Quite a dilemma. Upstairs 1. Plantation Shutters. - You would have to investigate motorisation options for the cathedral portion of the treatment as you would need some way to open and close them. Periodically they would need a dust and/or wipe which is problematic given the height of the upper cathedral portion of the windows. 2. Split Verticals. Custom made verticals for the cathedral portion of the windows above the existing curtains and verticals replacing the curtains below. Once again motorisation would be an option up above, but verticals are not going to provide the same block-out and insulation benefits that plantation shutters would provide you and would present the same challenges (re cleaning), and aesthetically would not be as pleasing imho. 3. If you are able to still purchase the same curtain fabric as is currently in use across the bottom of the windows, then fixed cathedral curtains could be an option. 'Pinch' or 'Pencil' pleated curtains on a fixed track or headboard. This solution affords you the benefits of salvaging your existing investment in curtains. An important consideration is that the fabric be fully washable and/or dry-cleanable. The solution while still requiring some ladder work is much simpler and efficient when it comes to cleaning as removing the cathedral curtains from the tracks is a three step process - take down, wash/clean, put up. 4. A heavy tint of the cathedral portion of the window would seem an easy and would provide some insulating benefits in relation to heat but not so for cold. Depending on where you are this may not be as much of an issue but that is a lot of window surface area that is currently inflating your heating and/or your cooling bills, so an important consideration in whatever solution you turn to is going to be whether there is a positive return of your investment in terms of reduced heating and/or cooling. 5. Option five presents possibilities of a hybrid solution maintaining elements of your existing curtain investment, but adding a 'look' that would not sacrifice the cathedral portion of your windows to being permanently blocked as is the case with option 3. Of course, a lot is going to depend on the place of your doors and from close examination of your photograph it looks like you have two sets of doors either side of would make this solution impractical, if not unworkable. This is a good example of the application of fixed cathedral curtains with the use of tie-backs affording the benefits of aesthetic appeal and without relegating the upper gabled windows to being permanently closed. Downstairs Downstairs, there would appear to be more options. Closer examination, however, indicates that you have two doors either side of centre. The question then becomes what sort of doors are these? If they are simple sliding doors, or are they bi-fold/stack-a-doors? The options for downstairs could include: 1. Roman blinds. - Thermal lined Soft Romans. The issue with Romans is going to be whether or not you have the room above the windows to draw up the blinds so that you down't have to duck to go outside. Romans typically will draw 30cm/1ft from the top of the window. - Having the room above the windows to facilitate a higher mounting position would allow you to treat the entire window with Roman Blinds as an option in keeping with your open plan living and an implied desire to move away from curtains. 2. Curtains, Curtains, Curtains! - I would have to agree with @chookchook2. Curtain window treatments can be very modern and complete your vision of a modern open plan space. Modern fabrics with bold colours and/or patterns used with or without sheers and using either decorative rods or a single pelmet (box cornice) to tie together the curtains and provide added balance in relation to the shape and form that is projected by the window treatment when viewed from within the downstairs area. Overall, you have simply wonderful, though challenging windows. I would have to agree with @jbantick that 'best' and 'economical' do not usually run together well in the same sentence. Depending on your location, the benefits of reduced heating/cooling costs by selecting a window treatment solution that is going to produce a positive ROI over time should be considered before ruling out a more expensive options.

I personally think that it is overkill to get an architect because you think that the orientation of your home is difficult. Its not. You could be wasting money getting advice that is not required. My own home has the heart of the house - the kitchen, facing north. This is ideal because we spend a lot of time here and it is great in winter with slow cooked food in the oven, using the oven to warm the room while also getting any winter sun that is available. My best advice to anyone is to have a home with doors in it; open plan is fine for people with money who can pay for double/triple glazed windows, insulated walls etc and elaborate air conditioning systems. Most people need to think about how they can get the best out of the money that they have available and being able to close doors to keep rooms cool or warm is to me, essential to the fuel economy of the home. So your orientation to me is what is often recommended - it certainly isn't east west. Just use trees correctly to help insulate your home even further.

