How do you design a new home or renovation?
Especially when your orientation isn’t ideal – or your best view is in the wrong direction? Here’s some tips to remember.
In this blog, I about to talk about orientation located in the southern hemisphere – if you’re in the northern hemisphere, substitute “north” where you read “south” and vice versa 🙂
Recently while researching for a client who’s looking to design a new home, I watched a video put together on TheUrbanDeveloper.com. This is a website and blog that is the baby of Adam Di Marco, a savvy and smart guy I have had the pleasure of working with when he was a Development Manager at Leighton Properties, and I was a Director and Co-owner at DC8 Studio, and I was helping out (amongst other projects) on the Boggo Road development – both the apartments and the Sales Office.
The video was an interview with John Flynn – another savvy and smart guy I’ve had the pleasure of working with when we were both in the Senior Management team at Mirvac Design. He’s now a Director at Conrad Gargett.
It was during the video that I was reminded of something that was a bit of a mantra at Mirvac (there were a few!) … and it was this:
ASPECT OVER ORIENTATION
What does that mean?
Aspect is the main outlook or view from your site. And orientation is the direction your site faces. In an ideal world, your aspect [outlook] would be to the north or north-east [orientation], as this creates the best opportunities in getting great living outcomes when you design a new home.
And this mantra in the world of Mirvac? Well, it meant that you designed for the major view or outlook first … and then figured out how to get natural light into it after that.
But wait? Haven’t I been saying, over and over again, that you MUST design a new home for orientation in order to create a home that is great to live in?
Yes, I have. And I still stand by that statement. However, it’s not always possible to have your aspect and your orientation align.
What if your best view is to the south or the west? What if your rear yard faces west? What if it faces south? What do you do about designing to orientation then? How do you design a new home that is well-lit naturally, and makes the most of the natural conditions to maintain a consistent temperature in your home?
It’s scientifically proven that natural light is necessary for our well-being. It maintains health, mood and reduces anxiety. However, in our homes, natural light (and capturing it) needs to be balanced with managing the heat gain that comes with sunlight.
And you know when you walk into a home (whether for the first time or every day) – well the view, that outlook or aspect – that’s what hits you. So if you’re fortunate to have an amazing view from your place, or even just a lovely environment, it’s natural that you want to capitalise on it. In developing your asset, that’s what makes sense. However, it’s the orientation that helps make the home a joy to live in everyday.
So walk-in wow comes from aspect, but live-in enjoyment comes from orientation.
IF YOUR ASPECT IS SOUTH …
If your home faces south, or your view is to the south … what you’ll find is that you get a soft, even light into those rear areas of your home. South light is great for workspaces, and sometimes for bedrooms – when you don’t want excessive heat loads, or shafts of light in your interior spaces. However, because the sun in the southern hemisphere moves through the north, your southern rear garden will be in shade for most of the day. And your interior spaces (and garden) won’t capture that warming sun in winter that is so necessary for creating natural comfort in our homes. Your garden will take a while to dry out after wet weather, and in summer, this shady nature can be good, but in the other seasons it sucks. Damp, cold gardens aren’t enjoyable places to be. Often big storms come from the south (or SE or SW), so you can bear the brunt of these too.
IF YOUR ASPECT IS WEST
If your home faces west, or your view is to the west … well, on summer afternoons, your home will cook. Western sun is horizontal, as the sun moves lower in the sky and casts light into your home. Any neighbouring properties or nearby trees etc will provide shade – which is good in summer (when the sun has had a long day to heat up), but not in the other seasons (when the warmth of that sun helps your home be warmer over cool nights). In summer, when the afternoon sun is hot and harsh, this can really heat your home and outdoor areas up uncomfortably. In other seasons, you may or may not welcome this afternoon sun, depending on the climate where you live … but its harshness fades interior finishes, and creates glare and strong light conditions. So you can be sitting in a hot box, or spending a fortune on airconditioning to be comfortable. These are all important considerations when you design a new home.
