some panels of transluscent roof cladding could help brighten the alfresco and internal skylights including Solar Skylights would help inside but also depends on the shape of the roof and what's on the roof (tiles or steel?) and the distance from the house to the boundaries ..can you post a site plan showing the distance from the house to the fences and is this a builders' plan or custom design?

Thanks for the tips. It’s a builders plan. The roof would be tiles. Here is the site plan.

Sorry Dreamer, I missed your comment.
There is only 3 of us so hopefully that’ll help the laundry size issue.
There is also an option to have the alfresco off the living room (which faces the backyard) but I really love the big doors there with the sunlight streaming through and thought an alfresco may take away from that.
I didn’t think of switching the bedroom and laundry with the kitchen & butlers. It’s hard to envision without seeing it in person. This layout has a display home and we really liked the layout which is why we chose this plan.

The plan is fine, but you have an expansive back yard on the north side. You need to orientate your living areas to take full advantage of that. The house should be built for the block. You have a block that a lot of people would be wanting, because of its northern aspect.
You could have the kitchen etc along the back of the home, and therefore all will get the winter sun. You just said, you don't want a dark home.

You don't need a fixed cover on that side, if you also have the west alfresco. You could install retractable blinds, or a vergola system. Therefore shading the home when required, but not in winter.

Something like this, but flipped, so the garage is on the left at the front. bedrooms on the east side.

yes you don't want to waste that rear Northerly aspect and connection with back yard on your laundry. Dreamers suggested plan is much better.

Ok, thanks for the info. I understand what you mean and the suggested floorplan does make sense but I’m not a fan of fully open plan kitchen/living areas like that. I like that our floor plan has somewhat separate spaces for both.

So based on the feedback - an alfresco would definitely make the house dark in winter? We would have a 3 panel Alfresco door in the living room and a 3 panel alfresco door off the dining. Would they help with the lighting?

Sara, your kitchen will be very dark. You really need to have the kitchen dining living at the back with exception of tv room. Outdoor space should also be on north side no west. Dreamer’s plan is much better in that regard. You can add walls where you want. It is just representative of a better layout for climate with a backyard at the northern end of block, which is the ideal orientation.

Oh, well that is disappointing then. We really love that floorplan. We looked at heaps and that was the only one we both liked 😂

What if we took off the alfresco? Would we get decent light then?

attempting to reverse the master and minor bedrooms there's a lot of extra hallway needed and the space available at the back makes the master suite smaller and doesn't allow room for the laundry and separate powder room, any alfresco without compensating skylights does make interiors darker and adding this alfresco would make the original roof awkward but it could be better to move the single garage door to the side and rotate the pantry along the back of the garage and extend a bigger alfresco over near the side fence (you could still drive through) ....but with such a generous block of land it would be useful to consider other plans before making such dramatic changes to this plan ..but if you prefer this house it might be easier to make changes if i could change the outside walls and size of the house but does the builder have a limit to changes to his plan and what is the maximum size you're aiming for in sqm..and i assume that you wish to keep the drive through to the backyard

@kate thank you, exactly my thoughts.

Sara, it is not necessarily the alfresco that would make the house dark in winter. It is the fact that the winter sun comes from the north. And there are minimal windows getting into your kitchen dining areas, from the north.

With the orientation of north on your block. The winter sun may penetrate into your dining kitchen windows, for a short time during winter. With an alfresco covering, it will not. But you need the alfresco covering ,if you stick with your design, because of the west sun in the summer. That is why, if you had indoor and outdoor areas to the back of the home, you will constantly have sun, when it is shining, all year round.
But if you really like the design. Then you will adapt to when and where the sun is, or is not.

That is very helpful. Thank you Dreamer. You’ve definitely given me a lot to think about. A dark house is definitely something I was hoping to avoid.

Oklouise - your idea about rotating the pantry and extending the alfresco is interesting. Wouldn’t I still be left with the issue of the lack of sunlight inside though?

I’m not aware of any limits from the builder but we do have a relatively small budget to stick to as well. I feel like it would be a smart idea to keep the drive through to the backyard.

thinking about the alfresco being wider east to west and shorter north to south to allow more winter sunshine and a better roof shape for skylights ..will post asap

I think that you have looked around and found a house that you love and that's fine but unfortunately it just doesn't work for your beautiful block. You would be wise to find a plan that makes the best use of what is a great block and aspect.

maybe this idea of rotating the pantry and extending the alfresco as a drive through space could make inside brighter..there's a more spacious kitchen, more light into the dining area and the whole roof shape is simpler for an included alfresco and skylight over the kitchen and there's some suggestions for a more comfortable master suite and family bathroom and more storage

I don't think you have to change your plan a lot but move your laundry adjacent to garage and pantry, slide dining more to where alfresco is and place alfresco on Northen side. You want both Northerly aspect but also broader connection with your backyard. The plan is designed for a much smaller block.
I feel the biggest problem is your laundry placement.

I’m back 🙂 I’ve had another look at floorplans. Would any of these be good for our block?? (more photos to come)

Or these?

