South Facing Backyards and How Good Building Design Can Maximise the Sun

Only a lucky few are blessed with a sun-drenched north-facing backyard; a private open space that enjoys both morning and afternoon solar access. For many homes, they are stuck with south-facing backyards that are gloomy and shadowed for the majority of the day.

If you marry this with building or renovating a rear addition to the back of an existing south-facing backyard dwelling, the problem can be compounded even further.  What we need is thoughtful and considered architectural design.

Whilst you may achieve the internal space and rooms that you want, without good design, a south-facing backyard may suffer greatly and become an undervalued asset and seldom used.

Why Good Design Matters

At Hatch Projects, our goal for designing additions to south-facing backyards is to provide beautiful light-filled internal rooms, whilst maximizing the natural sunlight to private outdoor areas.

It is imperative for the designer to fully understand the subject site, the site constraints, the position and height of adjoining dwellings, the sun angles through the seasons, and prevalent wind directions, and to incorporate all of these factors into the scope of the project.

How Can We Maximise Natural Light?

For south-facing backyards designers can work with natural light in many ways :

• Introduce strategic courtyards that provide internal light and borrowed light to the dark part of a site,
• Lower roof forms in strategic areas to allow light to penetrate over built-form structures,
• Create angled walls that maximize morning or afternoon sun to certain specific backyard locations,
• Using light colors and materials to reflect light back into private open spaces and
• Using well-placed feature walls to block cold southerly winds

A good example of a recent design incorporating several of these elements is our Farm Street project that you can view here.

The private outdoor spaces that families love using to relax and recharge should never be an afterthought.   They are as important as any internal room in the dwelling and we treat them accordingly to maximize the living quality and value of any property.

If you are considering buying, renovating or building on south-facing land then always bring in the experts for good design advice. We offer free initial 15-minute consultations if you’d like to chat about your upcoming project. Call Andrew (M: 0418 104 708).