E71. What position should my house and rooms go on my block?

In this episode of the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast, Frank and Amelia dive into the often-overlooked constraints that can significantly impact your building design and site orientation and what considerations should be made when you are choosing the position of your home on your block as well as the floorplan and where your rooms will be located. Whether it's bushfire zoning, wastewater systems, or stormwater connections, understanding these limitations early on is crucial to creating a functional and compliant home.

Learn how these factors influence everything from where you can place a house on a block to how you access outdoor areas. Through real client stories, Frank and Amelia explore the importance of site analysis and problem-solving, emphasising why working with experienced building designers is essential to navigate these obstacles.

Frank also highlights using practical tools like bubble diagrams, which help plan spatial layouts and ensure your design flows seamlessly while accommodating site constraints. 

Tune in to discover how proactive site research and strategic design can help you avoid costly mistakes and achieve a home that perfectly suits your needs and vision. Be sure to subscribe there is a new episode released each week!

About us
Prime Design is a building design company locally owned and operated in Tasmania since 2004.  Our goal is to share as much valuable information as possible about the process of building design, extensions, and more. We will talk about a different topic each week. To suggest a topic you would like us to talk about contact us at info@primedesigntas.com.au

Disclaimer
The information provided on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, individual circumstances, or remedy. We strongly suggest you consult a qualified professional before taking any action based on the information provided in this podcast. The views, opinions, and information provided in this podcast are those of the hosts do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer, or company. All content provided on this podcast is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this podcast and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, or damages arising from its use. We reserve the right to change content or delete any information provided on this podcast at any time without prior notice.

Transcript

E71. What position should your home and rooms go on your block?

[INTRO] (0:08 - 0:24)

Hello and welcome to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast focused on providing valuable information for anyone looking to undertake a new build or extension project. We'll share our tips, tricks and stories from a building designer's perspective.

[Amelia] (0:36 - 0:42)

Hello and welcome to the Building Design Prime Time Podcast. I'm your host Amelia and once again we're joined by Frank Geskus.

[Frank] (0:42 - 0:43)

Hey Amelia, how are we?

[Amelia] (0:44 - 0:45)

Oh, look pretty good for a Friday.

[Frank] (0:45 - 0:46)

It's Friday again.

[Amelia] (0:47 - 0:48)

It is Friday again.

[Frank] (0:48 - 0:49)

Time for a rest for the weekend.

[Amelia] (0:50 - 0:53)

I reckon. Although you usually come to work on a Saturday, don't you?

[Frank](0:53 - 1:06)

I have been lately. I've got to change that habit. It's getting a bit out of control. I've got to snap that one and just be at home. Especially when it's now coming into summer. 

[Amelia]

I know.

[Frank]

Daylight savings. Is that the best or what?

[Amelia] (1:06 - 1:08)

Best thing since sliced bread.

[Frank] (1:08 - 1:11)

I would say so, but you can go out and ride your horses more.

[Amelia] (1:11 - 1:13)

I can. Past five o'clock even.

[Frank] (1:13 - 1:14)

Yeah, brilliant.

[Amelia] (1:14 - 1:15)

I know. So good.

[Frank] (1:16 - 1:16)

So what are we going to talk about?

[Amelia] (1:17 - 1:38)

Well, I was having a little bit of a think earlier and I thought, where do you put your house on a block? How do you know where to put it? How do you know where to position the rooms? How do you know where to put your lounge room? Where to put the master bedroom? Do you look at the view? Do you look at the sunshine? What is the best options?

[Frank] (1:38 - 1:39)

There's lots of options.

[Amelia] (1:39 - 1:40)

There are lots of options.

[Frank] (1:41 - 1:46)

So you mentioned positioning a house and I'm glad you went on to then talk about the rooms.

[Amelia] (1:46 - 1:46)

Yes.

[Frank] (1:46 - 2:02)

So you've really got to work out positions of the rooms which are suitable for the house. So once you figure out, here's the sun. I always like to, and I think most designers, architects do, design for the sun.

But there's nothing so underrated as a nice sunny home.

[Amelia] (2:02 - 2:04)

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

[Speaker 1] (2:04 - 2:19)

I've lived in Federation and home and stuff like that and then I built my own and designed it, passive solar principles, facing the sun. I couldn't go back to dingy old house, even though beautiful and classic, but there's not enough sunlight.

[Amelia] (2:19 - 2:19)

Yeah.

[Frank] (2:20 - 2:21)

You're just drawn to the sun.

[Amelia] (2:22 - 2:25)

Nice and warm, especially on those winter days.

[Frank] (2:25 - 2:42)

Oh, it's like my cat lying underneath in the sunlight, pathetic thing. But yeah, that's, and I think a lot of people, designers, architects, that's what they're aiming for. So get your living area to capture as much sunlight.