IF YOUR ASPECT IS EAST
And if your home faces east, or your view is to the east? Well, eastern or morning sun is also horizontal. The sun hasn’t got too hot first thing in the morning, so heat load isn’t too much of an issue – and this is definitely preferable over afternoon sun. However, some times of year, you’ll still get that glare that makes it difficult to appreciate the outlook you’re trying to maximise.
SOMETIMES IT’S UNAVOIDABLE
Sometimes though, even when you’re buying the best real estate, it is impossible to avoid these orientations. A good bulk of the non-CBD side of the riverfront in Brisbane faces west. And some of the best inner-city suburbs in Sydney have streets which run north-south, so the blocks face east-west. And generally, regardless of where you are, in each suburb there’ll be streets where one side of the street will always have a west facing yard, or a south-facing yard.
So how do you make the best of orientation when maximising aspect?
HERE’S 5 POINTERS FOR DESIGNING FOR A DIFFICULT ORIENTATION
#1 Understand where north is and how the sun moves
If you’ve lived in your home for a while, you’ll probably know this already. Otherwise, this app, 3D Sunseeker, is a great tool for figuring it out. It’s not free, but it’s brilliant for tracking the sun’s movement. It uses augmented reality – so you can watch through your device (phone or tablet) the movement of the sun, overlaid on the view of where you’re standing. (Check out this link for 3D Sunseeker). Solstices show you the shortest and longest days of the year, and the equinoxes are when night equals day in both spring and autumn. At a very simple level … shade from the summer solstice sun, and capture the winter solstice sun. Equinoxes require a little shade in the afternoon, but capture the bulk of the sun’s movement on these days. Adjust for the climate of your location.
#2 Your windows and doors that face your view aren’t the only source of natural light
If you have a great view, or are wanting to maximise your connection with outdoors and your surroundings – big glass doors and windows are the way to go. However, it’s not the only way to get natural light into you home, and if your view is to the south, east or west, it won’t do a lot to capture northern light. Now you know where and how the sun moves over your site, where is the northern light coming in? Can you use the side of your home to capture this light? The front of your home? The roof of your home (with skylights)?
#3 Deal with the orientation of your aspect
Acknowledging that you’ll want to capture as much of your view as you can when you design a new home, looking at it and enjoying it comfortably (and thermally) can be two different things. If your view is to the east or west, vertical shading elements (preferably externally, before the heat has entered your home) are the best option. Look at operable external blinds – ones you can get out of the way when the sun isn’t an issue, and ones you can drop down and still see through when the sun is glaring. Look for translucent shading fabric blinds with high UV values, and darker colours are more transparent than lighter colours. Or use an external-grade aluminium venetian-style blind, with blades that can be rotated to provide shade and view. If you’re looking over lower roofscapes to your view (say from your bedroom you’re looking over the roof on the outdoor area below), think about choosing a roof colour that won’t cause glare issues when the sun is reflected off it into your bedroom.
#4 Get northern light into your home
If you’re building or renovating, and your main view is to the south or west, then getting northern light into your living areas is imperative for making them enjoyable places to be. This is where you need to think vertically. What vertical devices can you use to get northern light into your home?
Think clerestory windows – these are high windows that sit above adjacent roofspaces (see the images – the one at the top of the blog also shows a home extension and renovation I designed under construction, with the long slot opening at the top being the beginnings of a north-facing clerestory window). Getting northern light over the top of other roof spaces and into your interiors is a good way to go.
If you’re going to design a new home that’s two storey, using the stair void to get natural northern light into the guts of your home is also great. Opening the stair up can improve this too, but isn’t always necessary.
Using voids (holes cut in the floor) to open up volumes through your home that are lit from the top will also get northern light into the lower parts of your home. Your view may be out one side, but all your natural light may be coming from the other.
And in planning your home size and shape overall … if your home is south to the rear, a one-storey home will shade less of its yard than a two-storey home. (See the below image as an example.) Think about using one-storey elements in your homes facing yards that are your main outdoor play or entertaining areas, so they can still get access to northern light.
