option one has bigger bedrooms instead of the longer hall space but we have to assume that the stairs over the hallway is above door height 2100 so i would box in under the stairs to create a flat ceilinged deep doorway (with or without a closing door) but a proper cross section of the plans would help understand the head height under the stairs but i'd be surprised if there will be a problem with 2700 downstairs ceilings (although a lower downstairs ceilings actually needs less steps)

Thanks OkLouise. I appreciate your response. I am leaning toward that option because the upstairs bedrooms seem to work better. Do you see any other issues with the floor plan?

your plan feel very spacious and well planned and only other suggestion (subject to planned storage) would be to think about the piano or a study nook under the stairs or at the end of the kitchen bench and the heater placed at the laundry end of the living area for a little extra width for more flexible furmiture options for the living area but it should be a very comfortable family home..best of luck with your new build

I quite like opt 2 but the stairs at ground floor are shown to come out at the norther end where they start at ground.
My bigger concern is the size of the rear living space. As highlighted by the furniture plan it is very constrained by that big hearth, I would delete it. Whilst it would be lovely I just don’t think it fits.

Thank you Kate. I really appreciate your feedback. The upstairs plan is confusing. In opt 2 the stairs run up from north to south (south end is the top). I'm keen to hear what you like about option 2 if you're happy to share.

it was so stupid for me to miss the lack of useable space under the stairs for the piano and you have allowed space for it in the TV room and maybe reverse cycle AC may be an option for temp control although you may like to check some of the newer sealed efficient gas log fires with a power flue that can be installed inside walls or under the floor and there are also quite effective electric flame log fires that can add the cheery look missing with central heating and take up much less space for installation

You don't miss much OkLouise. Thanks for your consistently expert advice :-)

Will take a look at the sealed gas log fires. Much appreciated.

Have had another look and prefer opt 1 as it only has one landing on stair compared to 2 on opt 2. Plus the two kids bedrooms are identical size in opt 1.

Thanks Kate!

I'm no expert on efficient use of space, the ladies have you covered in that regard. So I won't comment on the pros & cons of each plan.

I will say that from an orientation/energy efficiency point of view, they're both great.

North facing living areas, that can be separated from the rest of the home. Very minimal western windows, multiple bathrooms on the west. Perfect! You'll have light filled living areas, & will really get to appreciate winter sunshine :)

What I will comment on is the form of heating, & the form of energy use in general.

As you've insinuated, gas heating doesn't stack up environmentally. This is not the wonderful transition fuel of federal government tells us it is.

Although the combustion of natural gas only produces half the CO2 emissions of coal fired power, there is another worrying aspect. Natural gas is methane, a gas that is far, far worse than CO2. It has a global warming potential (CO2e) of over 25. So any methane that reaches the atmosphere is 25 times worse than CO2. This means small leaks of methane can create major problems. It turns out that if only 4% of the natural gas leaks or reaches the atmosphere, the emissions are as bad as a coal fired power station!

Concerned scientists & other bodies are recognising this. The ACT government is actually considering banning has connections in new housing developments.

Gas also doesn't stack up financially. As gas prices continue to increase, & heat pump technology improves, reverse cycle air conditioning has become the most cost effective, energy efficient option.

There's plenty of articles about this. Here's one from Renew magazine.

https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/all-electric/gas-days-over-money-saving-results-in-melbourne/

If I was building a new home now, I'd be going further. Saving more money, & the environment, by building an ALL-ELECTRIC HOME.

By ditching the gas connection you should save on building costs. You'll also save yourself over $300 a year just by eliminating the daily gas service charge.

Heating the home with efficient reverse cycle AC (or even hydronic heating powered by heat pumps, if you can stomach the high installation costs).

Heating domestic water with a heat pump. Possibly solar thermal in QLD, if I had the roof area for this & solar PV.

Cooking with induction. As reactive as gas, with great control over temperature, & much easier to clean.

Saving the gas for the BBQ (LPG bottle).

Powering the home with a large solar PV system.

It looks like you have a gable roof, with nice sized areas for solar PV panels. Facing both E & W. Although this won't generate quite as much as a north facing system, an E/W split will give you a nice spread of power generation from the early morning until the evening. The west facing panels are particularly useful in the afternoon, when people arrive home, & the AC is turned on.

I'd consider installing 3 phase power. This will allow you to install a larger solar PV system (before export limiting is introduced), & will be useful for fast charging of EV cars, which will soon be mainstream.

If you're on Facebook, & are interested in this approach, I'd consider joining the My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) group.

Thanks ddarroch. Appreciate the feedback and glad to hear we're on the right track in terms of orientation. We hadn't thought about 3 phase power, thank you for the suggestion! I would love hydronic heating but we are planning on a suspended timber floor so I think it could end up too expensive and compromised for us. I'm glad to hear the E/W gable will be okay for solar panels. The link is a great example of the shift to an all electric home. Lots to think about. Appreciate the considered response and information.