If the best views are to the south your downstairs toilet and bathroom may have these best views? At the very least the rumpus should have the views with access to the deck areas.

Kitchen is ok.....but not great. Bigger pantry maybe needed, fridge closer to the working area's of the kitchen, bit more space around the island. Aim for 1000 but no more than 1200 unless you have too many chefs....

Upstairs ensuite is to big with too much wasted space. Reconfigure to have a smaller ensuite and have remaining as a study, parents retreat, another bedroom......

Have another look at the staggered walls upstairs too. They may look impressive in plan and on a 3D rendering but in practice furniture layout will be a pain. Too much wasted space that will never be utilised. You can keep the effect of staggered walls with half as many but will work better and look just as good (if not better).

Hi, I assume you have also taken into account the BAL rating for your house? We are in WA and just found out we are BAL 40 (bush fire rating) Basically this restricts many of our building materials, roofing, decking, windows etc. For example the glass panels on our windows cannot be over a certain size. Most likely you are aware of this but thought i would mention it just in case, as you will have restrictions.

BAL40 is actually not to bad. FZ is the difficult one, in particular budget....

BAL40 roof is same as the lower ratings. If using metal roofing we use a foil backed blanket of 75mm/80mm thick. Which is almost the same as a roof not in any bushfire prone area.

Windows are better than standard as they are to use thicker toughened glass and better seals. The gaps need to be quite close but this is good for energy efficiency anyway. There are size limits on glass which there is on a standard systems too.

Decking is too be non combustable so no timber. Can have timber handrails though.

Building materials need to be considered but masonry is ok as is some FC weatherboard.

Theres quite a few other standards to meet but many are met due to existing building codes.

Hi "theomoors"

It is a great opportunity to live on forty acres just North of Melbourne, I congratulate you on your purchase, I can understand why you are looking for all possible ideas. You have a very "ample plan" with lots of living areas which I'm sure you intend to make great use on long winter days.

There might be a way of planning the same areas and make some of the spaces slightly more efficient and still get a good result, and reduce your running costs a little especially heating in winter. You might like to consider placing your furniture on the drawing, this will give you a greater understanding of space and circulation and where you might need to reduce or enlarge to obtain a better result.

Also you might like to look at your L shape Plan design, it does not really take advantage of the North orientation and the views, (especially for the rumpus and upstairs areas) its seems a pity considering that you have 40 acres of land and not take full advantage of Orientation.

If you could manage to re-look at your design and try a liner design, then your rumpus room and the rest of the living areas would take advantage of both orientation and views. (I think Evirotecture has mentioned this design issue)

Also the massing of the whole structure seem to have more of a "large corner suburban block feel" to it, rather than a "a rural feel". You might like to look at something with more balanced proportions, both in plan and elevation might give a greater feeling of restfulness to the design. At the moment the design seem to remind me more to a outer Melbourne northern suburbs rather than rural design.

Looking at some of the existing rural houses on any Google search might give you a point of reference.

As you have a northern entry with some steps, you might consider developing this a little further to give a welcoming feel, considering that this is how you see your "property on your return home" when you are tired, you want a welcoming feeling. Maybe a detailing the front (elevations and Views) with larger drawings might help in this pursuit, even it you have to use decking materials that are highly fire resistant to meet fire requirements.

I like the way you have planned the kitchen, the island bench with a butlers sink and a full sink behind with a full butlers pantry seems to work well. The circulation space around of 1000 is slightly undersized 1200 is generally the preferred space if you can afford it, I make mine never less than 1100. Also you might consider the space between the hot plate and the sink, about "one working station" (about 800 to 1000) and the hot plate the same distance from any wall seems to work better than greater distances..

Closet space for linen, hanging of clothes while ironing, brooms, vacuum cleaners, freezer/s, shopping trolley, and all the other knickknacks that make up a family seems slightly under-catered. Maybe an inventory of existing storage might be a help in coming up with requirements. Also the fixed size space for the fridge can sometimes be a disadvantage as size and function of fridges tend to change, and it might reduce your capacity to upgrade later on, straight line space might be a better solution. The laundry, and that section of the kitchen might need a slight redesign so as to incorporate a more flexible result.

It would be a good idea to show the position of Water tanks, hot water heaters, solar cells and storage, wood storage for the fireplace (BAL requirement in some states), air conditioning units & pumps, and all other mechanical equipment. These items relate to the house design and can be highly visual, and sometimes may require specif placements which may influence the placement of windows and doors and can be pleasant or unpleasant when viewed from certain perspective, so taking them into consideration at this time may avoid later issues. Also you have not shown vehicle storage and circulation in relation to the site which may influence the design directly.

You might also consider a "Mud Room", I can see a relatively good size deck from the laundry and rumpus room which might help, but if this is not well sheltered people tend to be lazy and bring the mud inside rather that change shoes or clean up as required.

A good size mudroom might help to store boots, raincoats and other heavy gear often required for every member of the family, in a small farming environment. You might like to combine this with a "pet area" considering that you might have a dog etc. that forms part of the household.

There are other areas that you might like to look at in relation to fire requirements and sizes of glass especially in your first floor areas. It might worth while, if money permits the use of fire-shutters at least in the upper areas.

New homes are definitely a grueling exercise, but it is always easier and cheaper to change a design than the building. I hope my comments are of some help, I wish you the best in your en-devour, and look forward in seeing your final design proposal.

Regards - Michael Manias

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This is an enormous house, but have you got the best out of that space? You haven't said how many people will live there, but it looks like you're allowing for three children and room for a guest? All that space and three bathrooms is going to be a lot to run off solar and rainwater. Think about what you actually need the space to do, and then work out from there. That might mean a much smaller house than this. For rain collection, the more roof you have the better. Why, then, are you building a second storey? Yes, there's the view, but is it completely lost at ground level? If it is, take the house up on stumps, Queensland style! I'd have all your bathrooms on the western side, as that's where it gets hottest - and what room needs heat more than a bath room?

Think about heating and air flow. You say you want a cathedral ceiling, but that fireplace is going to be working overtime in winter to keep the living room warm if your ceiling is at double height. Where does the wind come from? Which rooms get a breeze in summer or an icy blast in winter? A verandah to the north will mitigate heat in summer, but measure the width to allow winter sun in from early winter to spring. It could actually be fairly narrow if you allow for that, so don't plan the verandah as a living space.

And what is that completely separate lounge for? An office? Library? Mancave? Have a use for every room. Think, too, about opening up the east where you currently have the fireplace, which I'd turn ninety degrees to put on the south wall. The morning light is too beautiful to ignore!