Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jul 30, 2014 10:30 am Hi! I've been lurking here for a few weeks and have learned a lot about solar passive design and building orientation. I know that bedrooms are supposed to be south or east, living to the north, smaller windows west etc. But my wife hasn't. And the only floor layout that appeals to both of us places all the bedrooms on the west side. Our block of land faces south and is 15x30. We're in Brisbane so it's more important to keep cool rather warm. The layout we like is the Noosa 23 from Coral. Bed 4 will be an office - so I guess I save a little on aircon there. The driveways are fixed in our estate, so flipping the house is out of the question (and wouldn't that make the living area hot most of the year anyway?) Will reflective foil, insulation and low e windows be enough to control the heat on the western side? Should I be considering extra shading? Is this a lost cause and I should pick a different layout (it'll be tough to convince my wife ) Re: West facing bedrooms 2Jul 30, 2014 11:24 am It's not ideal but probably OK if: You minimise the area of window by having a high sill (Most builders put much bigger windows than are required http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2012/02/window-size/) Use a highly reflective film on the windows The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: West facing bedrooms 3Jul 30, 2014 2:41 pm We live in a rental now with all west bedrooms, and while we don't have low e windows it is awful. In summer the heat is so stifling, and in winter its freezing cold. We have those big external awnings so spend summer pretty much in the dark there. I would never ever have a west facing bedroom again, and we passed up several good blocks of land and house plans to avoid it. But, obviously, someone somewhere has to have west bedrooms, it just comes down to priorities I guess, we wanted to minimise the need for heating/cooling so it was important that we at least had good bones in terms of orientation etc. Re: West facing bedrooms 4Jul 30, 2014 4:22 pm Will you have enough space to plant some trees on the western side? Re: West facing bedrooms 5Jul 30, 2014 5:29 pm TinaG Will you have enough space to plant some trees on the western side? Not really. It's the garage side, so if I don't build to boundary there will be 2m of space. Maybe some vines, or some artificial shade of some sort? At least there's a 1.8m fence (and the neighbour's house) to provide some shade bashworth - how high should I put the sills? How about shrinking the windows horizontally instead of vertically? Re: West facing bedrooms 6Aug 18, 2014 8:57 am Hi pnit, could you switch the back of the house around keeping the front as is? I did something like that with our plan to get the orientation of the living areas facing north. Your plan looks like it might be possible to do that too - making the living/dining a bit bigger or the flexi slightly shorter. From the plan you seem to have a bit of space around the house so you can move things around if you should wish to do so. Here is a very quick hack - to give you an idea of what I mean Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: West facing bedrooms 7Aug 18, 2014 9:19 am The right windows - well placed ... good vegetation outside - and maybe awnings might do it. Tinting can help. Eaves are essential - its not a zero boundary is it ? Is it possible to have a veranda along the western side ? Like those Aussie style houses ? 2 metres would be perfect. Re: West facing bedrooms 8Aug 18, 2014 9:28 am I've decided not to go with this plan (or builder). We only have a 15m wide block, so even without building to boundary there were limited options to shade the western side of the house. You can see details of the layout on my build thread. No western windows (just a sliding door under the alfresco). And better standard insulation from the builder too. Re: West facing bedrooms 9Aug 18, 2014 4:04 pm used to live in a rental with west facing bedrooms and a living space that lead off to a deck via a glass sliding door. All was good until the landlord enclosed the deck which effectively turned the deck into a super heater. circa 1970's built house, red cedar clad, with zero insualtion, walls or roof space. your average 30 degree day in October would produce this on my back deck. The heat was unstoppable and made for a very unpleasent experience. I dont miss that house!! Re: West facing bedrooms 10Aug 19, 2014 7:40 am So true. I was speaking to a bloke up here - a real estate agent - and was saying how important aspect is - he thought I was talking views ... He wouldn't accept it - and even argued the sun wasn't that high in the sky in summer. Not sure if he was just dumb or what. Re: West facing bedrooms 11Aug 19, 2014 9:34 am SM, a lot of RE agents aren't the sharpest tools in the shed - not from my experience anyway. Hit them with some technical questions about a place they are trying to sell and they invariably end up with a blank expression. Stewie Re: West facing bedrooms 12Aug 19, 2014 8:17 pm Stewie D SM, a lot of RE agents aren't the sharpest tools in the shed - not from my experience anyway. Hit them with some technical questions about a place they are trying to sell and they invariably end up with a blank expression. Stewie Yep - was talking to one in Noosa. The market had not moved in about 12 months. I said - the market is flat. He said - no - its just not going up ... Seriously ! 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 19991 Hi, Have fun, remember bedrooms should feel relaxing and inviting, the last space you see before sleep and the first you see when you wake up. Make sure it makes you… 6 16071 The warning is on the sticker on the door too. Second the aluminium powdercoat 6 18204 |