Thanks once again oklouise for your comments. I have already been told by the draughtsman that I cannot put in skylights. No idea if this is true but he seemed quite sure and it was he who 'designed' the layout of said ensuite with what I consider a too small window because of ease of plumbing and drainage. He says that can be changed...............Supposedly only put like that to get the oversize plan in fir consent. This department is only interested in the outside view and the effect on the neighbours, which I actually dont have any. The positioning of the ensuite and WiR has changed too from the first plan as I had to come 'out' of my bedroom into a corridor past the WiR door and then into the ensuite. Technically they were both in my bedroom as had not entered the hallway but did not seem like it. So the wall you have now suggested for the door is a small lobby to the bedroom and I had planned to put furniture on it and a full length mirror. I will now look again at the whole space with three zones to see what can be done. I used the word solar tube as I thought that was the generic name for the 'tube' installed which reflected light into a room. Do they cause draughts? Have had no experience of them but will probably want to install one in my scullery (or Butler's kitchen) but am going to work in it a few months before deciding that. I am really quite a novice about function of installations and of building code.

In my early twenties I designed kitchens for my mother and two aunts (Uncle built them and they worked), but when it came to designing my own - had to fit a constrained space and no possibility of extension - I chewed my lips for ages - like Nicole, I drew and measured ad infinitum, and used graph book walls, views etc. I did one extra thing - which I think worked - I listed all that I wanted to store, and tried to analyse how I liked working in the kitchen. Some things I had to settle for because of space (such as a smaller dishwasher) but most of it has worked. We have a corner pantry, which I (and the cat, husband a bit larger) can walk into, but have not put small appliances in there - they sit in a large drawer beneath the main working bench, which also works well. It all looks good to me Nicole and thinking carefully about needs and how things work in advance usually results in something you'll be happy with. Good luck!

Hi guys, thank for the suggestions. Here is a bit more info. The design requirement for the estate is min 450mm of eaves on all sides, except for the garage if it is on the south side. The movie (sitting) room needs to be min 4x4m. This area is all new so at the moment it is just land and a street that leads up to the corner. Most people in the area are building two storeys though, and the lot is next to a corner lot on the south side. The corner house could be like this, which means it may also be 90mm to their fence too: It is medium density housing area so most likely people will build right up to 90mm of the fence, which would be dark in the downstairs middle part of the house. Macyjean: You can't typically build over an easement, and the plan appears to show the garage beside the easement not on it, so what's the thinking with putting the garage on the easement side? Reply: According to the area design guidelines, if the garage is on the south side then it can be zero lot (no eaves) on the 1.5m boundary which will mean that there will be more space saved. 1.5m needs to be clear from the easement, including eaves. In the first diagram, there is 1993mm space (development team did it, they said it’s give or take space as it has yet to be built). Yes I am wanting to make amendments to the house (the ones that I can make) which will passively cool and heat, without going to the expense of a passive house. Macyjean: You've got a northern aspect along the longest length which is great, but to utilise that you need the house as far to the southern side as possible to make the most of the northern sun and avoid overshadowing by the neighbours. Reply: Does that mean there are no other ways to utilise the space other than to have the northern walls away from the fence as possible? I am wanting to research if there are any. If I look into westerly windows in the bedrooms, what would be the difference between double glazing and an external shutter? Macyjean: You need to think about the dining area windows too, of course you want light and to have a nice view, so landscaping might help there, such as deciduous trees. Reply: Yes I want to bring the outside in and frame the garden with the windows. Dreamer: I suggest you build a "C" shape house that has the backyard in the middle on the north side. Reply: That is a great idea to have a C or an L shape floor plan. The design guidelines require a 4m setback at the back so there will still be a ‘back’ yard and a courtyard. My husband is partial to narrow homes so I will need to discuss the positives. I have yet to find a C shape floor plan in the mainstream project builders so it might need to be created. The Master Suite will be redrawn so its 3x4m, if there is extra space I will try to convince that it is needed in the main bathroom (yes I agree it could do with another metre). I know a 3x4m bathroom can be seen as overkill for some but we saw a bathroom that we both loved and at the moment we will see if its ok to have in the house. Our current ensuite is 3x2m with toilet, sink and shower and it’s too small and dark for our liking so I use the main bathroom and the husband uses the ensuite. Dreamer: In your ground level design. Put the powder room and the laundry on the south side. You have a 1500mm easement, to utilise as the walk out, which is where your washing line could go. And the sitting room on the north side. Reply: The sitting room will be a theatre room so we thought that it makes sense to put it on the south side as it will be cool and dark in there. That’s why it’s a bit weird where the laundry is because in the original Hampshire 45, we reversed the back so that the stairs and outdoor room is on the north side ( so the stair window can be north facing, and outdoor room to get more sun). The outdoor room will be a vergola so the roof can be controlled and opened up in the winter (saw these Vergolas at the home expo and was super excited that it can bring in light to the dining area). Kate: First think is to work out your min offsets on all 4 sides at ground level and at 1st floor, noting setback requirements, How close can you build to edge of easement? This will be your max building envelope. You need to also consider the envelopes of adjacent properties so you can maximise your sunlight and protect from its loss as adjacent houses are built. You know you need to maximise northern offset and minimise to the south. Reply: The setback is 4m to the back and 4.4m to the front building line. We can build to 1.5m of the drainage easement, and 90cm to the fence on the north side. It would have been much easier if the drainage was on the north side, which is why I am looking around for some suggestions. Dreamer: So that does make it very tight, even though you have a step out on the street side. Reply: Yes I agree. Maybe an option could be to swap the layout of the ensuite to the main bathroom. In the original floor plan, the WIR is where the ensuite is and where the ensuite currently is, is a bedroom. Dreamer: This is another example of a home that is built to utilise the northern side being the length of the block. Home is built by Oswald homes. and is under copyright laws. Reply: Thanks for the floor plan from Oswald Homes. The guidelines say that the front door needs to face the street. It would be great option though. Oklouise: Reply: Thanks for sharing the floor plan. Is there a way to have the sitting/movie room min of 4x4m? Measurements are hard to see with low res image. With project homes there are some limitations with moving elements around (the stairs need to stay in position or reversed), so it would mean finding a floorplan with the stairs in that position and then moving other rooms around. KiwiMills: Thanks OKLouise, but her original upstairs, looks like a solid wall. Yours is much better. Reply: Yes I would look at adding some cross ventilation windows (1 or 2) to the north master bedroom wall. It will most probably face a wall which is why I would choose cross ventilation walls and have the main view to the front of the house.

Hi Souzette, Front loaders look great but can be a pain, We still like to soak things in the sink and getting anything like a sheet into the machine if it's not next to the sink becomes messy, so seeing that we try to avoid using the dryer we have the washer next to the sink Our preferred way to dry things most of the year is on the clothes line or on the retractable line we have above the bench and in front of the window But then we all do things differently, and you live in a colder area. Did you finish the original bathroom FYI The following link shows how to change the door on an Electrolux machine, not sure if it works on any others https://www.cnet.com/pictures/switch-your-washing-machine-door-to-the-other-side/11/