But then what's more important, the sun or the view?

[Amelia] (2:42 - 2:47)

I don't know. I get some view on my block of the Western Tiers.

[Frank] (2:47 - 2:59)

Oh, that's south. So in Tasmania, Amelia's block's out near Longford Way and you've got the beautiful Western Tears of the Central Highlands. It's stunning.

But the place is south.

[Amelia] (3:00 - 3:01)

Yeah, not great, is it?

[Frank] (3:02 - 3:07)

No, it's not great for thermal performance of your house. But the view is stunning.

[Amelia] (3:07 - 3:11)

It is, it is. We only see like a bit of the top of it. We don't see all of it.

[Frank] (3:11 - 3:13)

Oh, then you don't have to look at it then.

[Amelia] (3:13 - 3:21)

No, well, I'm happy to look at the back of the paddocks. I'm quite okay with that. So for me, the view of the Tiers, I don't really mind.

[Frank] (3:22 - 3:25)

Don’t you? Oh, I've had some clients and that's why they bought it.

[Amelia] (3:25 - 3:25)

Really?

[Frank] (3:26 - 3:27)

Yep, 100%.

[Amelia] (3:27 - 3:33)

But did they not realise that that's probably not the best option in terms of, you know, facing... 

[Speaker 1] (3:33 - 3:42)

Well, they don't care…Let's be fair. If you buy a block and it's got the view, you bought it for the view for no other reason and it's freaking awesome and generally is an awesome view.

[Amelia] (3:42 - 3:43)

Yeah.

[Frank] (3:43 - 3:58)

It's like if you're on the eastern side of the river and you've got to face west to get the view of the river. That's true. Then you get all the westerly sun into your house.

And in summer, that is nasty. 

[Amelia]

Oh, it'd be hot. 

[Frank]

Really hot.

[Amelia] (3:58 - 3:59)

Yeah.

[Frank] (3:59 - 4:30)

Like crazy hot. You know, especially if your house is really, you know, thermally efficient and it sucks it all in. So that costs you more to cool the house down.

But we've had to design houses facing south, you know, because of the view and I get it. So then you then figure out how you're going to design. Can you introduce also northerly glass to that as well?

So then you're losing heat out the south but you're gaining it on the northern side. 

[Amelia]

That's a good idea. 

[Frank]

But also it comes down to your glass to floor ratio and that's all.

We've got to get Toby back on again and talk about thermal performance.

[Amelia] (4:30 - 4:33)

Yes. The type of glazing and stuff you have on your windows.

[Frank] (4:33 - 4:50)

Passive solar control, putting overhangs on your windows as well. All good things. So as anyone who wants to build something, and it could be an extension as well.

It's all the same principles, you know. Is the view more important or is the sun more important? Now, if you can get both.

[Amelia] (4:50 - 4:51)

Happy days.

[Frank] (4:51 - 4:56)

Yeah, happy days. Facing north, got the view and you're getting the glorious sun. That's the best.

[Amelia] (4:57 - 5:05)

I mean, you imagine building it, you know, with a view of the beach and the ocean and everything and then you face it the other way. Just what's the point?

[Frank] (5:06 - 5:06)

Yeah, I totally agree.

[Amelia] (5:07 - 5:07)

Yeah.

[Frank] (5:07 - 5:22)

Then we've got to design it in such a way that the house manages itself thermally. But then there's subdivisions. Look, in Tasmania, there's not a lot of flat land.

We're in valleys and all that. And sometimes they do subdivisions on the western side of a hill.

[Amelia] (5:23 - 5:24)

Yeah, what do you do with that?

[Frank] (5:25 - 5:44)

Yeah, it's just bloody shit house. Because in winter, it's like the dark side of the moon. Because the sun is so low down here in Tasmania and you go on the western side of a hill, you're like a big moss pit.

Yeah. It doesn't get natural sun. There'll be days the frost will stay around your house all day.

[Amelia] (5:45 - 5:46)

Oh, that sounds awful.

[Frank] (5:46 - 5:47)

It is.

[Amelia] (5:47 - 5:52)

I couldn't think of anything worse, actually. One of the things I love about my house, and it's not a new house, it's quite an old house.

[Frank] (5:53 - 5:54)

Yeah, yours gets good sun all day.

[Amelia] (5:54 - 5:59)

It gets amazing sun. And in winter, it is so beautiful and warm upstairs.

[Frank] (5:59 - 6:06)

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, but there's a new subdivision up behind me and it's exactly that. Facing west, northwest.

[Amelia] (6:06 - 6:09)

It's behind a hill, isn't it? Behind a hill. Yeah, I think I know the one you mean.

[Frank] (6:10 - 6:14)

Because part of my backyard is on that and sometimes it's just white.

[Amelia] (6:15 - 6:15)

Really?

