There are so many variables to your questions that it is impossible to answer. Whereabouts are you? A house in Tasmania will need different responses to the climate than one in Queensland. Are you on a slope running down to the river? Why are you limited to a rectangular plan? Could the house be angled on your block? The careful design of eaves, window proportions, courtyards and the planting of deciduous trees can often overcome some of the aspects of a challenging orientation on a site, but so much depends on the floorplan. You may be best to engage a local professional who understands designing for your climate (who should also know the direction of the cool summer breezes).

plan carefully and enjoy at leisure watching your view. Ideally you want your rear garden facing North for entertaining at home. My house faces north so I am trying to plan an entertainment area in the front yard tricky. Large north facing windows are lovely to collect winter sunlight and heat. PS cool breezes in SA come from the South off the antarctic. Plan your house to achieve cross ventilation to reduce the AC load.

The theory of North facing living areas warmed by the sun does work and quite well in most cases. It does depend on where you live as noted above Tasmania vs Queensland. I actually find North facing living areas way to bright as well as quite inconsistent sometimes. Nice in winter though...

However it all depends on where you are, your views as noted, etc. A cool summer breeze can come from any where or not at all in some cases.

A good designer usually a local will know the area and climates (micro climates) as well as come up with a workable design. Doesn't need to be an architect as the only option as theres plenty of superb building designer and draftsman turning out exceptional work equally as well.