2. Designing the house

Next, we (well, Jonathon actually) got out the pencils and paper and started drawing. As the property faces due north it was relatively straightforward to get the general layout. Our major design considerations were:

• Energy efficiency - passive heating and cooling. This involves orienting the house to face true solar north (not magnetic north), minimising windows on the west and south, and ensuring the roof overhangs allow the winter sun to warm the interior of the house and keep the hot summer sun out.
• A lap pool, facing north to maximise the swim season. 
• 2 bedrooms and a large theatre room. We've designed it so that the theatre could be divided into two more bedrooms if required (by any subsequent purchaser)
• Maximising the view from most rooms. 

The layout was constrained by the contours of the land - we only wanted to build on the flat area. We also had to take into account the geotechnical properties (ie the structure of the soil and rock) so that expensive piering is not required.
The house is being built on steel posts rather than a concrete slab. This gives more flexibility and allows water runoff below the house.


Click on the plan below - it opens in a new window. Click the thumbnail to enlarge it.

To see all drawings, click on the 'Plans' link at the top of the page.

Additionally, we had to consider rainwater capture. The property is not connected to town water, so we have to capture all our own water. We are putting in 4 x 22,300 litre (5,000 gallon) tanks which will provide us with plenty of water - as long as it rains after the roof is on! 

We have to handle all our 'waste water' on-site too (sewage). We are using a Biolytix system, which is effectively a massive worm farm!

We do have mains electricity, so don't need to be totally 'off-grid'. However, we're putting in a 5kw solar array which should generate all our electricity from the sun. The energy companies pay a 'feed-in tarrif' so we get paid for what we generate, then we pay for what we use. The feed-in tarrif is significantly more than the usage charge so we are expecting to have no electricity bill (or even get a payment).