#5 Weigh up the compromise
If you have the benefit of choice … ie if you’re just setting out on this journey of buying a new home, or a block of land … really weigh up the compromise. Think about how you’ll manage the challenge that your best aspect and your best orientation are in different directions, and really consider whether you have other alternatives (ie buying a home or land where this doesn’t occur).
It may sound strange, but having lived in lots of south-facing homes, and west-facing homes that weren’t designed to deal with this orientation, I know first-hand that it’s hard work. Spaces are dark, or hot, or cold – at all the wrong times. Miserably so. I had a client once show me through their south-facing home and when I asked if they had any issues with the orientation, they said they didn’t mind, as it was cooler overall (which was good for where they lived). However, as we looked through the home, they showed me parts of the floor plan that could only be used for storage because they were too dark for anything else. Storage and disused areas much larger than they needed to be. These areas still cost you to build, they still cost you to maintain them, and they’re not being optimised in what they offer to your lifestyle. These homeowners hadn’t put it together mentally – that because their home faced south (without any design devices to capture northern light), these areas were wasted. A home CAN capture northern light AND still be cool – when designed correctly.
So yes, as the Mirvac mantra goes – aspect over orientation. With the Undercover Architect caveat … just don’t ignore getting that precious northern light into your home.
Enjoyment (orientation) and wow (aspect) combined is a great way to start creating the perfect home for you.
I have a whole podcast season to help you learn the key decisions in designing for orientation, and maximising what’s available on your site (for free) so your home really benefits from it.
Great design isn’t anymore expensive than terrible design. These episodes will help you learn what matters most to make your home work, and feel great.
- Episode 01 | The most important thing to know when designing your home
- Episode 02 | Making your home great: All things NORTH
- Episode 03 | Making your home great: All things EAST
- Episode 04 | Making your home great: All things SOUTH
- Episode 05 | Making your home great: All things WEST
- Episode 06 | Online resources to help with important design choices
- Episode 07 | The assets that add design value for free
- Episode 08 | Creating Spaciousness: Using Volume
- Episode 09 | Creating Spaciousness: Using Light
- Episode 10 | Creating Spaciousness: Great Storage
- Episode 11 | Creating Spaciousness: Indoor Outdoor Connections
With over 30 years industry experience, Amelia Lee founded Undercover Architect in 2014 as an award-winning online resource to help and teach you how to get it right when designing, building or renovating your home. You are the key to unlocking what’s possible for your home. Undercover Architect is your secret ally
We have a bit of view out the back of our house and yep, you guessed it faces west! But that also means we get awesome sunsets and who doesn’t love a good sunset. BUT there must be ways to design the structure at the back of our house to make the most of the view, still keep some shade on the deck for coolness and still keep light in the house. Right? Not to mention the rest of the house design 🙂
Hi Rachel,
Yes, watching a sunset from your deck and home can be beautiful! However, when it’s hot and harsh summer sun, it’s not so great is it?
Western sun always requires vertical shade – so screens and blinds (or landscaping). It’s great if you can put that barrier outside, to shade the heat before it gets into your home, or deck space. Even better is if you can select something that is retractable – such as a blind – so you can enjoy those sunsets in their full glory when the weather isn’t hot.
Then seek opportunities to grab the northern light from the side. I designed some riverfront homes in Brisbane when I was at Mirvac – they all looked west out to the river. We had retractable blinds over the west-facing glass, and also used a higher performance glass to reduce heat and glare. In addition, we had skylights facing north that were used throughout the home, and especially around the stair void, so we could get northern light in, and downstairs.
Best wishes with making it work at your place,
– Amelia, UA x
Hi Amelia, you have a great blog here with lots of useful and interesting information.
I’d love to know what your thoughts are on skylights or light tubes in lieu of north facing windows. Do you think heat gain is likely to be a major problem on a west facing skillion roof if skylights or tubular skylights are used sparingly? We have a garden with west aspect.
Thanks and regards, Ben
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your comment, and your kind words about Undercover Architect. I’m glad you’re finding it useful.