Firstly, describing a blocks orientation, just be aware that the terms "facing" & "frontage" are often confused. Usually the term "facing" is used to describe the direction from the house to the backyard (as this is often the direction the living areas will face). So a north facing block actually has a southern frontage. Before talking about the ideal block (with regards to orientation), lets talk about the ideal house. Note, these are generalizations, & will be affected by your location, & local climate. The above website tells us, that for most Australian climates, the ideal house shape is rectangular, stretched along the E-W axis. That is, the longer sides of the house will face N & S, the shorter sides will face E & W. We also learn that it's beneficial to locate living areas (& a large proportion of your glazing) to the north, where they'll be warmed by the winter sun, but shaded in summer by appropriate length eaves (when the sun is higher in the sky). As glass is a poor insulator, a lower proportion of glazing should face S. Southern windows will cool the house in winter (as they will not receive sun). When the sun is to the E & W it is lower in the sky, so eaves become less effective. So a lower proportion of glazing should face E, & W facing glazing should be minimised or eliminated (as hot afternoon summer sun can make a home unbearably hot). W facing bedrooms are particularly bad, & can become unbearably hot on summer evenings. So how do we find a block that accomodates a rectangular house, that is not overshadowed from the North? It's often possible on a large rural block, but not easy to do in an urban environment, where blocks often have narrow frontages. So compromises often have to be made. A southern frontage block, with a north facing backyard, is the most sort after block. This is because a living area facing north will also face the backyard, offering privacy (your husband will be happy). This type of block also reduces the chance of being overshadowed to the north. But as mentioned above, urban blocks are often long, with narrow frontages. This limits the length of the northern & southern sides of the house, increasing the length of the east & western sides, which is not ideal. Our rectangle doesn't face the ideal direction. So it's great to have a large frontage, building right out to the side boundaries, increasing the length of the northern & southern sides (& reducing the E & W sides). Also care must be taken, that an alfresco doesn't rob the home of northern sunlight (north is not an ideal location for the alfresco). An eastern or western frontage isn't bad, if you're happy to locate your living areas facing north, down the side of the house. But this can cause privacy issues, so is not for everyone. Also, for narrow E or W frontages, it's likely that northern living areas will be overshadowed by northern neighbours. So, again, a wide frontage is ideal, & it's a good idea to build close to the southern boundary, & have a side yard to the north. This will prevent overshadowning. One advantage with a western frontage, a large double garage will block western summer sun. An eastern frontage home can have a large W facing alfresco, which can help shade the home from western sun. For a similar reason, a northern frontage usually not a great idea. This is because a double garage will block northern sun, making the house dark, & cold in winter. For a northern frontage block, sloping down to the road, it may be possible to have the garage under the house, so that it doesn't block northern sunlight, but as you say, sloping blocks will increase the cost of the build (though it may be an interesting build). I've just described the four main compass points. Moving away from These complicates things, making it harder to shade windows. I'd certainly steer clear of NW facing living areas, as NW facing glazing is difficult to shade, & will become very hot in summer. Note also, that designing for local breezes & cross ventilation will complicate window placement a little more. The direction of summer cooling breezes in Perth is very different from breezes in Sydney. To your other question. As mentioned earlier, glass is a poor insulator. So, if you plan to use a lot of glazing to highlight views, it is best that the views (& the glazing) DO NOT face south. You'll have a cold house in winter, or very high energy bills, or will have to pay for very expensive glazing to minimise the heat loss. It's much better if the views (& the glazing) faces north, as long as the glass is shaded in summer (appropriate length eaves will do this. So for me, the ideal block (which would be very hard to come by), would be a very wide southern frontage block, with views to the north. Living areas to the north, bedrooms to the south, garage in the SW corner. So yes, if you can, I'd hold out for a block with views & the backyard facing north. Though there's compromises with every block.

Hi canan_ef, if north is at the front, why is the front room closed off to the rest of the home. Why can't you make this your living area, open to the kitchen and dining room, and alfresco. Having a separate lounge room at the rear of home. Therefore taking full advantage of the northern sun. In your original brief, you have mentioned an office. In your new design I can't see one. The toilet downstairs in your new plan, is not private. oklouise plan, shows the laundry and pantry are better placed for everyday use. Upstairs, a separate toilet is always better for other occupants. In your master bedroom, the robe and ensuite are too far apart. For a big room you will be spending time walking from one to the other. Again oklouise plan is a better use of space.