[Frank] (6:16 - 6:45)

It stays white during the day. So that means your house has to work a lot harder. It doesn't get any, virtually no sun during winter.

Now, I'm sure in Europe, there's plenty of places like that and that's just how it is. So that's why choosing a block, you've got to be very savvy on what you buy. It may look great and wonderful, but you don't realise you're not going to get this free heat and energy from the sun.

So here's a question for you. Master bedroom close to the other bedrooms or away from the other bedrooms?

[Amelia] (6:46 - 7:00)

Well, I grew up in a big family and I'd probably go with what mum and dad did. They had their master bedroom at the front of the house and all of us, five children, five noisy children.

[Frank] (7:00 - 7:00)

I was about to say.

[Amelia] (7:00 - 7:00)

Yes.

[Frank] (7:00 - 7:02)

How can they hear the little buggers scream.

[Amelia] (7:03 - 7:04)

Right at the other end of the house.

[Frank] (7:04 - 7:06)

You could be killing each other.

[Amelia] (7:06 - 7:06)

Yes.

[Frank] (7:07 - 7:13)

Yes, my parents did that with the rumpus room at ours too. We figured that out later. They were just sick of the noise we were making and carrying on so dad could watch the telly.

[Amelia] (7:14 - 7:14)

Yes.

[Frank] (7:15 - 7:24)

So that's, you know, this is part of the process you go through. Here's another one. Master bedrooms, a view or no view?

[Amelia] (7:25 - 7:32)

Hmm. I think, I mean, I like a view. If there was an option for a view, I'd definitely go for it.

[Frank] (7:32 - 7:33)

Do you sit in bed looking at the view?

[Amelia] (7:34 - 7:38)

Not really. I would, yeah, but at my new property, I would. Yeah.

I would.

[Frank] (7:38 - 7:39)

Yeah, looking at the ponies.

[Amelia] (7:39 - 7:40)

That's right.

[Frank] (7:41 - 7:49)

It's really interesting. Over my many years doing building design, it's like a 50-50. Like some people, I have to have a view out of my bedroom.

[Amelia] (7:49 - 7:51)

Really? So it's a real.

[Frank] (7:51 - 7:57)

Other people, I want to be on the, I don't care. I don't need a view, I'm just out the back. I want the lounge, living area to have all the view.

[Amelia] (7:57 - 8:05)

Yeah, I think if I had to have a choice between the bedroom, the master bedroom having a view or the living area, I'd definitely go the living area.

[Frank] (8:06 - 8:09)

Yeah. And it's whatever your preference is. There's no right or wrong.

[Amelia] (8:09 - 8:11)

No, it's just whatever your choice is.

[Frank] (8:12 - 8:23)

Exactly. It's just get the orientation things. Here's another thing, and this is not to do with sun or whatever.

Don't ever put your toilet, so the window of the toilet, coming off your entertainment area.

[Amelia] (8:24 - 8:25)

Oh, that's.

[Frank] (8:25 - 8:26)

Or near your front door.

[Amelia] (8:26 - 8:28)

Or lounge room or something.

[Frank] (8:28 - 8:32)

Oh, lounge room's all right. So you can acoustically treat the door after you've had a bad curry or something.

[Amelia] (8:33 - 8:42)

I think I was telling you about a property I looked at that was pretty brand new. And when you first walk in the door, off to the left was a toilet.

[Frank] (8:42 - 8:47)

There was a throne next to the front door. That means the window was right next to the front door.

[Amelia] (8:47 - 9:04)

And on the other side of that wall was the kitchen. 

[Frank]

That's odd. 

[Amelia]

It was bizarre. And it was a new house, and it had no en-suite. So it was a three-bedroom house with no en-suite but a toilet at the front door. It was very odd. It was, yeah, bizarre. 

[Frank] (9:04 - 9:19)

Okay. Interesting. But could you just imagine you're standing at the front door, knocking on the door, and someone's using the toilet? Yeah, it's weird.

Same when you've got an entertainment deck or a deck anywhere. You've got people out there having a barbecue, and you've got the toilet window, you know, slightly ajar.

[Amelia] (9:19 - 9:20)

Yeah, yeah.

[Frank] (9:21 - 9:23)

And someone's on the throne.

[Amelia] (9:23 - 9:24)

After a bad curry.

[Frank] (9:27 - 9:29)

Or an undercooked kebab.

[Amelia] (9:29 - 9:32)

Well, the visitors would go running, I reckon. They wouldn't want to enter.

[Frank] (9:34 - 9:39)

But the reality, you've got to think of a few things like that, because when you have it, it's weird and embarrassing.

[Amelia] (9:40 - 9:45)

Well, it makes you really want to consider the floor plan in great detail.

[Frank] (9:45 - 10:21)

Yeah, but it's also like orientation, because every block's slightly different. And we're discussing this because we really want to help people think about how they want to live. Because I really love the Australian lifestyle.

