the gas pipe is easy and cheap to extend in a new build and the splashback window works best with a view but it would also be good to have an eye level view into the rear garden and the trees

Thanks SK. Yes, I wasnt too happy about the room opening to the kitchen either, but thought there wasnt any other option, until now!

Yes, that's what we were trying to achive OKL. Is there a minimum height you recommend for the glass window style splashback?

The ceiling height is 2.7m on the ground floor, and we could possibly sacrifice some overhead cupboard height if it means a better view outside. I'm going to ask the designer to make the window a bit longer on either side, as its facing north anyway.

Splash back windows also work beautifully opening up to a narrow side passageway, especially to the east for morning sun, this also gives new life to these spaces if fences are tricked up and planted to create a lovely outlook. By moving the kitchen you would have a large wonderful outlook to the rear of the property to watch the kids and also a quick response time which you will learn about. cheers

Thanks dreamer, that's perfect! YOur kitchen looks awesome - I love how the windows wrap around the corner as well, without having a gap in them like most do. Will base mine on the same height as well.

Yes SK, I know what you mean. Will run this idea past my partner as well. I like the idea of planting some narrower trees along the fence to create a sense of space along the narrow sides. And it does make a lot of sense, given the back has a bit of open space. Thanks again.

Also be mindful when working out the height of the splash back that you don't see any neighbours houses just the garden cheers

having 2.7m ceiling height means extra space needed for the stairs and will further cramp access to the front door, kitchen and retreat and is not good value for cost in the restricted spaces...for the splashback window the height is governed by what's on the counter and what style of overhead cabinets you prefer....the bottom of a rangehood for an electric cooktop needs to be at least 60cms above the counter and a standard counter is about 90cms off the floor allowing about 60cms of height for the splashback window, including all the necessary framing (raising the cabinets will make them too high to be useful without a ladder) but the bottom of the cabinets with the frame around the window would be about 1400cm off the floor and means that average height adults would need to bend down or be sitting to see further than the ground ..another option with a 2700cm ceiling could be to have a narrow horizontal window above and below the cabinet (ie splashback between 90cm and 1500cm, highlight window between 2100cm and 2700cm and a row of 60cm tall cabinets between 1500cm and 2100cm) but the extra expensive structure needs careful planning

Yes SK, will speak to my designer to ensure that doesnt happen. Thanks.

Thanks OKL for the lengths. Will note these down and speak to my designer about getting it done this way. It's all well and good to have it looking nice, but if its not useable, it defeats the whole purpose.

With the narrow double windows, do you mean something like this?

I love the look, but wondering if that would fit a 2.7m height? The ceiling in the picture looks more than 2.7m (or maybe its just me)

Great Example Simon, one wall would be enough though to save the budget

the picture of the narrow double windows looks like the highlight windows is different in height to the splashback window which looks only about 45cm tall with the rangehood at 60ms above the bench and wall cabinets about 75cms tall

The highlight windows and the splash back don't need to be the same size, I actually think it will look better anyway cheers

thanks SK and OKL. I do love the look, but concerned about how this may blow out budgets, especially if it means raising the ceilings to match. Will speak to my designer.

Thanks for all your help. Every one of you is awesome!

keeping the ceiling at 2400 will be the best cost savings

The reason we opted for 2.7 was to make the space seem a bit larger. We thought it would make it a bit more 'open' especially in the tighter odd shaped corners, and a bit cooler in summer. It's only the ground though, top floor is 2.4m

I agree with OKL to keep the 2.4 ceilings save your money. What is happening with this design is what too often happens when quantity over quality takes over and more is better!, not so.

There's too much being squeezed into a small space and the sloping walls don't help with this. I could suggest that the downstairs Guest/Master becomes just a Media Room with big doors(which can be used as a bedroom anyway) with no need for a WIR and Ensuite just add a powder room to service the ground floor and any future Pool cheers

I love your comment Simon, the 2.7 ceilings to help make the odd shaped corners not feel so tight, try to remove as many angles as you can to help fix this

thanks SK. Yes, that's going to be discussed heavily with the designer. I'll try to get rid of any odd shapes as much as possible. thank you

Just another very very rough idea, sorry but I think this would work really well, the media room which are very popular these days could also be a play room for children plus taking day time naps, and any guests. with great access to a mudroom and powder room from this and garage.

