In my opinion this is good for your north aspect. Living areas will not get hot afternoon sun. However the bedroom wing would get the west summer afternoon sun, so therefore, if you choose this design then ensure external shading and block out window treatments are installed. Thanks.

Thanks for that. Just to let you know, the plan was flipped. The living areas were on the other side. Was just wondering if this was a good idea.

also depends on your local climate and the block of land..check yourhome.gov.au

Thanks yes I’ve come across that page and it sounds a bit complicated to me lol. We have a warm and temperate climate here in South west Sydney.

It would be better to have the garage on the right, as it is those bedrooms would become overheated in summer, internal blinds won't stop the heat it just traps it in between the glass and blind, you will need external blinds to stop the heat, pergolas will help cheers

So do you mean the design should be flipped the other way?

How far off north is it? I know there is some leeway (10-15% from memory?).

Can you reverse the garage and master bedroom so that the bedroom also gets the benefit of solar orientation? I've seen articles recommending bedrooms on the south but the intention of that is to put the living spaces which are occupied during the day on the north. There is nothing wrong with having a north facing bedroom if you have the opportunity. You'd probably want a front window too but as others have said that will need external shading for the afternoon sun in summer.

thanks I didn’t think of reversing the garage and master bedroom.

See how it lines up though. I think the front door would then look straight down the hallway into the living area. Does the width of your block allow any flexibility?

if you flip the master & garage it will also improve the entry flow into the main living - never position a garage on the north if you can avoid it - it's a waste of prime natural light

what size block do you have, and shape

Its a narrow block- width 13.5 and length 30.7

Here is a preliminary site plan

Are there any stipulations, with block/development as to which side the garage needs to be? If not, I would do as macyjean suggested and swap garage and master bedroom. This would also mean that plumbing with laundry and bathroom is in one area.

No stipulations as to the position.

Wow thanks for that. Im not sure we can do such a dramatic change to the floorplan. I was just wondering if we should flip it etc,

We also quite liked the idea of a breakout area off the kids rooms rather than a separate closed off room. I like the small yard idea tho.

We didn’t feel the kitchen was cramped at all...interesting..

Thanks for your suggestions

the extra space near the kids rooms does look appealing but if you think about what furniture could be used in the space and all the doors the space is mostly used up by walking paths across the room

One of the things I like about oklouise's plan is the main bathroom arrangement which allows for different people to use to different areas at the same time. Did you particularly want one combined bathroom wc? I know some people like that but if you don't have a powder room somewhere as well it's not something I would favour.

The north compass bearing on your original plan is quite different to the north compass bearing of the site plan. Which is accurate?

It's important to get this right. A few degrees out is not a big deal, but yours look quite far off, which can have a big impact. For example, a northern aspect is great, as it allows winter sun, but it's very easy to shade in summer. But a NW aspect is bad, as it is very difficult to shade in summer.

I'm presuming your site plan has the accurate northern compass bearing.

In this case, your backyard faces approximately north. Which means this is not a great floor plan for you. As the northern aspect is wasted on bedrooms & the alfresco area (which will stop northern light entering your home).

It would be better to find a plan with some of the living area facing the backyard (north).

If the site plan is accurate, it means the sides of the house face approximately east & west. Western bedrooms are horrible, so position the bedrooms on the eastern side of the house. Position the garage, laundry & bathrooms (if possible) on the western side, to protect the habitable rooms from the hot summer afternoon sun. You probably want the alfresco on the western side, & due to space may have to have some of the living area on this side too.

I would presume that the site plan is correct then. so this plan would be better flipped the other way then? We are a bit limited with the floorplan options as it is a narrow block.

a straightforward flip is easy but is not necessarily the best use of the space

Could you pls talk me through the pros and cons of using the space in this way.? And perhaps what we could do to maximise the use of light etc, using this floorplan, for example adding skylights or using specificly designed windows or doors in certain areas. I suppose we are trying to make changes to an already exiisting plan which we like, to minimise costs of doing a custom design. Disclaimer: novice here, first build,

Also, here is the latest site plan pic. ( with regards to north compass mentioned above)

first thing to do is place the flipped plan on your siteplan with the correct orientaition so that the alfresco is in the NW corner on the top left and then it's easier to talk about north, south (bottom right) east (top right) west (bottom left) and we're all talking about the same thing..second discuss with the owners of the plan what changes are allowed and for what cost..remembering that you'll be spending hundred of thousands of dollars on the new house and it's false economy to economise on the most important decisions about choice of plan to suit your site...there should be some relatively small changes that could enhance the floorplan which might be available for the cost of decorative elements that can be added later but you can't easily change the house once built...push the house as close as possible to the south boundary to increase yard on NE side (for clothesline and narrow courtyard) think about views out the windows (and overlooking neighbours) and consider wide narrow windows close to the eaves for less overheating and more privacy for bedroom and bathroom windows on and think about furniture arrangement and walkways through rooms and access to the alfresco ... which end of the sliding doors should open to allow access and furniture on both sides of the walls .. adding a skylight over the kitchen should increase brightness in the centre of the house but if it were my house i'd want a separate toilet for kids sharing and guests and external blinds for the western windows and alfresco is the easiest means to exclude hot summer sun...if you could post another copy of the plan so that the dimensions can be read i will attempt a copy of the plan with some minor changes and furniture

I agree, hence me not being in a rush to finalise the plan as yet. Small changes are welcome. Will try to post another copy of the plan

based on site plan and approximate dimensions some ideas that you might like to consider especially the wider side garden on the north east side to create a narrow courtyard garden and space for the clothesline close to the laundry and also slightly larger garage and suggest locations for skylights in playroom, kitchen, pantry, wiw and hall although kitchne could be a ventilating skylight and you could use cheaper solar skylights (see illume or Arcol brands) in other spaces

Sorry i havent had the chance to post another plan with dimensions. Thanks so much for the ideas. and thanks for tbe effort and time..just wow

im just a little confused. i thought it was suggested to flip the living area to other side?

this is a copy of your original plan flipped to have the living areas towards north showing furniture and minimal alterations