Old post but thought I'd update. We have finally moved into our forever home and on occasions, obviously in winter, we still have crying window (sob). We have the wet windows on the south side of the home which is the shady side so not unexpected but also on the north side where we still get lovely warm winter sunlight streaming in and I still do have all my windows slightly cracked open and it does help. Incidentally I have glass bricks in our bathroom on the south side and there is no condensation on this window at all. Our home has insulation in both the exterior and interior walls and we have double insulation in our roof, so factor 7 unlike the usual factor 3.5 not that it probably has any bearing on the moisture issue. We have a 1.8mtr wide veranda surrounding the entire home so the windows are some what protected from the elements but when the temperature gets fairly low and can be almost zero in winter, it seems impossible to prevent this crying window sindrome but I can live with the fact it is fairly easy and quick to remove with a Karcher window vac now, brilliant little machine at $99 and it only takes a few minutes. We have an exhaust fan in both bathrooms that is vented outside so the moist air does not go into the roof space and in fact even my rangehood ducting is vented outside too!! We even had condensation in the roof cavity as well to the point of having a rainforest up there but since fitting another whirlie into the roof making it three in total now, it appears to have almost entirely eradicated that problem. I can say catagorically now that crying windows are a very difficult problem to eradicate in very cold climates where obviously the inside of the home being heated at night is going to create the perfect conditions for the condensation to settle with the inside being far wamer than the outside and there in lies the problem which canot be changed. I have blinds and curtains that I close ever day before dark but it makes no difference. As I have aluminium windows and doors throughout, so no timber anywhere, it isn't such an issue for damage but annoying none the less but life goes on and I do so love my beautiful new home!!

wow....it's beyond disappointing when you're let down such as how you have described......very much highlights the challenges and inconsistencies associated with the industry......I met with people just last week who had described a similar issue with a previous architect completely stuffing up the roof pitch on paper...it happens, and the human error risk is high, and it's a fine line between a smooth ride and something that completely unravels......... We put high emphasis and value of informed decision-making at all points of the process - what I think is confusing for people with this stuff is that it's (a) not that simple and (b) there are responsibilities required of BOTH the client and the designer. From our observations over the years we've been doing what we do, it's clear that at times the right information is not being dealt with or being sought or is missing or underestimated, and there's a lack of understanding and clarity as to the extent of who's responsibility is what on both sides and how the whole process is most effectively pursued and tied together in order to minimise various risks along the way. There's a whole lot of person/company "A" relying on information/advice from person/company "B"....I suppose as a designer we see ourselves (for the projects we service/take on) as somewhat as a "general manager" to the whole process to help direct and work towards specific outcomes for clients.......but it requires careful attention to detail and a thorough approach that ultimately translates to time and cost - and this is why it's so hard to compare professionals and weigh up value/costs because you're not necessarily comparing apples and apples.......we believe there's actually only one way to do it, and that involves proper investment in competent professional service.....any Pro design service that seems cheap/low is probably arguably not worth it at all......however you invest properly in a thorough service, with a well matched operator (for the project/client) with proven results, well it's by far the best way to protect your project investment..... But i can totally understand your healthy caution in how you go about things and I think it's about understanding these projects involve a great deal of collaboration and the level of communication and working relationships will very much influence the outcome one way or the other

siri - re boundary construction it of course depends upon the specific context - the issue in this case is the site fall and being on the high side there could be potential issues of building heights from the NGL on the neighbour's side....my comment was also in respect to considering a terrace structure above a close to boundary structure and complexity that would be thrown up with screening and structural offsets etc.....and this is sometimes worth pursuing where space is tight, however I'm anticipating here there is a fair bit of room to move and I'm guessing (an educated guess based on limited contextual information provided ) that a more cost effective/simpler option on a number of levels will be to (a) keep things off the northern boundary and (b) minimise renovation scope and consider a strategic rear extension that focuses on master bedroom zone and cleaning up the main living zone - if the majority of the existing spaces are retain structurally and limit renovation to cosmetic upgrades then the budget will stretch a lot further but net result is a more valuable property - and a more cost-effective value adding proposal that on paper is more likely to be accepted for finance.........this is always a integrated numbers game/exercise We're working on a job at the moment that we crunched numbers on various options & scope/configurations, but the two "shortlisted" of them were very similar - one slightly more expanded and pushing out to boundaries, the other more tightly disciplined, simpler and deliberately keeping building extension off boundaries. Whilst both of the shortlisted proposals essentially accommodated/covered the client's requirements outcomes, we estimated approx $100K accumulative difference one way or the other........

Thankyou so much @ddarroch I so appreciate your input. I am by far no expert and have very little understanding of what is logistically going to work so your suggestions have really made a big impact on the way I am seeing the plan work on site. Firstly, yes, the plan was inspired by a passive design. The house will be off grid so it is important for it to be designed in an energy efficient manner. We would like the living pavilion to have a concrete floor and the bedroom pavilion to be timber floored. This is to maximise the heat stored in the floor in the living by the wood fire heater with the mind to transfer the heat throughout the house with a ventilation system. We live on the NSW South Coast so we are a moderate climate and the block itself is sheltered by thick trees on all sides but the south. Would you suggest North facing bedrooms or south facing? The plan was for the North facing windows in the bedrooms to be highlight windows. I love the idea of shortening the house exterior by putting the living in front of the bedroom pavilion to save external cladding and hallway space. Thankyou. I will also take note to further insulate the western wall. The idea was to have a skillion roof on both parts of the house, toward the south in the living wing with highlight windows to allow the north sun in and angled to the north on the bedroom wing (with a flat ceiling internally) to maximise the north facing roof for solar. I will also heed your advice regarding the location of plumbing. Thankyou again. I really appreciate it.