In regards to skylights and light tubes in lieu of north facing windows – especially when contending with a western orientation – I’m all for them … generally!
The same rules apply, as to north-facing windows. You need to think about how you’ll shade them to keep out hot summer sun, and how you’ll enable access for warm winter sun.
The challenge with light tubes, is that they don’t offer a lot in terms of access to views or optimisation of the light – they simply appear as a glow in the ceiling. So whilst, they are great for light – northern light is such a strong source of beneficial natural light (when you manage the heat) that I don’t believe sky tubes really maximise this. Great for bathrooms, laundries etc – but for living areas, my preference is skylights – or ‘sky windows’.
With skylights, look for models which have the ability to manage heat loads – be it via double glazing, tinting or performance glass, being able to open them, and blinds that can cover the glass. I have used Vental many many times, and love them because you can sit them between regular roofing structure, and create fantastic shafts of light that will move during the day. In addition – that view of the sky can create a great sense of spaciousness to any home.
I hope that helps!
– Amelia, UA
Thanks Amelia. We’re mid way through plans with an architect for an extension like your Denning St living area per the photo – except the roof is skillion and it faces west. The master bedroom (situated where your dog is lying) will block the north sun and I had the fear that a deep verandah would block the interior light despite 5 or 6 panes of stacker doors. Skylights sound like a winner. Ben
Hi A, thinking of renovating our 100 year house in Melbourne. has a heritage overlay on the street . back of the house faces south front faces north. Do you know of any good architects who can bring some different ideas in bringing light into the back of our house.cheers Nicole
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your comment. I am unable to recommend local architects. I would suggest starting with the local chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects in your state, or Houzz. Alternatively, I work with clients all over Australia, using Skype and other technology. You can email me for more information – [email protected]
– Amelia, UA x
Hello Amelia,
I r ad you comments with interest as we are about to build a home on the range in Toowoomba qld. The block faces south east where we will have a 180 degree view into the valley. Toowoomba has a temperate climate so we would very much like to use natural light and passive heating as much as possible. Do you have any suggestions that we should include in the design?
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. A south-east facing home can be challenging, and requires certain design strategies to bring in northern light and assist with passive heating (and cooling). I recommend listening to Season 01 of the podcast, as it will outline in detail the strategies you can use for each orientation. Episode 6 also outlines some online resources to help you as well.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia
There are so few articles discussing this subject.
Our site has great views to the west. Bushfire planning prevents close trees to shade big west facing windows. The suggested solutions are very expensive glazing, pergolas and concertina’d sliding shutters that close across the windows. Any other ideas?
thanks
Hi Steven,
Thanks for your comment. It can be challenging to deal with bushfire constraints, and achieve affordable solutions – however there are certain things you can do. If you haven’t yet, check out the latest episodes of the podcast. The next episode coming out specifically discusses west-facing orientation, with some examples and ideas to help you out.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia
Good content and useful advice for householders. Hopefully some of the estate planners will pick up on your advice in regard to orientation.
I am a fellow architect in Brisbane.
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your kind feedback. I hope EVERYONE picks up on my advice in regard to orientation 😉 Best wishes for your business,
– Amelia, UA
Great advice here! Our backyard will be south facing. we are thinking of adding a courtyard on the eastern side (between the guest bedroom and family room) to add in more light but concerned about the house flow and design. What are your thoughts on this? Teri
Hi Teri,
Thanks for your comment and feedback. I’d recommend checking out the latest episodes in my podcast – they will contain some super useful info for you to help with designing for that orientation.
Best wishes for your project,
– Amelia, UA x
Hi,
Does this mean our house choice and the land that we got are not perfect combination? 🙁
We ended up purchasing an east-facing lot and the layout we like when flipped to fit the required driveway access has the bedrooms on the north side, the living areas on the south and the alfresco at the west.
Hi Jeunx,
Thanks for your comment. I recommend you listen to Season 1 of the podcast – it will help you understand the impact of various orientations and how to design for them. When I discuss which direction a house or block faces, I’m referring to where it faces to the rear not the street (I explain why I do this in Episode 01).