We've got a living space, and it directly opens up to an outdoor entertainment space or a deck. I love that about Australian housing. And in some cases, if you're on a hill, it's windy, you have one on each side.

So whichever the wind's blowing, like in Launceston, we have north westerly, north easterly most of the time. But sometimes that thing can swing. You might have a deck out to the view, but she's blowing a gale.

[Amelia] (10:21 - 10:21)

Yes.

[Frank] (10:21 - 10:24)

You flip to the other side, you might have another deck you can sit on.

[Amelia] (10:25 - 10:25)

Sure.

[Frank] (10:26 - 10:28)

We're actually doing a lot more enclosed decks.

[Amelia] (10:28 - 10:29)

Really?

[Frank] (10:29 - 10:40)

Yeah, we do a lot more. Well, I'm doing one myself. But I've just had a few other designs the guys are doing.

And yeah, they've got plantation blinds or sliders. Yeah, just enclosed alfrescos, sunrooms.

[Amelia] (10:40 - 10:46)

It's not a bad idea, really, when you think about the type of weather that we get all year round. Yeah It makes sense. 

[Frank] (10:46 - 10:50)

Yeah, Tasmanian weather isn't always fantastic for sitting outside.

[Amelia] (10:50 - 10:51)

Exactly.

[Frank] (10:51 - 10:55)

Yeah. What about where you place your front door? Now, you answered this before.

[Amelia] (10:57 - 10:58)

At the front of the house?

[Frank] (10:58 - 11:08)

Yeah, sounds really clever, doesn't it? But, and most of the time do that. But, gee, we've had some weird requests popping it around the side, or it's not obvious where it is.

[Amelia] (11:08 - 11:10)

Obviously, they don't like people visiting.

[Frank] (11:10 - 11:21)

They must do. What's a very Australian thing to do is, and depending on the shape and position of the house and how you enter it, everyone goes through the back door of the house.

[Amelia] (11:22 - 11:22)

Yeah, okay.

[Frank] (11:23 - 11:24)

Yeah, it's not unusual.

[Amelia] (11:24 - 11:24)

No.

[Frank] (11:24 - 11:27)

Rather than through the servants entrance.

[Amelia] (11:27 - 11:28)

Yeah, yep.

[Frank] (11:29 - 11:42)

Like, some of this stuff sounds obvious, but when people are immersed in it and we're playing stuff, it's amazing some of the interesting choices people wish to have. Kitchens. 

[Amelia]

Yes.

[Frank]

Orientations of kitchens. Well, I feel all kitchens have to have a view.

[Amelia] (11:43 - 11:45)

I agree. I like a kitchen having a view.

[Frank] (11:45 - 11:59)

Yeah, whether it's, depending how it's laid out, it might be looking directly outside if it's part of an open plan, looking out over dining could be the living area, looking out to the windows. I know. I really don't like sinks facing walls.

[Amelia] (12:00 - 12:01)

Yeah, actually, I agree.

[Frank] (12:01 - 12:09)

There's been a few trends of that lately. And, yeah, I've been, I've stayed near a B&B and the sink was facing the wall, so I didn't like this at all.

[Amelia] (12:09 - 12:09)

Okay.

[Frank] (12:10 - 12:13)

But, again, each to their own.

[Amelia] (12:13 - 12:20)

It is each to their own. But, yeah, I agree. I do like a view looking out when I'm at the kitchen sink.

[Frank] (12:20 - 12:31)

And garages. You don't have a lot of choice sometimes. They're an integral part of our house, but, gee, the garage door can take away the front of the house, can make it look a bit ordinary.

[Amelia] (12:31 - 12:40)

It can. It can. But, I mean, there's more and more materials and things they can do now, I think, that make it look less unappealing.

[Frank] (12:40 - 12:46)

Yeah, when we're given the opportunity to actually, you know, make a bit of an L shape at the front so you come in at a 90 degree to the door.

[Amelia] (12:46 - 12:46)

Yes.

[Frank] (12:46 - 12:53)

So it's not obvious. You've got tilted doors with special cladding so it disappears into the wall. Looks very nice.

[Amelia] (12:53 - 12:55)

Yeah, that real streamlined finish does look good.

[Frank] (12:55 - 13:01)

Yeah. But we're a bit stuck in a lot of our small blocks. The smaller blocks, it's shoved out the front.

[Amelia] (13:01 - 13:05)

Well, sometimes you just don't have the width. You don't have the frontage.

[Frank] (13:05 - 13:06)

No, you just don't, and it dominates.

[Amelia] (13:07 - 13:08)

It does, yeah.

[Frank] (13:09 - 13:13)

It's a shame when it does, and I think every designer has that battle. It's just hard to hide sometimes.

[Amelia] (13:14 - 13:14)

It is, yeah.