The kitchen where it is but straighten it up with a lovely big island, stacker doors to the Alfresco from both the kitchen and living (coming together in the corner works really well cheers

Thank you SK. I really like the stacker doors either side - It'll make the space seem larger as well as capture some nice sunshine given they face North anyways.

I also like the media room concept (I'll probably make this my man cave lol) if it gets past my partner. She's quite determined to have a bedroom downstairs (I have no idea why) haha.

Thank you for the suggestions, These will really come in handy when discussing with the designer. Thanks

a Multi Purpose room downstairs is ideal for an occasional guest bedroom or media room and anyone who has cared for small children will appreciate the convenience of a playroom and/or daytime sleep room with nearby bathroom and laundry

yes OKL, I think that was my partner's intention now that I think about it. I didnt quite look at it that way. I'll have the designer make the robe a standard size and try to work around the odd edges (maybe cupboard spaces from near the garage side for vacuum, etc). Thanks for your insights.

Thanks OKL. Yep, I'm going to print all of these options that you guys put together and have a conversation with the designer. Thanks again for your awesome suggestions!

Have you got a full site plan to share? At a glance/flick through it seems you're on a tight site - is this correct? If that's the case a few issues but generally There's something awkward going on there and it's not the site - my feeling is it's the design solution not making the most of the opportunity and when you'r're dealing the these types of things is ALL in the planning and drawing attention away from the down falls rather than highlighting them. In this case all the angles are screaming "I'm on a tight site and I can't for the life of me work it out to make it fit elegantly".......If I were designing it I'd be endeavouring to streamline/clean it up so that 1. not a single square inch is wasted and 2 if you have to embrace the angle it's consolidated/pulled on to a single simple line that anchors back to a straightened up spine. I'm all for angles - i love using them, but this IMO is a less mature design that accentuating the site challenges rather than exploiting them to an advantage, making them disappear with an elegant solution....when you look at siriuskey's home, there are only two elements of the building that acknowledge the site angle, the majority is straight and what happens is that the site boundaries create the interest and the building design naturally controls the challenges - and that's why it's so good..... The other point I'd make is the upper level need not replicate the building perimeter of below exactly. My advice as always is design from the inside out before you define the building form. Do this as an exercise: wipe off all walls and windows and just deal with the functional internal elements, then work back and wrap the building around them - then you're designing to the function within the site context......if you want me to help you out further please feel free to contact me directly - PD :)

Good to hear from you Paul, this floor plan needs big changes in my opinion it should be so much more for Simon, I actually think it's a great block even with it's angles, I hope Simon gets in touch. cheers

LOVE ok's last design! Simonsays, with dimensions of 4100x4000 for that multipurpose room, you could easily install built-ins to make it function as a downstairs master if your partner is still keen on that. The dual access ensuite seems like the most efficient use of space, and ok's design has ironed out those odd angles.

Thanks all for your valuable input. Lots of ideas to have a realistic conversation with my designer around how we could get rid of the odd angles.

Yes Paul, the site is a bit restrictive hence the need to angle it a bit awkwardly to start with. And coupled with a row of trees on the left hand side (neighbours side) further restricted the space. But As OKL and SK correctly suggested, I'm going to speak to my designer to reconfigure some of the rooms to remove the edges as much as possible. I really like OKLs las suggestion around having the alfresco in the middle rather than corner. Thank you for your advice about designing from inside out. I'll keep that in mind, as I must admit I have been working the other way around haha

Thanks dreamer for taking the time to provide measurements for the kitchen window. And because there's actual photos, it makes it so much more meaningful than numbers on a piece of paper. I love how you also took the time to provide containers to gauge against. A massive thank you :)

Yes Nicole, The dual access ensuite seems like a much better use of that space. And it also makes that room a bit more flexible when our needs change later down the line as you suggested earlier. It also removes the odd corners, which is an added bonus!

