Hi new to all this but thought I'd pass on some fan tips; Be very selective of the shape of the fan blades. They all look stylish but in my experience the flatter the blade the less air they move. We have now gone back to the original metal fans with the blades that bend at the edge, http://regencyfan.com/industrial, our fans are more stylish than the one shown (the blade shape is nice and clear in this example). Our weather in no where near as warm as yours I'd hate for you to make the same mistake we made, twice, before we learnt. Look at the fans motor size, some of the expensive and lots of the cheap ones have small motors that don't last long, unfortunately price does not dictate quality in this case so don't get caught out. My husband is a mechanic and this is one of his "things" when every we shop for electrical items (drills, fans, pumps etc.) always make sure the motor is quality and large enough to do the job and last. How may speeds. We have 8 fans in our home, one is in our extension and was purchased at a different time; It's low speed is realllllllly slow the next one is so fast it's like a cyclone and I'm not game to try the third one in case it dismounts from the ceiling. Be careful not to mount fans too close to down lights or you get a flickering effect caused by the blade passing over the light. Try not to mount the fan directly over the dining table as it will cause food to go cold. I'm with mydesignobsession when it comes to style/look I prefer visitors see my wonderful eclectic decoration then my ceiling fans! Good luck

We are going to have a walkthrough with our electrician before we buy ceiling fans, but I am interested in the forum’s views. Plan pics attached, we have a gas log heater for the open plan living/dining area. We want the fans to send the warm air back down.... I know I need to be able to change the direction from the remote, however do we put them as close to the ceiling where the hottest air might be, or have them on longer rods. The ceiling is also raked, so working out what the angle of the roof is in the middle of the room will make a difference too I guess? Thanks in advance

Thanks all for your advice. Ive included some renders that I made with view along the corridor with and without the bulkhead. I don't think renderst does it justice until you actual walk through @ frame stage. I agree that ceiling height and comfort and look, depends on climate, orientation, insulation, relative proportions of other parts such as windows/doors. Because of the Melbourne climate, we have planned for double glazing, and good insulation with R2.5 batts wall, R6.0 ceiling. We have 2.4m height of windows and door around the ground floor which is btw 3 to 3.6m so I think proportion wise should be ok. In the family where it was always planned 3.6m from the start, we have a band of clerestory windows too. We have decided not to be too excessive with windows ( ie 3m and even 3.6m floor to ceiling - how grand would have that looked though! ) to minimise heat loss during winter. Energy rating for house is 7 stars so far. Thanks for giving me the pro and cons - I have some more confidence to let it stay at 3.6m throughout now.

Hydronic (in floor or panels) is the most comfortable and cost effective heating option. No it's not "cheap" if taken on face value alone of installation cost, but when it's looked at as a long term investment it's a fantastic option for new builds. Depends on the longterm goals you have (for living in this particular house) and where your personal priorities lie in regards to comfort/costs/sustainability etc. Typically for in floor hydronic for standard house size it's probably ballpark $15-20K give or take depending. But if you consider 4x good quality split systems will equate to similar cost, in colder climate zones it really is a good option considering the quality of invisible silent and comfortable embodied heat as opposed to fan forced stratified dry hot air from an ugly visible fitting. Best of luck PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com