[Frank] (13:14 - 13:17)

Because it's got to be convenient. It's also part of the entry.

[Amelia] (13:17 - 13:18)

It is, yep.

[Frank] (13:19 - 13:24)

So, yeah, all these things have to be considered. So sometimes you have a second living room and stuff like that.

[Amelia] (13:25 - 13:28)

Yeah, a formal living area or something like that.

[Frank] (13:28 - 13:30)

As we used to call the good room.

[Amelia] (13:30 - 13:32)

Yes, one of those.

[Frank] (13:32 - 13:33)

Couldn't go in there.

[Amelia] (13:33 - 13:36)

We weren't fancy enough to have one of those.

[Frank] (13:36 - 13:46)

Didn't you? Neither did we, but I remember other people, it's like the Holy of Holies. You can't enter there.  Couches are covered in plastic and all the special stuff.

[Amelia] (13:46 - 13:48)

Yes, yes. 

[Frank] (13:50 - 13:51)

No, don't go in there. Sounds like a man cave.

[Amelia] (13:52 - 13:54)

Oh, no, too fancy for a man cave.

[Frank] (13:54 - 13:55)

Probably, probably.

[Amelia] (13:56 - 14:03)

I picture it as, you know, all of the white furniture and, you know, all the things that kids are not supposed to touch.

[Frank] (14:03 - 14:05)

Oh, white carpet and white furniture.

[Amelia] (14:05 - 14:06)

Yes, all of that.

[Frank] (14:06 - 14:17)

My parents had white carpet in their first house, and it was their only house, what am I saying, the only house they had. And I remember they got white carpet for the lounge room.

[Amelia] (14:17 - 14:18)

That's a big mistake.

[Frank] (14:18 - 14:26)

Especially when you've got four boys. Sorry, three boys. I can't believe I said four boys.

Me and my two brothers. And, you know, we loved cordial growing up.

[Amelia] (14:27 - 14:27)

Oh, no.

[Frank] (14:27 - 14:29)

Yes. Yes.

[Amelia] (14:29 - 14:29)

Oh, no.

[Frank] (14:30 - 14:30)

Yes.

[Amelia] (14:31 - 14:32)

No, I've got a better story than that.

[Frank] (14:33 - 14:33)

Okay.

[Amelia] (14:33 - 15:05)

So I've got a friend and her mum, I hope she doesn't listen to this, but she loves, everything in her house is white and gold. She has a beautiful house, even, you know, white leather couches, you know, white carpet. And I think it was the cat or the dog that decided to vomit on the carpet, on the white carpet.

And I think the stain is like bright orange or something like that. It's just not a good colour choice for when you've got animals. White's just tough.

[Frank] (15:06 - 15:08)

White is really, really tough.

[Amelia] (15:08 - 15:08)

Yeah.

[Frank] (15:08 - 15:09)

Looks amazing.

[Amelia] (15:09 - 15:11)

It does look amazing.

[Frank] (15:11 - 15:17)

But white carpet. Yeah, each their own. It's like you ladies wearing white pants.

I've never understood that.

[Amelia] (15:18 - 15:19)

I've never owned a pair, so.

[Frank] (15:19 - 15:19)

Looks great.

[Amelia] (15:20 - 15:21)

It does look great.

[Frank] (15:21 - 15:22)

Yeah. No.

[Amelia] (15:22 - 15:22)

Yeah.

[Frank] (15:23 - 15:24)

Anyway, we digress.

[Amelia] (15:24 - 15:25)

We do digress.

[Frank] (15:25 - 15:49)

Like some of these things sounds obvious, but when you're actually designing a place, sometimes you go into a spiral and you go roundy, roundy circle. And you want this, you want that, try and do that. But this doesn't fit here, but I want a position facing that.

And sometimes it can be tough. And what's good when you come to a designer or an architect, we're able to dissect that and then come up with ideas that can virtually come up with most of your wishes.

[Amelia] (15:50 - 15:50)

Yes.

[Frank] (15:51 - 16:01)

You know, listen to your scope, what you want to achieve. Sometimes we just do some bubble diagrams in front of you, because you've got to look at the flow through the house, things like that too.

[Amelia] (16:02 - 16:15)

I mean, it must be hard too, because people would come in with ideas of what they want their floor plan to be. And sometimes that's not going to be the best option for their location or their block or their orientation.

[Frank] (16:15 - 16:43)

Yeah, to be honest, we've had that a few times and they just need some assistance. And we point out these things and, no, no, this is what we want. And this is the reason.

Okay, that's fine. As long as it's not too mental, you know. But people that are sure of what they want, okay, it's all right.

But then there's plenty of people who have come to us and said, look, we've got these ideas, we're not sure how to put it together. And then we work with them and come up with a good result. The biggest challenges that people don't get is when you do multi-storey.

