cost and bigger houses might be the reason for ditching anything seen as an "extra" and maybe because of smaller blocks and the emphasis on Northern aspects where verandahs might encroach on available space when many homes plans now include alfrescos ...but, when building to take advantage of western aspect, a verandah with adjustable screens on the outside could provide shelter from hot sun without losing the views..we've used vertical shade cloth to screens the worst of hot sun in several western situations but the shade cloth can also block cold wind and warm outdoors area in cold weather ....i've seen various plans where walls are angled away from due west, windows added in angled bays or smaller window used to focus the views with less overheating than the standard full window walls....we recently completed a small house that has a central breezeway separating two parts of the building and the opening at back and front creates a cooling breeze without being exposed to the worst weather and can be enclosed with simple roller doors in early morning or late afternoon ..we're also very happy that our electric fire shutters have a similar effect and can be kept closed in the morning and late afternoon and opened as sun moves away...best of luck finding your design but keep in mind that difficult sites can provide opportunities for much better design and would be well worth investing in an experienced professional to help guide your decisions but: is your site a suburban block or acreage?

West is beautiful, that sunset orange falling on your inside wall is really great.

It does get really hot though.

You need to play with deep verandahs plus extra sunshadings you can manually adjust to block the heat temporarily.

Add shading is the key, and use a shutter with timer like Okl suggests.

Great, thank you. Lots of good points here. The site is a rural farm. Big cleared paddock so lots of freedom with design, size and landscaping. We plan on planting lots of trees but they could take a lifetime to grow to provide any significant shade.

Do you have any pictures of the shutters?

Certainly plan on seeking an experienced professional but finding it hard as there's not a lot of examples out there.

Would double glazing and superior wall and roof insulation (or the best type of construction material) be the main areas to spend money on to combat heat? Or do you think good design beats everything?

good design should always include appropriate insulation and windows..check out myhouse.gov.au for ideas for your area but please don't use a suburban house plan for a rural site...using verandahs, covered walks, less restricted building shapes, different levels, carports and courtyards can help take advantage of the best aspects of your site and lots of sheltered spaces around the house will make it more comfortable indoors and out...our window shutters look like garage roller doors with a box above the window that the shutter rolls into on the outside (or some can be installed inside the eaves during construction) standard ones are available at the major hardware stores (ours are fire rated but don't look any different from outside) we've also used a steel shed to build a rural house (custom made to A1 residential home standard) and i think that's been quicker and easier to build in an isolated area and your early research should include a visit to your local council (or their website) to clarify the sewerage, water tank, phone and power requirements before you begin planning the house and i also encourage you to install a driveway with a lockable gate and generous parking area covered in heavy gravel to cope with concrete and delivery trucks, earthmovers etc and if possible include a small storage shed with a water tank, port a loo and some basic supplies so that you can camp on site and we used owner builder for our most recent project but if you also have to earn a living and look after a family that can be challenging and worth the cost of a professional to save your time and worry

you will also need a detailed survey showing the contours of the block to help identify best location and orientation for any buildings

Double glazed will still feel the heat if you don't combine with aircon.
I recommend triple glazing. Doesn't make sense why its not popular here.

because of the cost..but double glazing used to be more expensive so hopefully triple glazing and thermal break windows will become relatively cheaper and all the windows don't have to be the same as different types of glazing can be used to suit different window orientation to improve thermal impact and using the BASIX simulator can help understand how different windows can improve energy savings

A combination of double and triple glazing sounds like a good idea.

We're still in the scope/design phase and then our tight budget might dictate some of the other elements.

It appears from what I read that you are looking for architects that understand the problems you feel you have with your site. We would like to offer you a custom designed house using our AMAZiN HOUSE modules. Each module is 6m X 3m and you fit them together like Lego blocks. 2 persons with no skills and with just a spanner and a screwdriver can construct a module in 2 days. A 3/4 bedroom 2 bathroom house with double garage requires 12 to 14 modules... less than a month to build the compete structure. Then add services. Cost: roughly $10,000 per module + GST and freight. depends on size of windows and inside materials. Next to no painting!