Best wishes for your project.
– Amelia, UA
OMG I am very glad I stumbled on your site! I have explained orientation to my husband but I can’t get him on board at all. He complains that it took us awhile to buy our land because I was being picky on the orientation. We ended up buying a front-faces-the-south property here in Melbourne, which is good but may not be my most ideal one.
Anyway, I will be stalking your site from now on 🙂
Hi Irene,
Thanks for your comment, and I’m glad you’re finding the website helpful. I’d encourage you to listen to the podcast. The first few episodes of Season 01 take you through why orientation is so important, then through each orientation individually, and how to best design for them. Perhaps some listening with hubby in the car might work 😉 Head here to check them out.
– Amelia, UA x
Hello Amelia
What ideas do you have for a west facing unit in Brisbane (just purchased). The large balcony has the master bedroom, living, dining & 3rd bedroom running along this balcony with doors (regular glass). The balcony has 2 sets of vertical blinds (we’re on the top floor) shading the western wall & there are some small windows on the opposite eastern side of the unit.
Hi Anne,
Thanks for your question. I highly recommend you check out the first season of the podcast. There are episodes for each orientation with ideas about how to deal with the sunlight in each. You can listen to the one about “All things West” here >>> All things West Podcast
– Amelia, UA x
Some really superb info, Glad I detected this.
Hi Amelia,
Thanks for this information, it’s really useful. I’m planning an extension at the moment which will be a rectangle shape modern box with the main outlook to the north. The issue I’m contending with at the moment is how to provide some shade to the deck outside the extension (to the north) without blocking out the northern light for when we want it to come in. Suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Mike,
My pleasure – glad it helps. When adding a covered outdoor area to a home on its northern side, consider the sun angles and how sun will still reach your interiors (especially during Winter). This can impact how you design the roof, the pitch of it, how its sized, and whether it extends directly out from the house – or whether you provide opportunities for northern light to come into the house over the top of the deck roof. Hope that helps!
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia
Thank you for a great blog. We too are working on an extention with a skillion roof. Ideally this new room would contain kitchen dining and living as open plan. We would like to orientate the roof to either east or north. Our house faces west from front. The north boundary is our driveway and the east is our back yard. Which direction would you recommend to pitch the roof ?
Hi Tony,
It depends if you’re also intending on providing glazing as part of the skillion roof solution.
– Amelia, UA
Yes defenitly glazing. The extention would be at rear which faces east, so we are looking at raising the roof here beyond the existing…up maybe 3.5m at high point and pitching back to existing 2.7m. would like to use fixed glazing or glass blades at the high section. Just not sure which direction would provide best solution to pitch North or East.
Hi Tony,
Check on Sunseeker 3D exactly where the sun is year-round, how that’s impacted by your neighbours’ properties and what you need to do to shade from hot summer sun. In the southern hemisphere, north-facing is generally preferred, as the sun is in that direction for longer during the day – but if you don’t adequately manage the heat load, it will cause problems for the comfort of your home.
– Amelia, UA
Ok great. Great point about the neighbours, the ones to the north might end up building s two street shich impact on my property which is only single level….would you say blinds would help cut out the northern sun sufficiently ?…and also when comparing east vs north natural light…How would you describe maybe how the east aspect would make the whole room feel ? Thanks in advance…
Hi Tony,
I recommend you listen to the first season of my podcast “Get it Right”. It explains in detail about how to design for the various orientations, and what you need to consider overall. You can get started here >>> Season 1, Episode 1.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia, I’m buying a 2 storey house facing south east. Our living area, patio, pool, backyard and two bedrooms are facing North and north east. What sort of heating/lighting issues will i face? This house is facing south east as we have a big pond infront of the house. I’m based in Perth, Western Australia. Thanks in advance
Hey Tash,
Your living areas are facing the perfect direction for great solar orientation. The main thing you need to be aware of is managing the sun’s direct heat during warmer parts of the year. This can be managed with eaves or overhangs for high level sun, and with external blinds, screens and landscape for eastern and western sun. I’d recommend you listen to the podcast episodes from Season 1. They give a really detailed run down on how to manage sunlight from the various orientations, and some extra resources to help you in your specific location. You can get started here >>> Listen to SEASON 1
– Amelia, UA
Hi. Thanks for your help. The article is fantastic.