[Amelia] (16:43 - 16:44)

Okay.

[Frank] (16:44 - 16:55)

So when you're doing extensions or a new home, everyone draws a staircase which is about, you know, only two metres long and half a metre wide, fits in a cupboard.

[Amelia] (16:56 - 16:56)

Yeah.

[Frank] (16:56 - 16:57)

Where stairs...

[Amelia] (16:57 - 16:59)

They take up way more room than that.

[Frank] (16:59 - 17:11)

A huge amount of room. On a standard ceiling, 2,400 ceiling, 300 to 400 millimetre thick floor system, you're looking at four by two metres space you need on the ground and upper floor.

[Amelia] (17:11 - 17:12)

Okay.

[Frank] (17:12 - 17:14)

So it takes a lot of room, two thirds of a bedroom, I say.

[Amelia] (17:15 - 17:17)

Yeah, right. It's a lot. 

[Frank] (17:17 - 17:20)

It is a lot. To make it work and it's got to be comfortable. Just remember, you've got to get furniture up and down these things.

[Amelia] (17:20 - 17:21)

Yeah, very true.

[Frank] (17:22 - 17:28)

You know? And you've got to let the kids go on their sleeping bags and slide down. Didn't you do that as a kid?

[Amelia] (17:28 - 17:28)

No.

[Frank] (17:28 - 17:29)

Okay, it wasn’t a thing.

[Amelia] (17:29 - 17:29)

No.

[Frank] (17:30 - 17:37)

All right. But, like, I've just had design recently. Someone said, oh, forget the main part of the house, and the other level hasn't been thought about.

[Amelia] (17:37 - 17:38)

Okay.

[Frank] (17:38 - 17:46)

And I looked at it straight away and where he's placed the stairs and part of it had to work with the garage. I'm not going to be able to fit the garage where he's placed the stairs.

[Amelia] (17:46 - 17:46)

Yeah, okay.

[Frank] (17:46 - 18:03)

So we're working through a process there on how to adjust the plan so the stairs flow nicely. So, again, this comes down to position on the site. How do you enter?

How do you live? How do you get to the other parts of the house? And it's got to flow nicely because no one wants a huge lot of wasted hall space.

[Amelia] (18:04 - 18:13)

No, and I guess you have to think about other things around the house, like how you're actually going to access your driveway. Do you have a caravan? Do you need rear access?

[Frank] (18:13 - 18:15)

Or just to be able to park it somewhere?

[Amelia] (18:15 - 18:15)

Yeah.

[Frank] (18:16 - 18:17)

You've got teenage kids with cars.

[Amelia] (18:18 - 18:20)

Yeah, exactly. Do you have enough space for that?

[Frank] (18:20 - 18:36)

You look like a used car lot with all the mates turned up. I reckon. I had that the other day coming home from the conference, and there was just cars everywhere.

And the son jumped out, oh, sorry, sorry, and they all jumped out together. It's all chilled out. It's fine.

But it was just cars and motorbikes everywhere.

[Amelia] (18:36 - 18:38)

You would have been in your element.

[Frank] (18:39 - 19:03)

Almost, except I was tired. Oh, I can imagine. No, they were all good.

The place was still standing, so I was thankful. That's good. So, yeah, you're right.

All these things have to be considered. And, yeah, some people bring plans in, and it doesn't work perfectly, but we can adjust it. I really love working with old houses, you know, and you want to do an extension.

And you try and improve it with all these things in mind. I find that lots of fun.

[Amelia] (19:04 - 19:10)

Yeah, I guess there can be more limitations with those sort of things too.

[Frank] (19:10 - 19:30)

Yeah, it's true. But then you're working with your orientation. How do you enter, exit, park your car?

Where do the kids play? Where do you want outdoor entertainment? Where's the sun?

Do you have to put a screen up so you're shielded from the neighbour? All those things have to be considered. And then the house has to function really well, and you've got a lot more limitations.

[Amelia] (19:30 - 19:30)

Yes.

[Frank] (19:31 - 19:32)

So it's a lot of fun being able to do that.

[Amelia] (19:33 - 19:35)

I think you just like the challenge, Frank.

[Frank] (19:35 - 19:40)

Oh, it is. I must say, for some reason, I like doing that more than brand-new homes.

[Amelia] (19:40 - 19:40)

Really?

[Frank] (19:41 - 19:45)

Yeah, I always have. I don't know why. Maybe it's my fascination with recycling.

[Amelia] (19:45 - 19:46)

Yeah, that's a good point.

[Frank] (19:47 - 20:25)

You know, because I think it's amazing what you can do with old houses. Even if the orientation is wrong, you can change it. I went to one on Wednesday, a heritage-listed house, and the kitchen was on the southern side, and it was just a dark, gungy room.

[Amelia]

Oh, it would be awful. 