The building will be fire resistant and can be fire proof! 6 Star energy rating, no concrete, no cranes...…. no kidding. Get in touch and we will send you some plans and images to suit your needs.

Geoffrey Fulton Architects Fulton + Salomon E: thearchitect@internode.on.net Tel 0438619424

PS Happy to talk to anyone about AMAZiN HOUSES.

Hey now thats a good idea. Looks spacious there on the plan

Sasha! Our AMAZiN HOUSE modules will satisfy your needs and your budget. Give me a call if you would like to talk.

With regards to a difficult site., it's no problem to AMAZiN HOUSES. But a bit of extra cost.

Sasha, so you have an image of the building envelope you can use? How big is it? As it's a rural block, so you have a bit of leeway trying to orientate your home correctly?

I'm assuming that by 'west facing', you mean the living areas must face west? That is the long sides of the home will have west & east? If this is the case I'd recommend the bedrooms face east (& south). As you really don't want western facing bedrooms, as they can get extremely hot on summer evenings, just before you go to bed. In this case it's better to have the living areas to the west (better than bedrooms anyway), & north if possible. As northern living areas will be lighter, & warmer in winter. I would definitely consider a western verandah to shade western living areas. Possibly with western deciduous climbers to offer shade in summer, allowing light in winter. Planting larger trees to shade the home from the west of possible.

If, by 'west facing', if you mean a western frontage, this can be ideal for passive solar design. With the long sides of the home facing north (living areas) & south (bedrooms). But this is a more urban setup for a western frontage. I guess in a rural setting the home usually faces the frontage, ie. you already a wide home, not a narrow home. If this is the reason the home will face west - ie. not because of a limited building envelope, but so it faces the driveway - I would certainly reconsider this approach, orientating the home (& living areas to the north).

oklouise has tried to link an extremely useful website, but for the link wrong I think. It's the Your Home website. A government website about building sustainable energy efficient homes,

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/

I'd recommend reading it all. But start with passive design & orientation, to get your head around orientating your home correctly if it's possible. Then read up on design for climate, to see what's appropriate in your climate (if you're inland you probably want to have higher levels of internal thermal mass). Then continue to read the rest. There's extremely useful information in there.

As for the talk about double glazing, people wrongly assume that double glazing helps with western sunlight. It doesn't! Neither does triple glazing!!

Double (& triple glazing) are effective at combating conduction. ie. heat flowing from warm air to cold air (in this case). So it's good for keeping heat in, when the site is cold outside, or the heat or when the site is for outside.

Double (& triple glazing) are not effective at combating radiation, that is direct sunlight! The sunlight passes through the second (& third) pane of glass in much the same way as it passes through a single pane of glass. So the sunlight will pass through the glass unimpeded. Double can actually make matters worse. Once the room has been heated up by the sun the double glazing will stop the flow of heat (by conduction) once it's cooled down outside.

The best solution to limit heat from direct sunlight is to shade windows with external barriers. Shutters, louvred sun shades, vertical awnings, trees, deciduous vines etc. It's best to stop sunlight actually teaching the windows.

If however you are after a glazing solution for this problem, double glazing is not the solution. You want to look for a window with a low SHGC (solar heat gain coefficient). Low-e glass is an option for this. Just be aware that there are mixed reviews of low-e single pane glass, as the low-e treatment is easily damaged (will be protected in double glazing).

The Your Home website I linked above had a section on glazing that should be useful.

Sorry, ow see that the western aspect is due to the slope of the land. So you have a contour map for us? An imaginative architect may be able to come with something to limit that western aspect, or protect the home from its effects.

Not difficult or expensive to limit the adverse affects of a westerly building face, particularly on your site.

I use low-e glass. Not really blocking heat much.