I’m in Sydney. Most of the streets run on a north south or east west grid in my area. So all the houses are east west or north south orientated. But my section of street is angled and my free standing house (66 Howard St Randwick) is orientated WNW at front and ESE at rear. we are planning an extension on the back. The back is a flat roof narrow section that contains kitchen and living/entertaining space. We plan to remove a tacked on section at end and put in a large wider , higher pavilion room and heighten roof off the remaining flat roof sections. So we thought to place a skill ion roof angled with high Windows to capture the WNW light. This will give us so much light. But will it give us too much heat as well. Not sure about WNW orientation. And the back of our home to the ESE has the aspect to the yard and large trees across neighbourhood yards. So do we orientate rough angle and Windows to the the ESE to capture aspect above the covered deck. Then what about the light. Or do we do a butterfly roof and get both. Or do a light box roof and have high Windows all around. It’s hard to know when all literature on subject is based on North South and East West grid. Any thoughts.
Hi Matt,
It sounds like you’ll really benefit from the assistance of an experienced designer to help you navigate resolving this. I’d also recommend listening to Season 1 of the Get it Right podcast – there’s loads of helpful information and resources to assist with understanding this more comprehensively. It might give you some clarity for the best way forward. You can listen to it here. Be super careful about how much western sun you allow into your home – as you’re aware, it packs punch with its heat. Just because your block runs one way, does not mean that the way you pull light into the property needs to have the same orientation as the boundaries of the block.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia, really great practical advice (as we often can’t control all the attributes of our property).
Our kitchen work area faces north and we’re thinking about putting in a long glass splash back between the benchtop and OHCs to bring in the north light (its tricky to put the window above OHCs due to the range hood).
I was a bit concerned though that the low vertical position of the window may mean we don’t get much of the winter light we want entering the room due to the angle the suns rays will hit the side of the house – but I may be way off – any insights?
Many thanks LB
Hi LB
I’d recommend using an app like Sunseeker3D Augmented Reality to see the sun angles in winter on that side of your home – and then seeing what’s potentially going to cast a shadow or block the direct sunlight. Your strategy is generally good, but you may find you need to put the window in a different location in the wall. Season 1 of the podcast also has lots of great info about orientation.
Hope that is helpful!
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia
Great blog. I am a professional but long term renter in Sydney. Renters are a growing market. I’m a lawyer yet can’t afford to own. Tenant rights are abysmal. Cooling solutions in rental properties are a big issue. We have no access to ability to make changes that owners do.
I have been in my current home for 6 years and grapple with an old double brick soldiers cottage with the main room as an add on to the back – all windows – and running parallel a driveway. Single brick. No vents. The aspect looking out back of house is driveway, fence, neighbour, no trees – this faces western 300 deg towards north so mainly west. The driveway and back of house therefore bakes all day until 7pmish in summer. It reflects back into the living room. Lovely in winter. HELL in summer. Oh there is also a U shaped annex to Laundry just to ensure max heat trapping!
I finally convinced landlord to put up external blinds. I have useless internal ones. In heatwaves I put up rugs inside! Ive also bought one sturdy second hand sumbrella and one el cheapo to shade annex and drive. But it’s also hottest in storm season so they come down on work days if storms or winds are likely. .
During heatwaves I have to water down driveway and back of house to reduce ambient temperature. No air conditioning but I am planning to install a box window (another story!).
I have lots of trees on north south east side but house was subdivided so at the important part – driveway – nada.
I’m trying to come up with further ideas – I’m not keen to attach pergolas due to possible asbestos/age./ripping off in wind/ attachment to what? . As there is a small dirt strip right between drive and back of house I’m wondering about those tall bamboo shade fencing from Bunnings?