Thanks heaps to all of you!

no dramas simonsays.........site restrictions are par for the course in this gig - it's not about the restriction, it how the design responds to it. This is what sorts the men out from the boys so to speak....you get an experienced designer on the task, the site restrictions and challenges are expertly dealt with and "absorbed" within the design that if done well, should either be exploited to a design advantage or reduced to being inconspicuous and not an issue......last tip I'll throw at you - reconfigure the whole thing into a right angle design so that the the building follows the alignment of the boundary top of the page and then straight down to the angled one that the current living room is hard to. That will get rid of any angles except for that that the boundary defines....do that and you're on your way...and it will be so much better and more cost effective to build...double bonus :) ;) PD

That makes for a much better simpler floor plan Paul, our garage was designed on an angle with the rest of the build a right angle, clever Architect design cheers (why do some make it so difficult)

Thanks Paul. Agree, that would make it so much easier to work with, thank you for your valuable insights. Your tips, along with OKL and SK's suggestions have now given me a much better understanding of the possibilities amidst the restrictions.

Thanks again everyone!

Having just seen Paul's post which makes total sense, I have just been working on a few ideas for you to consider, they can be considered in what ever plan you end up with, your head must be going around in circles but better now than after the build.

The entrance is glass with door which has a small wall set back into the living space, I have a neighbour that has this which also includes a rectangle cut out at eye height so that you can see through the house if you want, I love it.

The Stairs, the Stairs! if you go with the mudroom with second fridge and food pantry and total under stair storage facing into that space it will give you great extra storage.

A two way fireplace, not sure what your climate is or what style you are wanting

If you like the open MFR with study the under stair storage would face into the dining, look forward to seeing what you have after your meeting with your designer. cheers

SK, you are absolutely right in saying "your head must be going around in circles" but again, spot on - rather now than after the build.

Thank you for taking the time to make another sketch. Love the idea for a 2-way fireplace, but I may have to check budgets on that one initially. But definitely something to look into later (I'm assuming it wont be too hard to add one later down the line).

Lots to discuss and plan with the designer, now that I've got a better understanding (thanks to all of you). Thanks

Wow, SimonSays, you've had so many comments. Lucky you! Though I'm going to be a bit lazy, & only skim them. So hope I don't repeat too much.

Seems like it's a tight challenging site. Hence all the unusual angles. Angles equals expense, so as Paul says, try to minimise these & accentuate those remaining.

Firstly, I think I've worked out the orientation, but where are you located? That is, what's your climate like?

Looks like bed 1 isn't your master, good. Because NW is a horrible orientation for a bedroom. So now it's a guest, multipurpose room. How often will it be used? It could get very hot in there, unless it's shaded by another structure. Same with one of your beds upstairs, a NW window is far from ideal. Much better if you can somehow incorporate a NE window in there instead.

As for that downstairs NW room. So you see it being used regularly? Much better to have your laundry & bathroom facing this aspect. Have to admit I hate internal bathrooms with no ventilation, so I'd be trying to getting it on that NW wall somehow.

Maybe even part of your alfresco could face NW. Currently your covered alfresco takes up a very large proportion of your northern aspect. Usually not a good idea, & it robs your house of sunshine in winter. Much better to have the sun shining through those northern windows at the colder times of the year.

Read more about this here, focusing on passive solar heating, & getting the orientation right.

http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design

Edited: link & typos :)

Generally it just feels like your living areas are quite south facing. It's much better if these are north facing. Maybe the multipurpose room could be moved to the south east corner? Although your entrance is tight. Maybe the stairs could be moved to the west?

Thanks ddarroch. Located in Melbourne, and you're right in the NW not being the ideal direction for the room downstairs. Although my partner was quite determined at making that the master bedroom I'm sure she'll come around later and have that as a multipurpose/guest room as the others have suggested.

Will also look at the possibility to get the bathroom on to that wall as you suggest. You're right, it would be nice to have a window to it if possible. And will also speak to the designer about if we could reposition the alfresco as OKL suggested a couple of posts above yours to the centre, to let some of the NE sun into the house as you suggested.

