As for your other question about hydronic heating. Firstly, are you considering hydronic panels (radiators) or hydronic underfloor heating? Each has their advantages & disadvantages. But be aware that the water temperature for panels must be significantly higher than required for underfloor hydronics. I'm assuming by "solar" you are talking about solar thermal (evacuated tubes or panels), & not solar PV (electric) panels. In any case, solar thermal is not really advisable for hydronic heating, for a few reasons. Firstly, hydronic heating (like any space heating) requires a lot of heat. A normal sized solar thermal system (of 30 evac tubes) may (or may not) be enough to heat you're domestic water in winter. But it will not be enough to heat a hydronic system. Not even close! A solar thermal system this size will need boosting to a very, very high level. Even a very large solar thermal system with over a hundred tubes will most likely require boosting. Secondly, hydronics operate in winter, when your solar thermal is performing at its worst. If you put in a very large solar thermal system (sized to operate hydronics in winter) what do you do with the vast quantity of hot water produced in summer? Waste it no doubt. Finally, solar thermal is expensive to buy! Installing a system sized for hydronics would be stupid expensive!! Even for a system sized for just heating domestic water (30 evac tubes/300l tank), the current thought is it's not worth the investment, & you can get much better returns on heating your water with solar PV panels. Solar PV is only getting cheaper & cheaper, & once your water is heated the electricity produced can be used for other purposes, or exported to the grid. For houses without good solar access a heat pump domestic hot water system can be a good idea. So for hydronics, as solar thermal isn't worth the investment, what are your options to heat your hydronics? Gas boiler. Expensive to run, bad for the environment, but cheaper to install than a heat pump. A heat pump. A more expensive to install, much better for the environment, much cheaper to run. Particularly if coupled with a large PV system (even better if a large buffer tank is also used). A "wetback" water jacket wood fire system. Appropriate away from suburbia, though a lot of work (or cost) to keep it fuelled. Personally, if I was going to all the effort & expense of installing a hydronic system I'd like to think I'd take the green option, & heat it with a heat pump. It would cost though!

Hi canan_ef, if north is at the front, why is the front room closed off to the rest of the home. Why can't you make this your living area, open to the kitchen and dining room, and alfresco. Having a separate lounge room at the rear of home. Therefore taking full advantage of the northern sun. In your original brief, you have mentioned an office. In your new design I can't see one. The toilet downstairs in your new plan, is not private. oklouise plan, shows the laundry and pantry are better placed for everyday use. Upstairs, a separate toilet is always better for other occupants. In your master bedroom, the robe and ensuite are too far apart. For a big room you will be spending time walking from one to the other. Again oklouise plan is a better use of space.

the original question was to add more light to the kitchen and i've also reduced the overall size without losing any of your preferred features but it's still a very generous house with options to reduce more if necessary...my suggestions include changes that simplify the main roof and uses a simple "flat" roof over the alfresco with panels of lazerlite the most economical way to avoid too much inside shading or an adjustable flat alfresco roof the best option to allow winter sunshine and summer shade and Velux roof windows and/or Solar Skylights would be a worthwhile investment to add more light and/or ventilation inside but, ..unless you already have a 24 seat dining table (about 8m long?) i suggest that three 8 seater folding tables would be more flexible and allow for more intimate occasions and i've added an optional storage area in the garage that could be useful to store extra furniture and there's also plenty of inside storage ..it's such a good size block of land that there should be space for a driveway and parking area on the east or south sides and plenty of space for a pool, the north window in the master ens could be converted to an external door and i've added a small hallway to separate the rumpus room from the master suite..the first plan shows the house on the block with furniture and the second plan omits the furniture and shows the simpler roof shape

We put a covered, insulated long roof on our north facing outdoor area adjacent to indoor living spaces (in a manner much like yours) 20 years ago. We have experienced 20 grey winters inside our home since then with lights on constantly by necessity, but the summers are fantastic with the inside well sheltered from heat. To some extent we consider this the lesser of all possible evils, but winters are not fun inside. We put a skylight in the alfresco roof which - because of a steep roof pitch - allows some light inside in winter, but not enough. Have you thought of turning the alfresco 90 degrees so that some sun can enter the home easily in winter? A deciduous vine on a pergola over the exposed windows could shield the house in summer. This newly exposed space could be garden or decking without a roof. BTW, I would definitely stay away from indoor skylights - even triple glazed ones let in far too much heat in summer. I have met so many people who regret their decision to put in even a very expensive and supposedly heat proof skylight - a number who now clamber onto their roof every summer with bricks and a tarp to cover the skylight. Some who’ve given up on taking it down in winter - such a waste of money and what an effort! I’ve heard solar tubes provide light without heat but they don’t offer the beauty of a Velux style skylight. Good luck with the build. And may I suggest you reduce walking distances inside - you want to age-in-place gracefully, if you can. EDIT: Looking at your plan again I realise you have 2 windows (one on either side of the alfresco) that will allow northern light inside in winter - assuming the alfresco is due north, which I think you said earlier it is. This is MUCH better than the situation we have - ALL windows (actually 2 x long bifold doors) are covered by the alfresco roof in our situation. You are starting with better bones than we had, even if you change nothing. I would make the window to the L on your plan a door (if it isn't already), to really maximise the light that enters there. The window to the R is in the kitchen, so not much you can do there, except perhaps go for the largest window possible. So perhaps this is not in need of a massive change??