Go to a building design draftsman. They have an amazing ability to see things differently to us mortals. Will do smaller jobs without the extra cost of an architect. Some savvy interior designers can also do that. Make sure you find someone with a good reputation for design skills

Hard to tell how it was constructed without being on site. Any good builder or designer could inspect and advise. I've designed similar but it was due to the slope of the site. The kitchen, living, dining and deck was 3 steps down from the remaining house. It would of had to have extra fill and concrete, etc. so it worked out better. Could be a similar situation here perhaps? Although sunken living areas were very popular years ago........

I personally think that it is overkill to get an architect because you think that the orientation of your home is difficult. Its not. You could be wasting money getting advice that is not required. My own home has the heart of the house - the kitchen, facing north. This is ideal because we spend a lot of time here and it is great in winter with slow cooked food in the oven, using the oven to warm the room while also getting any winter sun that is available. My best advice to anyone is to have a home with doors in it; open plan is fine for people with money who can pay for double/triple glazed windows, insulated walls etc and elaborate air conditioning systems. Most people need to think about how they can get the best out of the money that they have available and being able to close doors to keep rooms cool or warm is to me, essential to the fuel economy of the home. So your orientation to me is what is often recommended - it certainly isn't east west. Just use trees correctly to help insulate your home even further.

once our homes are allowed to heat up it's very difficult to cool them down because heat from warm air allowed in through open windows and doors is stored in the walls and floors and then released back inside the house as the outdoor temperature drops ..this heat sink effect is fabulous when you have a good sunny day in cold climates but challenging when we have extended periods of hot weather and especially challenging in your hot climates where homes need to be lightweight to minimise this passive heating effect and outlook and orientation need to be different than most advice available about these effects (which is usually aimed at retaining heat in cold climates). We have ceilings fans and cross ventilation in all major rooms, high windows with electric openers to increase the stack exhaust effect, maximum insulation in roofs and walls, double glazed windows, insulated internal window coverings and solid internal doors to restrict heat movement, wide eaves and/or verandahs and have substituted more lawns,trees and gardens for some paving but windows on the eastern side still allow sun to heat the house from early morning and windows on the west increase the effect till late evening and we now plan to install adjustable vertical screens on the outside of windows and verandahs to increase shading.. living in a cold climate we already have heating but we are now considering upgrading our heaing to include reverse cycle air conditioning but we're hoping the new screens will avoid the ac..good luck with your challenges