Let The Block Do The Work: Designing For Sun, Wind And A Coastal Climate

Every piece of land has a personality, and the smartest thing you can do as a homeowner is design with it, not against it. Up here we cop hot dry summers and mild wet winters, and a clever floor plan will keep your power bills down without you having to think about it once you've moved in.

The first thing I do when I walk a block is stand on it for a few minutes and watch where the sun lands. In WA, the winter sun tracks low across the north, so that's where you want your living spaces and the bigger windows. North-facing glass with a decent eave or veranda gives you free warmth in July and shade in January. Bedrooms work nicely on the east, where you get a soft morning light and the room cools down before bedtime.

The west is where you've got to be careful. By three in the afternoon in summer, west-facing rooms cook. That's a great spot for the garage, the laundry or a wide veranda that buffers the heat off the wall, but it's a poor spot for the kitchen or the main bedroom. The south picks up the coldest winds, so that side of the home is where I'd happily put service rooms and minimise the glass.

The other piece people forget is what's around them. If your block backs onto bush or sand dunes, take advantage of it. If you're hemmed in by neighbours, plan privacy in early, smarter window placement, a clever screen, a courtyard, rather than patching it up with bushes and blinds later.

Coastal blocks bring their own challenges too. Salt air punishes cheap fittings, prevailing breezes off the ocean are gold for cross-ventilation, and your roof and gutters need to be specified for what we actually get up here, not what works in Perth.

A good Turquoise Coast builder will walk the block with you and your designer before a single line is drawn. If you'd like that walk-through on your patch, you'll find me at inh.com.au/TurquoiseCoast.