But that doesn’t solve driveway – I need to keep heat off that. The umbrellas are great but I need a row of them (and second hand good ones) and no good on days I leave house and there are concerns re wind. The best one I have is the second hand shelta which tilts. Second hand it still cost me $100.
I’ve even wondered if fake turf on driveway would Keep it cool?
I’m glad you right this blog because more attention needs to be turned to the plight of renters who live without air cond, rat eaten insulation, poor security (I’ve been robbed whilst I slept with kids in beds) and no thought to amenities.
Any thoughts in my dilemma would be great but niot sure much can be done. Fixtures like carport, concreted groundedsupport poles no go. My other thoughts are pull out horizontal shade (like on caravans) but again a fixture and I’m sun would get under it. I’ve kooked into bubble wrap in windows.- classy!! I’ve looked into it all.
The best thing is to lock down whole house/blonds during day. But in day2/3? Nothing works.
Any thoughts would be great.
Think the row of umbrellas is best but will only work when someone home.
Is the fake turf idea ridiculous?
Hi Kate
It’s difficult to advise without seeing the layout / area. Western sun is best shielded with vertical shading elements such as external screens, blinds and landscaping. I’m not sure how fake turf would manage the radiant heat on the driveway. It may assist, but I’m not sure how durable it would be as a driving surface. A reflective adhesive tint on the outside of your west-facing glass may be helpful as well.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia – understood and thank you! Really appreciate you taking time to respond though. Kate
In Brisbane, would you say it is better to have a bathroom on the NW side or S side of a house? I am considering whether it is better to keep the current S orientation of a bathroom being renovated or whether to swap it with a small 3rd bedroom on NW side of house. Aspect is N /S (N at the front). Tiled roof chamfer board on concrete stumps highset. Gordon Park (near Lutwyche).
Hey Anita,
Bathrooms can generally work well on any orientation as they’re rooms you don’t occupy for long periods of time, and they don’t have big expanses of glass in them. So, I would be making your decision based on what you gain by moving it – if it’s to locate the bedroom on a better orientation for its use, then it may be worthwhile.
– Amelia, UA
Hi, if we buy a block that is east west facing in Melbourne, is this the best option for having a pool to maximise the sun? Or is it better to have South north to have north sun on it?
Thanks for your reply, Claudia
H Claudia,
Are you referring to east facing to rear, or east facing to street? I’d recommend listening to Season 1 of the UA Podcast for lots more information on how each of the different orientations work, and what to consider with each. You can start here … LISTEN HERE.
– Amelia, UA
Hey Amelia, Great post thanks for sharing solution for this problem it was worth the read.
Hi Akshay
Thanks for the feedback – glad you enjoyed the post,
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia,
Our block faces East( garden) front of house gets the West sun. We have been advised to build with bedrooms on the north wall and living areas and kitchen to the south. Alfresco on the east along the south side. I’m worried about the heat and the light. Also our bedroom faces west. Have I got it all wrong ? The builder seems to think this is the best option.
Thanks
Hi Fran,
It does sound like things are being placed in less-than-ideal orientation positions in your home (if you’re in the southern hemisphere). With a site that faces east-to-rear, you have a great opportunity to place living spaces on the north-east and get good natural light. I’d suggest listening to the podcast Season 1 – it will help you understand more about this. Season 2 then will take you through, room-by-room, what the ideal scenario is for orientation. I hope that helps!