Welford and Minerva for me as they have a protected patio and less western windows.
I would, in both do a slight mod by stealing a little space at entry to adjoining bedroom to get a basin in the toilet.

With welford 1st

Welford is my vote

Highbridge 24

Emerson 23

Hi Sara
firstly I think it would be a crime to build that first plan you were thinking, a) kitchen would be very dark b) way too close to the garage, you would smell the car fumes while you were cooking c) you would not be taking advantage of your wonderful aspect.

you are in the lucky position of building a new home on a block. you can always change your house but you cant change the aspect.

I would choose the Welford, best kitchen design with island bench, much easier for traffic flow than a kitchen that is a dead end. living is slightly separate which is what you were looking for.

I wouldnt choose the highbridge as I personally dont think lounge rooms at the front of houses ever get properly used. it makes me think of waiting at a bus stop (minor detail perhaps) and no island in the kitchen.

Innes floorplan has the master bed taking up the lovely northern aspect and with the kitchen in the middle of the house you are greatly reducing light

the main problem with the Minerva is the WIP is stealing your lovely northern light so if you swapped that to the other end of kitchen it would work better but then you are back to the welford plan.

Ok thanks everyone for the feedback again. I have it narrowed down to 3 that we like now. Could you please let me know what you think of these 3 and which would be best? (Photos to follow)

1. Broadbeach
   
   

2. Welford
   
   

3. Welford modified (we like the grand alfresco)
   
   

One more - Newport (I know the master is west but I love the sun, I’m always cold)

Sara, you don't want a closed roof on the northern side! Eg: your grand alfresco!
This will stop the winter sun coming into your home.
If you want the alfresco, then after the home is built install a vergola or similar, so you can let the sunshine in, or not. Or after the home is built, install a gable patio. This will also give winter cover but still let the sun shine in.

Ok now I’m confused. So we shouldn’t have an alfresco at all? My husband really wants a built in alfresco - is there anywhere we can put one that won’t ruin the lighting?

Yes, build a gable roof alfresco!

Can the gable roof alfresco be anywhere?

But, the roof line of the home has to be considered if building a continuous gable roof.
BUT, if you install a gable roof system after the home is built, you can still have brick pillars etc, but a prefab ceiling or colorbond roof to form the gable.
Example: If you put an umbrella up and keep it even, you will shade everything. But if you tilt the umbrella a bit, ie: the gable. You will let the sun in.

,

Thanks Dreamer

Broadbeach is perfect except lounge needs a door, trust me mine doesn’t and it really annoys me that I can’t seperate the noise from two living zones. Proper powder room yeah.

Oh and alfresco. Mine is north facing and it has an ampelite transparent roof to let filtered sunlight through

Hi Sara,

It's difficult to find a plan that is orientated correctly & fits all your needs isn't it. But keep looking, & see if you can find something out modify a plan by flipping out, or making small changes.

As many of others have mentioned, you are in the enviable position of having a wide block with a northern rear aspect. Use that northern aspect to it's full potential!

Stretch the floorplan at the rear, across most of the with of the block. So try to locate the majority of your living areas at the rear of the home. The living room, the dining room, & the kitchen. I think I read that you're not a fan of open plan? How about broken plan, to break things up?

Western sunlight is harsh on summer afternoons & evenings. So although some of the most recent plans have both facing living areas, I also see west facing bedrooms, which is a bad idea. Try to locate bedrooms on the south & east. So the master in the SE corner, the minor bedrooms to the eastern side.

Unfortunately something has to face west. Try to locate rarely used rooms here if possible, certainly not occupied bedrooms. So the garage in the SW corner. The second multi-purpose living area/kid's retreat, or possibly the main bathroom, the laundry, butler's pantry if you're having one. Possible the alfresco in the NW corner.

If you want to read up more on building a comfortable, energy efficient home, start with this great website,

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design

Oh, & one other thing. It's that a solar thermal hot water system in the northern roof?

Not a great idea in southern Australia, as at these latitudes they require a lot of boosting in winter.

Much better to spend a similar amount in a heat pump hot water system. These are extremely efficient, using around a quarter of the electricity of a standard electric resistance hot water storage system.

This will leave the entirety of your roof available for solar PV. Something that should definitely be installed late in the build stage.

Thanks Kate! I would put a door on the lounge. Do you get a lot of sunlight through with the transparent alfresco?

ddarroch you are so right - it’s so difficult to choose the right floorplan. I do feel a lot more informed now thanks to everyone on this post. I will be making an appointment with the builder soon to find the right floorplan armed with all this new knowledge.

I do love our block and don’t want to ruin it with the wrong house. We are in a lucky position and I want to make the best of it. Thanks for the link too.

Hi again everyone. I think I have found something close to what has been suggested. Am I getting closer now? (Ignore the grand alfresco, that wouldn’t be added on).
I would extend the WIR in the master and we were thinking of changing the bedroom next to the master to a study and making the bathroom (or the WIR and en-suite) a little bigger. Sorry for the bad quality photo.

Also wondering (if this floorplan is ok) would it be better to flip everything but the garage and master bedroom?

You would kink the hall

Would it be better to leave it as is then? Is the floorplan good for the block?