Hi eleanorgreen1 Love the house, as others have stated above "great little hat" on the house, Good slope on the roof and great veranda for breezes and sleeping outside. I would be delighted if someone asked me to design a house in NT and I came up with that design. There is a few things that I can suggest and I hope they are of some use. 1. If possible I would dig a trench next to the perimeter of the slab of about 600 wide and 300 deep and fill it with pebble and gravel stones. This is to remove any excess water that may come of the roof (connect it to your drainage system - or lowest point of your block) and also to reduce the possibility of termites and other small critters coming through into your house. Termites do not like ground that might move as they build a tunnel in front of themselves as they proceed forward and any "gravel" or water of any kind they tend to avoid. (Love the termite mounds by the way - fantastic landscape design - at no cost). The CSIRO has fantastic information on termites - I don't think the trench would keep snakes away - hate the little critters! - Taipans - those horrors follow you home. 2. Providing a topping to your slab externally might improve the look especially on the exposed veranda - but the topping should have some form of "non slip" surface - maybe with some carborundum in the mix so that it might not get very slippery when wet. However I think plain concrete if finished with 'hard topping" is an excellent solution. 3. Love the idea of "Screens" but they will have to be securely fixed as they become missile in high winds. 4. I can not see any water tanks or solar energy equipment on the photos - I just wonder if this could be an advantage in your situation. As you have some very large verandas I wonder if large garden pots, something to the size of 800 round and 800 in height, these could still be moved but may break up some of the straight strong line of the house. Even two or three would do he trick. I would paint these with a strong colour to give a focal point and arranged strategically around the veranda. 6. Defining the entry to the house might also provide interest. I think it can be done with the large pots and also with a maybe a little bit of tilework and some form of path leading to the entry. 7. Painting the elevation that contains the entry a different colour might also brighten the place up a bit. I would not paint the whole of the elevation if its the long longitudinal side - just the central part up to a defining area like the first two windows. 8. Some nice landscaping at some distance from the house to be enjoyed from the veranda view might also help (Keep the termite mounds - they look great) There is no plan and no north point so its a bit hard to comment further especially in relation to orientation and internal plan layout. I think you have a great house and some subtle design improvements will make it even better. I would be happy to comment further on this project. Best for the future Regards Michael Manias - mm407p@gmail.com - web: newhomedesign.com.au

It shouldn't be as cut & dry as having to change ALL the window spec. When energy ratings are done well specific windows can be identified as needing either higher or lower U values in order to comply, depending upon their size and orientation. Yes glazing spec is often the pinch point of whether the design gets over the line one way or the other, but there is always play available. For example I recall on a particular project the original windows design involved a certain spec and cost of windows. With some strategic size reductions across certain windows, say about 10-15% overall (in a way the really didn't make a huge difference to the design or light quality), we were able to reduce the glazing spec that resulted in about a 25% reduction in the windows price. Most energy raters are accredited specialists only in this regard, there are only 8 classified categories of "building practitioners" (builders, draftspersons, surveyors, inspectors. quantity surveyors, engineers, etc) so unless you happen to find someone like a registered builder or draftsperson who is also accredited for energy (most aren't these days) AND has the expertise to develop the type of performance solution report of an energy rating nature, it's going to be a challenge for you. Most consultants I know are one or the other but not both I know that this guy used to be a registered practitioner, but may not be anymore www.surfcoastenergy.com.au Any you could try http://www.greensphere.com.au - he's my go to energy consultant Good luck! PD

Agree, you need to stop the sun from getting to the windows in the first place. It’s too late once it hits the windows for efficient heat reduction. I had these installed on my top storey west facing bathroom window. The difference is incredible. No more melting toothpaste. https://www.luxaflex.com.au/products/awnings/metal-louvre-awnings?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Search&utm_campaign=BrandGeneric2022&utm_term=MetalLouvre&campaignid=16241591224&adgroupid=128612479170&adid=582463979920&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvY22zvrr-wIVyDUrCh2qOQ16EAAYAiAAEgL0bvD_BwE

Hi JS, just read your comment. It's such a grey area with the bidet seats and not much help from the VBA apart from regulations and a standard fact sheet! Bidet's unfortunately aren't cheap to install if following correct plumbing regulations with backflow prevention. I wrote a blog on it to help my clients a little while back I hope it's helpful, otherwise my team are always happy to chat about the reasonings and can chat about your project/bidet seat if that helps? https://mccarthyplumbinggroup.com.au/can-i-install-a-bidet-myself/. Short story though, if regs aren't followed its an illegal install and not insured.