– Amelia, UA
Hi there great article
We bought some land in Brisbane, 10meter wide lot favoring north and we are thinking about having the living areas at the south side with heigh wi does on the 2.7 heigh ceilings in the east side and Little windows on the west due to the heat in summer…we are going to have an enterence door with sidelight windows and floating stairs to allow the north light through the long enterence hallway and into the dinning and living area…
Does this sound ok?? What podcasts do you recommend me to listen too? Xx
Greer
Hi Greer,
I don’t believe that the strategy to gain northern light will sufficiently provide natural light to your living areas. I’d recommend listening to Season 1 of the podcast, and working your way through each episode to understand more about the various orientations. Start here,
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia,
We are building a new double storey home with the rear facing north west. It is open plan to the rear with the family and kitchen on one side and dining and outdoor room on the other side. We are unsure as to which side we should have the outdoor room with large bifold doors from family and dining areas. Left or right? Obviously we are concerned about the house heating up in summer (we currently live in a west facing home and in summer cannot stay indoors due to the heat!). We also would love your advice as to which side to locate the garage. We have designed the upstairs so that the main bedroom is at the front with windows to the right and the stairwell and upstairs living on the right also facing the north east aspect. We will have two bedroom at the rear of the second storey and not sure where it would be best to place the windows and also how to get the manage the heat gain etc in summer. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Hi Dee,
How exciting to be building a new home. I would suggest you check out Season 1 of the podcast, which has loads of advice on how to think about orientation and your home, and what to locate where. We’re also opening the doors to “How to Get it Right in Your Reno or New Home” in the next week. It’s a great way to get your questions answered, and feel confident about the design of your home before you start building it. You can find out more information about it here.
– Amelia, UA
Interesting article. I’m from the northern hemisphere so I had things mixed up a bit at first, and was disappointed when I realized that. I hate homes where the best views are from the south and west. The light is so harsh. I love the diffused light from the north. I’m of the firm opinion that it is the best orientation and have a hard time understanding how someone could dislike it.
Hi K
Thanks for your comment. Diffuse light is great, but in my experience, it’s more suitable for rooms such as studies and bedrooms. And it doesn’t provide any direct heat in the cooler months. For spaces such as living areas, I find you can create and manage shade when necessary so that the glare, harshness and heat of the natural light is managed when necessary, but you can also optimise its warmth when the climate requires it, so you have the best of both worlds.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia,
I live in Melbourne, Australia, I think I am lucky I bought a land that is south facing (backyard and living windows are facing north), daylight is important for me and I love my living areas and kitchen to be filled with light, I enjoyed reading you article, can I ask you for advise on this house design and if I’d achieve maximum natural light filling living areas ? please see the link for the house below:
https://www.porterdavis.com.au/homes/advantage/liverpool
Thanks
Hi Adam,
Congratulations on your new purchase. I’m not able to provide design advice in this context, as there’s a lot that needs to be considered in terms of the specifics of the site, and the home overall. I’d recommend checking out Season 1 and Season 2 of the podcast as they’ll contain great information to help guide you, and you might also be interested in waitlisting for “How to Get it Right” to access my support that way. Best wishes for your project!
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia
This is amazing content. what are your thoughts for rear facing SW in sydney . what should be design strategies to get the N lights for light and warmth in winter. Also I am huge veggie garden lover so what should be my best side in the backyard to have veggie patch or 1-2 fruit trees. would appreciate your help as I still have option to drop the land.
Thanks
Daru
Hey Daru
An orientation of SW to rear can be really challenging to work with – especially if you’re trying to choose a home design off-the plan (or have a veggie patch). You may wish to push the home right to the rear of the block so you have a useable, NE facing front garden, you can orient the home to. I would suggest listening to this season of the podcast as I take you through all the things to consider in much more detail.
– Amelia, UA
Hi Amelia,
Great article. We just bought land in Everton Park. Our orientation is north and the aspect is south (ie looking up from the street to the front door is north but the front of the house aspect is looking out to the city) so i’m thinking light from the back and in over the top will work. The conundrum i’ve got is how best to design the house – for functionality/flow (ie: ground level living therefore no view) or build the garage on the ground floor with stairs up to lvl 1 which is living and get the view – but than trying to stay within the BCC envelope for a 2nd level is tough.
Any advice?
Hi Cy
I would suggest checking out the podcast if you haven’t already, as there’s lots of helpful information there. This episode about how to design a new home or renovation when your main view is from the upper floor, may be especially helpful (there’s also a transcript) >>> LISTEN HERE
– Amelia, UA