Hi Jimmy South facing can be challenging, not only in getting natural light into interiors, but also because any additions you add will put your garden in more shade. Some work can be done to ensure that the interior is well lit naturally - as has been suggested. Be aware that the garden space will need to be designed also to deal with being shady and cool. I'm not sure where abouts in Australia you are, and if cold and damp winters are an issue. For example, this home faces south, and I designed an extension that popped up over the existing house with a clerestory window to bring northern light into a double height void within the new space. We got great light internally, but the garden was always in shade - so grass and plant selection was made accordingly. I know you're not planning something this significant, but think about strategies you can use to bring northern light - or even eastern light - down into your new extension. Perhaps you can extend lengthwise into the garden and pull it back from your eastern boundary, to get some morning light onto an internal concrete floor and provide some natural warmth in winter through thermal mass. I also recommend if you're planning lots of glazing (even skylights), that you look for ways you'll prevent heat loss in winter, and heat gain in summer. Skylights such as Velux sky windows are great for top lighting (you could again look at arranging your roof so that you can face the skylights east), and you can get them double glazed, with blinds in them for shade when required. Best wishes for planning your extension. These brick homes can be modernised so well, it's a lot of fun to see their transformation. You can see a late 1960s home that was my own renovation project here - we had a lot of fun and the transformation can be quite dramatic when finished. Regards Amelia Lee Undercover Architect www.undercoverarchitect.com.au amelia@undercoverarchitect.com.au

a real shaker would not have added anything that was not useful so tall storage might be useful but, remembering the space is only 30 cm deep, do you need to store that much shallow storage (maybe suitcases stored sideways?) we have high ceilings and the space above the kitchen cabinets has wall to wall 60cm tall windows which provides gorgeous light in the room (the other walls have no bulkhead because we felt it made the room feel over crowded...we do have a bedroom where we installed a dropped ceiling with bulkhead to overcome a height "problem" over wardrobes and are very pleased with the effect

Thank you everyone for your tips and ideas. Firstly, it is a bit confusing because the plan says 'study' (former residents used it as a study). Its intended purpose, and what we will use it for is a small dining room/breakfast nook. There is light from the study window, but most of it is obscured by trees. To pretty up the carport space I have planted some hardenbergias, but they are not doing great when a two-story house blocks the northerly sun. me me and fianou luca - I don't mind the idea of frosted louvres. It has come up in our discussions. I will have to research if it fits in with the aesthetic of our kitchen and mid-century windows in the lounge room. Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs - Unfortunately the door to the carport is unusable. It is over a metre drop from the kitchen to the outside ground and there is old plumbing around it. Bricking it up is non-negotiable. I like the idea of putting a window further down into the 'study', but only if we were to set the shed back further. It is food for thought in the future. Siriuskey - I think we are on the same page. I would love to set the garage back, however, that is way into the future. Thank you to everyone who suggested skylights. I would LOVE to add them. It might be worth getting a quote, but we need to draw a line in the sand for this renovation. After the kitchen is done, we need to redo our roof. Perhaps a good time for some VELUX! I am still really torn on what to do. I just blocked up the windows with some towels, and it is quite dark. It is hard to gauge because the walls are still up, thus obscuring light from the lounge and study. Will need to do more pondering.

the only mistake would be not making the best of what you already have.. it's a great house and the size and location of windows can help improve PSD ...YourHome.gov has lots of ideas for improving design for existing homes with less than ideal orientation but depending on your local climate "north facing" isn't always ideal for every room.. we deliberately built a south west facing room because it's good to have light in all rooms, western sun is great in cold weather and overheating is easily controlled with insulation and external blinds and a south facing room will be easily cooled in hot weather ... a highlight window in your rumpus room will help brighten the room and allow for easier furniture placement and shade cloth roller blinds on the outside of the alfresco can shade western sun from kitchen and family living and dining areas...good luck with your build and enjoy your new home