Yes, the stairs will be reconfigured to a straight one as many suggested. The current layout just takes a lot of space, and contributes to the odd shaped layout.

Thanks for the link. I figured you meant http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design (your link was incomplete). Will read through before speaking to my designer. Thanks again.

Simon, I never considered that your alfresco was under the roof line as DD suggested, instead of that I would look into using Vergola opening pergola for this it's perfect for controlling light and weather

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x6b0d5685b13afa8b%3A0x84129cd25d5b9dc8!2m22!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m16!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!2m2!1m1!1e6!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPLLi1sFRF8mxyg5YNJ13jd9CT7rs9lw_0Audr8%3Dw240-h160-k-no!5svergola%20-%20Google%20Search&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipPLLi1sFRF8mxyg5YNJ13jd9CT7rs9lw_0Audr8&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8w5jTlpjbAhUEa7wKHYJXDDkQoioI5gEwDg

Thanks SK. I was just browsing some of the other topics on this site and came across this one https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/what-kind-of-roof-dsvw-vd~5313366

I had no idea what a vergola was until then, and thought this could work well in the alfresco area. The next thing you suggest it! love it haha. Thanks SK

they are extremely good at giving you winter sun and controlling the summer along with great ventilation, I have a great friend who has this, I'am still saving for it and the very long pergola to fit it into. The first picture could be exactly what ours would look like cheers

Last piece of advice simonsays - never "assume" anything - more often than not people sorting through this stuff on their own misjudge, either in under or over estimating what's involved, incorrectly thinking that it will be either easier or harder than it actually will be to achieve whatever it is......you need to define your various project requirements/details etc as a starting point, and have clarity on what aspects are more or less important for you. This also must include your budget BEFORE you put pen to paper working through the design solution...so if you want a 2-way fireplace, consider it now, and factor it in within the process of working through the costs (which should be occurring simultaneously.........also, remember that "design" is a process, working towards an outcome, which as always is about resolving project requirements to budget within a particular context/conditions.......the project outcome, whatever that is, will be very much determined by the design process and the extent it is invested in and executed....hope this all helps and best of luck with it all :) PD

Thanks SK. Yes, I'm definitely going to put this on the list of roof options and hopefully be able to afford this. Makes the space much more versatile and usable all year round.

Thanks PD, "Never assume anything" - very wise words indeed. WIth the fireplace, I do love the idea and definitely something I would like to have down the line. I will speak to my designer around the approximate cost to include this in the build at this stage as you suggested, rather than wait for later. Thanks again!

even if it was just framed up in the build for easy installation when you win the lottery

SK, did you mean not have the open/close bits but just the frame during the build (if I run out of budget for the full system)?

I was talking about the fireplace, just another thing. Yes I would build the frame pergola with the build,or after as it won't really matter it might just work out costing less then instead of after but before that I would have Vergola give you a quote along with measurements. (taken from you final Plan!! In my experience these are all individually measured but you would need to know what size timbers for the frame to hold the Vergola system, so please you love them too, has to be more cost effective than covering the Alfresco under the roof? What style of house to you like?

Yes, that's a really good idea. Once the plans have been finalised I could get some quotes and compare the extra premium over a standard laserlite (for example). If its not that much more, could get the vervola to begin with. The same with the fireplace, if it works out to be less stress to do it in one go, if budget allows.

We haven't quite got to the facade bit yet to be honest. Our initial thinking around the "Havanna" style Metricon has in their range, in a darker grey themed brick.

Be prepared for the difference in price of Laserlite and Vergola, totally different product cheers

Thanks SK. I'll budget a bit more to try to get the vergola in during the initial build rather than later, as its obviously better than a standard laserlite. I'll probably have a better understanding around actual costs once I get to that stage anyway. Thank you for your advice.

Another idea to reduce costs is to have only two bathrooms and not three, if you are set on a downstairs bathroom I would be looking to make combined 3 way bathroom upstairs instead of two you can still have your WIR cheers