom if you have one, possibly activity room, study, theatre room (if it's only sparsely glazed. Some of the plans have plumbing everywhere. Try to keep these together, reducing plumbing runs. This will reduce build costs, & time to get hot water out of your taps. Now's also the time to think how you're going to power the home, & heat & cool it. Roof design should take into account solar PV. I'd be planning on installing solar PV as the build concludes (the builder can install conduits etc. ahead of the PV install). Possibly plan for future battery installation (though they're still too expensive). Plan how you'll heat & cool the home, heat hot water, how you'll cook. I'd advocate an all-electric home. Split system reverse cycle AC to heat & cool. Efficient heat pump hot water. Induction cooktop. No gas, which is now expensive for heating. No gas connection, no gas bill, no daily service charge! This will save you money, & is great for the environment. Sorry, heading off-topic, but it's important to plan this all quite early in the process. Thanks so much for your feedback. I was considering this - firstly when you state "(between 0.4m-1.2m depending on your location" - what would this be in Newcastle NSW? The Alfresco idea is on most designs however given our orientation i am questioning whether we do some kind of awning that is adjustable perhaps, the concern is how this looks/integrates into design of the home nicely. Also the cost is likely to be more than the alfresco done at the time of the build. I think louvre/adjustable would be best. We are pretty set on master bed on the opposite side to the rest of rooms away from kids and will just get good glazing and potentially larger eaves. We will get solar at some point - already discussed with a technician and will look at the budget closer to build. We want gas for cooking but not heating. Re: Floor plan feedback 20Feb 28, 2020 8:13 am Eaves are quite ineffective to the west, as the sun is low in the sky in this direction. Some window treatments (like low-e) are somewhat effective, though external shading is better. But personally, I'd never consider locating the master to the west. If you have it at the SE corner it can be separated from the minor bedrooms by the ensuite & possibly main bathroom. You can determine the appropriate eave length by knowing your latitude & the dimensions of the window. Read this, https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/shading I'd recommend going to Aldi & getting a $60 induction cooker to try it (some pots may not be compatible). Most people rave about them. You will save a lot of money, & help the environment if you don't connect gas. The ACT is already considering not putting gas into new developments. I can see has being phased out, so wouldn't be installing it in a new build. Hi there! Absolutely agree on the wasted space. We have no desire for the master to be that oversized, but it occurred when we increased the depth of the garage. We have… 4 12498 6 55346 i thought the flipped plan initially but bec i want narrow pathway from entry to dining (dont like bend), also cannot fit the… 7 17278 |