Many of us grew up in older homes where the sunniest room in the house was the bathroom or the laundry! Fortunately these days we are a lot more aware of the importance of getting sun into the parts of our homes that we spend the most time in. At Fraemohs, we consider helping our clients with choosing a building site and offering advice on which of our home plans will work best on their section are essential parts of our service.
When selecting where to position your home on your section, you need to consider a number of factors including:
- The topography of your site
- The prevailing wind direction
- The room layout you want to achieve
- Access to the site from the street
- Where outdoor living areas will be positioned
In general to achieve the best orientation for passive home heating, your living, family and dining rooms should face north. You want these rooms to be the lightest and sunniest rooms in your home.
The most suitable use for east-facing rooms is as kitchen and breakfast rooms as they benefit from early morning sun throughout the year, but will be cooler in the late afternoon when you are cooking your evening meal.
Clients often ask as for all the bedrooms in their homes to have sun but sometimes this is not possible, or desirable. For example, bedrooms that face the east will be cooler in the late afternoon and evening, making them more comfortable for summer sleeping, especially for children who tend to go to bed when the sun is still up.
West-facing rooms get low angled late afternoon sun and require some shading to prevent overheating and glare. Meanwhile, south-facing rooms receive the least light and are best suited for use as bathrooms, laundries and garages.