We are doing this right now, but a larger house. We went for a steel framed home. We have had fantastic support from the kit home company which has been invaluable. Have you built before? We hadn't. We did the roof ourselves, but would recommend outsourcing it if you have the budget. Get recommendations on all tradespeople if u are doing it yourselves. Our kit home company have been good here again. Get ready for the ride of your life, it's all consuming, but a real life experience!

woodlands is a sympathetic tone to the more heritage nature of the brickwork - black is cool, but arguably more contemporary - for what it's worth, for the time/effort etc I'd just stick/live with it - if you ever get around to reciting/repainting down the track then consider changing it - put it this way it's not going to change the value of your home one way or the other if it's monument or woodlands - we're debating shades of grey here, not stark contrasts ;)

Hi did you end up painting your house snowy mountain half with snowy mountain quarter on the trims? Are you happy with the colour? Does it look white or does it give off another tint? I'm considering this exact colour scheme for our Hamptons style house.

North facing living areas, nice. They should be heated by the sun nicely in winter. But I'd add a door to the northern end of the hallway. So you can separate the living areas, keeping them warmer throughout the day at this time of year. Western windows can be a problem in summer time. They are tough to shade, as the sun is low I'm the sky in this direction, making eaves quite ineffective. I was going to say flip the plan, so the garage, laundry & pantry wall bear the brunt of the western sun. But then the minor bedrooms would also cop that heat. If possible I'd redesign, swapping the master with the garage. Possibly also flipping the kitchen/laundry/pantry for the living area (I'm not 100% sure about this one)? In any case, I'd add low-e glass to any western windows, reducing their size, & possibly raising them, high under the eaves. I'd also incorporate a radiant barrier (reflective insulation) to western walls, particularly if the master remains on this wall. I'm assuming you've read the government's Your Home website. If not, have a good read, https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design