Bemak

It's hard to get the feeling across in the model but I know myself what it will be like. That said, if I was the only one that ended up liking my own house that would be plenty!

The light well was going to incorporate the flues from the stove as well. I know I don't need stoves for heat but we're going to include one in the sitting room more for atmosphere than anything else. Not a fan of sunpipes. We're going to have a nice big window on the stairs which will provide loads of light for the landing. That model was really just exploring the form and finishes. My elevations are still very much draft at the moment

I've attached an early sketchup of how the house might look. The white areas were smooth render and the grey areas are roughcast render. Note these images don't match the latest plan but you get the idea. I was also exploring the idea of a light well in the centre of the plan on first floor along that corridor but I think I will omit this now and just have a standard ridge.

Ya I know what you mean - but I like the idea of somewhere in out of the rain while you find your keys - or similarly a place where someone can stand at the door when you open it to them. It's funny you say that, I originally had the plan at 90 degrees with the main living areas to the south-east but after pacing out the plan on the site, I really want the main living areas to open out to the west. Will be a lovely private garden. I've gone over about 30 designs for the site and I'm very happy with how it's zoned. I just need to design out the solar gain

For what it's worth - I had considered the L-Shape design below which is probably a bit better in terms of solar gain from the east - but the shape isn't as efficient as the square plan which I think will provide a bit more opportunity for interesting moves internally. The square plan also provides a bit more privacy from the road compared to the L-Shape plan which affords views right into the main living area - a drawback with opening up to the east and not something I want. I tested the daylighting for the L-shaped design in sketchup with some model information on the existing trees and topography - and as mentioned previously, there wasn't much gain to be had early morning apart from a bit during the summer months which is not what you want anyway.

Very little gain to be had from the east due to the topography and existing trees so I'm quite limited in that regard

Is this spreadsheet available on the site? Update: found it! I think the trees will have a big impact on shading for us as well

Not 100% fixed on the ope sizes yet so the WSW windows may change yet. I'm hoping to manage a lot of the solar gain on this side with glazing specification rather than physical shading devices - I just don't want to go there. I'm considering an A2A HP for cooling if absolutely necessary - I know this is going to use energy but I like the idea of being able to circulate cool fresh air through the house for the 2 weeks of the year that we actually might need to! Having said that, as you can see from the photos, we have a lot of deciduous trees around the perimeter of the site which will provide some shading in the long summer evenings when the sun is lower to the west. A few people have asked if I had this modelled yet - I think only then will I really know where I'm at. At least though it's really just that western elevation that needs consideration.

I can understand the flak. I would always design and specify to budget - but at the same time it's important that clients are realistic when it comes to what their budget will get them - so expectations have to be tempered and managed. I wouldn't really have to go through much VE during projects because I would generally manage and track costs quite well. Have a good working relationship with a few QS' - they know what I want and I know what they need. Some architects are just lazy and apply the "we'll sort it when we get there approach". It's too late at that stage. What I like about the hipped roof as well is the continuous gutter. It's a nice simple detail.

I haven't decided on the insulation levels yet as I'm still at Planning Stage. A lot of the construction is going to be done by local trades so I'm probably looking at masonry construction. Not sure yet. What level of insulation do you have in yours?

No PV going on the house - it's going on the shed beside it which has an excellent orientation for solar panels. Can fit up to 12 panels on it if I wanted to.

Ha! Is that what a stereotypical architect does? My general approach is efficiency in terms of floor area, form etc and then selected opes (as opposed to walls and walls of glass), tight detailing with robust materials. The image below would be my feeling for the internal finishes etc.

just some precedent images of what the house will look like in terms of materiality. I like the idea of roughcast render with maybe a few areas that are smooth to define entrance etc. The image on the right is of a 3-storey apartment building in Austria but I like how simple the detailing is with the roof and rain water goods etc. So that's basically my project in a nutshell. Haven't done any modelling yet. Must close out the plan first but hopefully I can get someone to do it for me then next

Ground floor plan and first floor plan. I think I might put a door where the sink is currently shown in the kitchen so that it opens out onto the south side of the house where the entrance is. So the island would rotate and probably get a bit bigger to compensate for the counter lost if I go with this approach

ground floor plan in context. the house is pretty much square - very compact very efficient. it will have a hipped roof - so the idea is that there isn't really a front and a back. it's an object on the site. parking will be kept out of the site

eye level view at the entrance to the site

Some site photos - really blessed with the site. I had it cleared before Christmas - once the trees come into life and we get some grass growing it's going to be beautiful. House will be sited at the top of the image and open out onto the garden to the bottom - which is due south-west from the house

I've been speaking to a few suppliers and installer and they suggested small rads as token in bedrooms if heating was required. Do you think it shouldn't be? I suppose if I was to go with A2A, it gives me the option of providing heated air upstairs (as I want to be able to cool the bedrooms) Having said all that, I am only suspecting that solar gain will be an issue, I haven't gone as far as modelling it yet but it might be a worthwhile exercise in the near future. I've attached a screenshot of the ground floor plan (north is straight up). Large expansive garden to south-west which gets excellent light throughout the day. Direct daylight into the main living area from 10-11am via kitchen window and then along the long side for the majority of the day.

Yes, well used to it at this stage. I don't mind taking the flak! In any case I hope I can contribute positively to the forum.

Only recently came across this forum - looks a great resource and I'm looking forward to contributing to it. I'm an architect myself, based in Ireland. Looking to go for planning permission for my own house in the south-west in the next few month. Design is pretty much there - really focused now on ironing out the services strategy so that it can be designed in from the get-go. Space heating will be provided by UFH on ground floor and rads on first floor which will be run off an air-to-water HP. House is on a rural site - opens out to the country side to the south-west - so will avail of excellent daylight throughout the day. One potential problem that may arise from this orientation will be excessive solar gain which I'm hoping to control with a robust glazing specification (low-e). In addition, I'm hoping to add an air-to-air HP which will provide cooling during warmer periods. Aiming to put an array of 9 - 12 PV panels on an adjacent shed with excellent orientation for solar panels. That's my project in a nutshell! Looking forward to it!