[Frank]

And the dining room was a lot better. That was facing east. But the client had this idea of putting it up the north and northeast, and I said, hey, that makes perfect sense. So working with a client that already knows this stuff, like this is the view, this is where we can sit outside, this is where we could have our TV, this is the family space. So that's a lot of fun.

[Amelia] (20:26 - 20:28)

Yeah, it would be. Yeah.

[Frank] (20:28 - 20:34)

Yeah, that's just little tips and tricks, I would suggest, is doing bubble diagrams.

[Amelia] (20:34 - 20:35)

What are they?

[Frank] (20:35 - 20:37)

Just little circles that look like bubbles.

[Amelia] (20:38 - 20:38)

Okay.

[Frank] (20:38 - 20:50)

So here's where I want – this is the view, this is where I want the lounge. I want a view of my master bedroom, this is where I want it. This is where the bedrooms go, bathroom, this is how I want to enter, these are the cars, and just circles.

[Amelia] (20:51 - 20:52)

Okay. That's a good idea.

[Frank] (20:53 - 20:54)

Simple little thing to do.

[Amelia] (20:54 - 21:00)

What about if you have on your block things that possibly can't be removed?

[Frank] (21:01 - 21:04)

Maybe it's – Like your mother-in-law? Oh, wrong one.

[Amelia] (21:07 - 21:07)

That's terrible.

[Frank] (21:08 - 21:12)

I love my mother-in-law. By the way, sorry, Ma.

[Amelia] (21:14 - 21:23)

So what about, you know, it could be a tree or, I don't know, just things on the site already that are either very, very challenging to move or you can't move.

[Frank] (21:23 - 21:30)

Yeah, work around it. As long as you know where they are. This is only if I'm doing additions on houses.

So, yeah, you're right, it could be an easement.

[Amelia] (21:30 - 21:33)

Yeah, actually, you could be right there, an easement.

[Frank] (21:33 - 21:34)

Yeah, it could be a pipeline not in an easement.

[Amelia] (21:35 - 21:35)

Yes.

[Frank] (21:35 - 21:59)

That happens. So once you find it, and that's why we do a lot of research and try to find these things, so, oh, this is your limitation, this is the boundaries, it could be a bushfire thing. You could be limited on because the potential bushfire is far greater than we're allowed to build on.

Just remember in Tassie we're only allowed to build up to BAL 29, not like some places on the big island, you can go up to about 40 flame zone.

[Amelia] (21:59 - 22:00)

Wow.

[Frank] (22:00 - 22:03)

Yeah, I know. But they put limitations here on us.

[Amelia] (22:03 - 22:04)

Yes.

[Frank] (22:04 - 22:14)

Those are real things. Also, if you're on a small site and you've got to have a wastewater, you don't have septic. So that's going to change your orientation as well.

[Amelia] (22:15 - 22:15)

Oh, it's got to go…

[Frank] (22:15 - 22:28)

I've got to put my septic, it's got to be three minutes from the house. I've got to put absorption drains and I've got to have a reserve area for this as well. So this actually limits how you can position the house, it can actually limit where you put your cars.

[Amelia] (22:28 - 22:29)

Yeah, that's a good point.

[Frank] (22:31 - 22:39)

So this is where finding all the limitations and then design around the limitations. Because you don't want to move some of this stuff or you can't move it.

[Amelia] (22:39 - 22:39)

Yes.

[Frank] (22:39 - 22:41)

That's the other side, you just can't move it.

[Amelia] (22:41 - 22:42)

Yeah, yeah.

[Frank] (22:42 - 23:09)

So you work around it. And to be fair, a lot of people don't realise what they're buying. I had someone contact me just recently, bought a house.

I haven't decided am I going to put a unit at the back or do I put a big shed in the back for myself? Well, what do you want to do? Do you want an investment property?

Do you want to do something in the future? Says, yeah, not sure. Doesn't look like there's any pipelines.

Says, okay, what did you do? Did you check? I don't know.

Anyway, so I've had a quick check. Big sewer line through the backyard. Yay. No easement.

[Amelia] (23:09 - 23:11)

Yeah, okay.

[Frank] (23:11 - 23:12)

It's one of the really old ones.

[Amelia] (23:12 - 23:12)

Yeah.

[Frank] (23:13 - 23:18)

So, yeah, that makes it more difficult. So we've got a limitation there. What can we do with that limitation?

[Amelia] (23:18 - 23:21)

Yeah, that's a good point. I wonder if he could do a granny flat.

[Frank] (23:21 - 23:45)

Possibly. Yeah. And I've already said that to him too.

So these are the things as a designer. It's not just being a good designer. You're a problem solver around the limitations which you have on the site.

Again, this changes how things are orientated. How do you flow through the house, around the house? Can you get a trailer in the backyard to do the gardening?

You know, all sorts of stuff.

