We installed this gas log fire in our B & B which has been very well received. We wanted to provide a warm and cosy environment for our winter guests. The wooden shelf above is beautiful wood, not sure what type and there are two cupboards either side, one for DVD's games and CD's and the other houses the technology. The flue is on the outside wall behind the fire place. It is very efficient and effective. It warms the whole apartment including a separate bedroom and kitchen. I would highly recommend this type of heater which is thermostatically controlled and so easy for our guests to use with a remote control.

Freeware like QCAD can work well if you know what you are doing. It is not purpose built for architectural floor plans though.

I knew of BAL but I had to google that one. https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/32488/Community-Resilience-Fact-Sheet-Building-elements-in-the-flame-zone.pdf Not related to that but if you don't have a plan yet hopefully you can make the most of orientation. So many questions are about floorplans which already have been designed and are limited in what can be altered. I find it surprising and disappointing that after so many years there is still such a lack of attention to orientation. Which part of NSW are you in, is the climate mild or do you need to design for cold winters as well as hot summers? You'll want to plan your landscaping for the conditions too. https://www.houzz.com.au/magazine/how-do-i-fireproof-my-outdoor-area-in-8-easy-steps-stsetivw-vs~129216102

Hi guys, thank for the suggestions. Here is a bit more info. The design requirement for the estate is min 450mm of eaves on all sides, except for the garage if it is on the south side. The movie (sitting) room needs to be min 4x4m. This area is all new so at the moment it is just land and a street that leads up to the corner. Most people in the area are building two storeys though, and the lot is next to a corner lot on the south side. The corner house could be like this, which means it may also be 90mm to their fence too: It is medium density housing area so most likely people will build right up to 90mm of the fence, which would be dark in the downstairs middle part of the house. Macyjean: You can't typically build over an easement, and the plan appears to show the garage beside the easement not on it, so what's the thinking with putting the garage on the easement side? Reply: According to the area design guidelines, if the garage is on the south side then it can be zero lot (no eaves) on the 1.5m boundary which will mean that there will be more space saved. 1.5m needs to be clear from the easement, including eaves. In the first diagram, there is 1993mm space (development team did it, they said it’s give or take space as it has yet to be built). Yes I am wanting to make amendments to the house (the ones that I can make) which will passively cool and heat, without going to the expense of a passive house. Macyjean: You've got a northern aspect along the longest length which is great, but to utilise that you need the house as far to the southern side as possible to make the most of the northern sun and avoid overshadowing by the neighbours. Reply: Does that mean there are no other ways to utilise the space other than to have the northern walls away from the fence as possible? I am wanting to research if there are any. If I look into westerly windows in the bedrooms, what would be the difference between double glazing and an external shutter? Macyjean: You need to think about the dining area windows too, of course you want light and to have a nice view, so landscaping might help there, such as deciduous trees. Reply: Yes I want to bring the outside in and frame the garden with the windows. Dreamer: I suggest you build a "C" shape house that has the backyard in the middle on the north side. Reply: That is a great idea to have a C or an L shape floor plan. The design guidelines require a 4m setback at the back so there will still be a ‘back’ yard and a courtyard. My husband is partial to narrow homes so I will need to discuss the positives. I have yet to find a C shape floor plan in the mainstream project builders so it might need to be created. The Master Suite will be redrawn so its 3x4m, if there is extra space I will try to convince that it is needed in the main bathroom (yes I agree it could do with another metre). I know a 3x4m bathroom can be seen as overkill for some but we saw a bathroom that we both loved and at the moment we will see if its ok to have in the house. Our current ensuite is 3x2m with toilet, sink and shower and it’s too small and dark for our liking so I use the main bathroom and the husband uses the ensuite. Dreamer: In your ground level design. Put the powder room and the laundry on the south side. You have a 1500mm easement, to utilise as the walk out, which is where your washing line could go. And the sitting room on the north side. Reply: The sitting room will be a theatre room so we thought that it makes sense to put it on the south side as it will be cool and dark in there. That’s why it’s a bit weird where the laundry is because in the original Hampshire 45, we reversed the back so that the stairs and outdoor room is on the north side ( so the stair window can be north facing, and outdoor room to get more sun). The outdoor room will be a vergola so the roof can be controlled and opened up in the winter (saw these Vergolas at the home expo and was super excited that it can bring in light to the dining area). Kate: First think is to work out your min offsets on all 4 sides at ground level and at 1st floor, noting setback requirements, How close can you build to edge of easement? This will be your max building envelope. You need to also consider the envelopes of adjacent properties so you can maximise your sunlight and protect from its loss as adjacent houses are built. You know you need to maximise northern offset and minimise to the south. Reply: The setback is 4m to the back and 4.4m to the front building line. We can build to 1.5m of the drainage easement, and 90cm to the fence on the north side. It would have been much easier if the drainage was on the north side, which is why I am looking around for some suggestions. Dreamer: So that does make it very tight, even though you have a step out on the street side. Reply: Yes I agree. Maybe an option could be to swap the layout of the ensuite to the main bathroom. In the original floor plan, the WIR is where the ensuite is and where the ensuite currently is, is a bedroom. Dreamer: This is another example of a home that is built to utilise the northern side being the length of the block. Home is built by Oswald homes. and is under copyright laws. Reply: Thanks for the floor plan from Oswald Homes. The guidelines say that the front door needs to face the street. It would be great option though. Oklouise: Reply: Thanks for sharing the floor plan. Is there a way to have the sitting/movie room min of 4x4m? Measurements are hard to see with low res image. With project homes there are some limitations with moving elements around (the stairs need to stay in position or reversed), so it would mean finding a floorplan with the stairs in that position and then moving other rooms around. KiwiMills: Thanks OKLouise, but her original upstairs, looks like a solid wall. Yours is much better. Reply: Yes I would look at adding some cross ventilation windows (1 or 2) to the north master bedroom wall. It will most probably face a wall which is why I would choose cross ventilation walls and have the main view to the front of the house.