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You don’t have to face the street

What do you do on a town block where the street faces northwest, the sun faces north and the views face northeast?

The answer is to face them all. One facade of this house faces the street, for car acess. This is the direction of hot summer sun, so limited glass has been used on this facade.

The street is to the northwest - windows have been minimised on this face to avoid summer overheating
The street is to the northwest – windows have been minimised on this face to avoid summer overheating

This house is built in Dorrigo, at over 700m above sea leavel is a cool temperate climate. Solar acess is a critical part of passive solar design here, so the living areas face north.

The north facade has plenty of glass for winter warmth
The north facade has plenty of glass for winter warmth
Living/ dining positioned for winter sun and views
Living/ dining positioned for winter sun and views

The views are to the northeast, so the living areas and deck also face the view.

View to the northeast from deck
View to the northeast from deck
The kitchen faces northeast to catch the views and morning winter sun
The kitchen faces northeast to catch the views and morning winter sun

The deck is partly covered, for summer outdoor living, and partly uncovered, for a sunny winter spot and to give solar acess to the kitchen.

The deck provides summer shade, winter sun and a sunny kitchen
The deck provides summer shade, winter sun and a sunny kitchen

With all these better options, why on earth would you face the street?

The views to the northeast are to the beautiful Dorigo Plateau
The views to the northeast are to the beautiful Dorigo Plateau

Here’s a floor plan to show how it was done.

floor plan
floor plan

The house was built by Jeff Hughes, who is my tip for best builder in Dorrigo.

How Geoff Lawton changed it all

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