I wouldn't worry too much about resale value, get the house you want! A couple of stairs in there shouldn't be a worry for most people; the design and layout is far more important I think.

is there any option to allow NE sunshine into the living area...eg separate the garage from the house to create a sheltered courtyard?? move the personal entry garage door to near the pantry stairs for easier home coming with groceries, move the ensuite to the north side of the bedroom and where is the outdoor drying area?

I'm also wondering why your building setback is further then your neighbours..?

Hi LesleyH.

The TV will probably go on the NE wall in the living room without
blocking the view currently with one big window in it. We are thinking to replace the window with
two smaller skinny windows at the sides to accommodate a TV. But is there any
better places you can think of for the TV in the living area??

The size of the shower in the main bathroom is around 1000 x
900mm.

In terms of the fire setback from the boundary, it’s a very good
point. So far we have consulted with the council they indicated 900mm setback
from the two side boundaries and 2m setback from the rear boundary. BAL29 is
the level we need to be compliant for bush fire requiring fire resistant materials
to be used in construction. But no setback is required so far regarding to bush
fire. We need to confirm this again with the council just to ensure.

OKLouise

Thanks for the comment. Unfortuantly we are stuck having the garage in that location on the NE side. The east side is the road side and the driveway. The north side is the highest potion of the property so when you park the car you are on the same level as the living and you dont need any stairs to gain entry into the house from the garage. We had considered putting the garage under the living and hence your comment is then valid, but in doing so that would mean we have 2.5m of stairs from the garage up to the living area.

The idea of moving the entry door between the garage to near the pantry is a good idea~!

The drying area is difficult, we are considering on the north side between the garage and the bedroom since that is the north facing.

Andy Pat

Our BL in back from the neighbours since the neighbours property is a corner block and therefore under planning rules has a setback from the other road which is compenstated by a BL closer to the street of just 3.0m (corner block)

We have considered seeking council approval to get a BL that is a deviation to the rules so we can build closer, but we have been advised that the council would not likely approve.

what shape is the roof and ceiling could you have skylights or roof windows for more northern light in the living area?

oklouise

We are considering to have skillion roof with windows to let the northern light coming to the living area. The facade will be something like this

Thanks girlguides. I agree with you about the banging doors. I would like to replace some of the internal doors with sliding doors in our final plan like u suggest eg. the pantry and the laundry.

Is there any way I can have more storage in the plan??

the skillion roof and/or raked ceilings with highlight windows would be excellent to open up the living room, here's a few other ideas to consider and a window splashback for the kitchen would allow a view to the front garden

Typo in my last post. Third paragraph, first sentence. 'very high ceilings in your living areas'.

Also, I'd also definitely have a door separating your living areas from your bedrooms. That way you can choose to heat just the living areas in the evenings, not the whole house. Saving on energy bills, & help save the environment.

ddarroch

Thanks for all the
great suggestions. Pity indeed about the directions of the sun and view. Can't
change the profile of the block only can try to work out the best based on what
it is.

Very valid
points about the heating VS. clerestory windows. We are in the temperate climate
region which keeping warm it’s an issue in winter. We have thought about to
have low-e glass in the south facing side but looks like we probably need to
have double glazing in places like the north facing clerestory windows like you
suggest. No ideas how much more double glazing will cost but certainly we need
to include a fair amount into our budget.

Agree with having a door
separating the living from the back of the house like you said. Much better for
heating and sound insulation.

Again thanks a lot.

Wow oklouise thanks for the generosity of your time to draw it up. A window splashback is something we have seriously considered to have in our kitchen. You are almost like reading our mind :)

Something like this perhpas

Malvern Home · More Info

designing a house for SW views near Gerrigong winter chills with cold wind and driving rain was a problem so consider screens, shutters and partially covered pergolas for shelter from hot and cold for windows and decks

small world, i designed the house for a family member who still lives in the area

Thanks for all the
incredibly valuable inputs.

Any ideas
in terms of capturing and maximising this south-west facing view??

aim to improve the view within your own property, be flexible with height and width of window placement and consider style of deck fencing..some parts of the could be solid to screen out neighbours' roofs when seated and/or seen from inside and a deep hedge of various local native trees and shrubs (none taller than clerestory window on the red roof and selectively placed to screen neighbours and allow glimpses of the view and make sure your own roof's shape and colour doesn't interrupt any higher neighbours' views

is that all your land down to the fence? just trying to get my head around your floor plan above and the actual site..anyway, try and screen out the colourbond fence and the neighbour's roof with plants, trees. get your deck as high as possible! in the plans above, if you can wrap the deck around the living space would be cool. or a deck above the garage...sounds crazy but I think you've got to think like an architect...

i've got it now...move the garage to the other side, build the deck on top and the living space will get more northern and eastern light, less of the west...haha :)