[Amelia] (23:45 - 23:47)

Okay. What are the take-homes?

[Frank] (23:47 - 23:48)

Bubble diagrams.

[Amelia] (23:49 - 23:51)

Bubble diagrams. That's your take-home. Pretty helpful.

[Frank] (23:52 - 24:13)

But also, find out what the limitations. Is it bushfire? Here's another pearler we just had on a piece of land someone bought.

Restriction on how far you can build on the site with the height because the sewer line and the storm water line are too high. 

[Amelia]

What? How are they too high?

So that means they can't cover the whole block.

[Amelia] (24:13 - 24:14)

Wow.

[Frank] (24:14 - 24:15)

Wow, all right.

[Amelia] (24:16 - 24:17)

They can't upgrade it?

[Frank] (24:17 - 24:18)

They can't service the lot.

[Amelia] (24:19 - 24:19)

Wow.

[Frank] (24:19 - 24:26)

No, I've seen it before. They can only service so much. So you've got to build the house high enough so it can fall to the connection points.

[Amelia] (24:27 - 24:30)

Yeah, okay. I bet they didn't know that when they purchased the block.

[Frank] (24:30 - 24:31)

I guarantee you.

[Amelia] (24:31 - 24:33)

Yeah. Oh, that's terrible.

[Frank] (24:33 - 24:52)

Yeah, it's more common than... Yeah, I've just said it. Oh, I've got to share this one.

Down Hobart, we did a job, put a granny flat in the back, and then they told us... All the downpipes, everything's there. And they go, we don't have a storm water connection.

I says, what? All the downpipes are all... Yeah, no.

No, they just go to the ground. They're in the ground.

[Amelia] (24:52 - 24:54)

They don't go to anything. 

[Frank]

And I go, what? What?

[Amelia]

What?

[Frank] (24:55 - 25:04)

And then we did the research. What the hell? It was ridiculous. So now we've got to find a solution, a tank and a pump, and yeah.

[Amelia] (25:05 - 25:07)

That doesn't really sound ideal either, though.

[Frank] (25:07 - 25:07)

Oh, no, it was rubbish.

[Amelia] (25:08 - 25:08)

That's terrible.

[Frank] (25:09 - 25:10)

It was absolutely rubbish. And the whole street's like that.

[Amelia] (25:11 - 25:11)

Really?

[Frank] (25:11 - 25:12)

Mm.

[Amelia] (25:13 - 25:13)

Wow.

[Frank] (25:14 - 25:14)

Yeah, not impressed.

[Amelia] (25:15 - 25:16)

Yeah, they don't disclose these things, do they?

[Frank](25:16 - 25:17)

They did not disclose them.

[Amelia] (25:17 - 25:19)

That's really bad. 

[Frank]

Rubbish.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[Frank] (25:20 - 25:24)

Anyway, so we've found a solution for them. But yeah.

[Amelia] (25:25 - 25:36)

I guess I just want to reiterate, too, that we can offer, and I'm sure other building designers possibly offer this as well, to do a site analysis before you purchase a block or...

[Frank] (25:36 - 25:38)

Interesting, it wouldn't have picked this one up.

[Amelia] (25:39 - 25:40)

Yeah, okay.

[Frank] (25:40 - 25:48)

On that search. Yeah. That they weren't connected to storm water.

It'll say there's a storm water connection because there's a site entry pit, the pit's outside the gutter.

[Amelia] (25:48 - 25:48)

Yep.

[Frank] (25:48 - 25:54)

But it didn't actually say the internal storm water wasn't connected to anything. Yeah. Because that's private infrastructure, not council infrastructure.

[Amelia] (25:55 - 25:55)

Yeah.

[Frank] (25:55 - 25:56)

And I was a bit ticked off.

[Amelia] (25:57 - 25:59)

And why is that not public knowledge, though?

[Frank] (25:59 - 26:10)

It's rubbish, isn't it? It is rubbish. It's like when councils have, hello, Hobart Council keeps their own flood mapping to themselves and they don't put it on the public list.

[Amelia] (26:11 - 26:11)

Record Mm-hmm.

[Frank] (26:11 - 26:13)

Yep. Anyway, I'll leave that one alone.

[Amelia] (26:13 - 26:16)

We better wrap up before it goes too downhill.

[Frank] (26:16 - 26:17)

Before it goes south, get it?

[Amelia] (26:19 - 26:22)

All right, so obviously do your bubble diagrams.

[Frank] (26:23 - 26:28)

Well, if you want to do sketches, you can certainly do rectangles, but I just want to get the orientation right.

[Amelia] (26:28 - 26:34)

Yeah, good idea. All right, we might wrap it up there, folks. Thanks for listening to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast.

[Frank] (26:34 - 26:35)

Catch ya’s later.

[OUTRO] (26:44 - 26:48)

You're listening to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast.