Where in Hill country? I am 78230 (city).

bevangel: thank you for that. I have printed that for my husband to read....it's way too technical for me.

I guess my question should have been a little more specific. I'd like to know how to place a house in order to maximize natural light and to have nice breezes on the porch areas.

In terms of natural light, is it better to have it in the living areas or bedroom areas?

Excuse my ignorance....

Where you want the most natural light is very much a matter of taste. I situated our master bedroom on the east side of the house because I'm a natural night person but I have no choice but to get up early in the mornings for work. Having the sun come into the bedroom in the morning helps me wake up. But, if I worked nights and could sleep in, you'd better believe I would have put the master at the other side of the house!

You'll get the most natural light from windows on the south, west, and east walls. But more natural light from these directions will also mean more HEAT. You can reduce the amount of heat you get in the summer time with south facing windows by having your roof overhang the walls by at least 24". But while roof overhangs help somewhat with heat gain from east and west facing windows, they are not as effective. West facing windows are particularly problematic in hot climates because they get hit with the hot afternoon sun. North facing windows don't provide as much natural light but it is cool light so, in warm climates, you can put lots of windows on the north side without worrying as much about heat gain from the sun. Hope this helps. The link I sent explains it in more detail.

Aggie,
Bevangel pointed you to some awesome material. If you are going to build your dream home, take that information, digest it, and decide for yourself where you want the light- after all, it's your home. There are so many different ways to go, and the only right way is they way YOU want it to be.

For example- do you like to sleep late and burn the midnight oil- then maybe you want to place your bedrooms on the northwest side. But if you like to watch the sunrise from your bedroom, face it east. It's really not that hard or technical, and only you can decide what you want/like.
I read this great article today about an unconventional house. All the bedrooms were on one side of the upper floor, and all the bathrooms were across a hallway on the other side of the house. It seemed so unconventional to me, but the owner said her husband gets up at 5:30 every morning even when he isn't going to work, and having the bathroom across the hall ensured that he didn't wake her or anyone else up. Not what I would want in my house, but I thought it was brilliant because it worked for them and their lifestyle. (And helped their marriage I'll bet.)

I recall some book or article about "natural home designing." It was essentially a process of imagining your typical day and how you want it to be, and imagining how your house works with it. Bottom line--Don't rely on anyone else for how YOU want to live. But do your own homework!

You should also go to your land at different times of day to get a feel for it. The topography and potential view plays a big role in your siting and layout. Our land slopes towards a mountain view, which determined much of the layout, and limits our siting options. I also want our bedroom on the east side, although I haven't been in bed at sunrise in many years! I also wanted the kitchen on the east side, because I love having the sun streaming in while I'm having a cup of coffee.

I can see where the site bevangel linked might seem too technical if it is all new to you. However, it is VERY important information and will make a huge difference in the comfort of your house, so be sure someone digests it before you start your design. BTW, they've got " (inches) instead of ' (feet) in a few places (should be 2' overhang, 8' wall, 3' x 5' window, etc.)--I'm surprised no one on their site has caught and corrected this.

We followed the siting rules for our climate as best we could (we were on the Solar Tour this year) although we did not have the ideal orientation to the south, and I LOVE the comfort level of this house. Saving lots of $$ on the utilities and not wasting resources unnecessarily feels good, too!

I also put the master bath window and a dormer window facing a small grove of sassafras trees. They are absolutely spectacular for a brief 2 weeks in the fall with their beautiful yellow leaves against the blue sky (right now) and I look out those windows several times a day just to enjoy them. (Unfortunately, the Japanese beetles love them during the summer.)

I put a triple casement on the southwest wall of the living room. The tall oaks that shade that side from the summer sun are also beautiful spring through fall in the late afternoon as the sun streams through them at a low angle--positively ethereal.

The most difficult decision was where to put the living room and master bedroom. I ended up with 2 versions of the same plan, each which had its pluses and minuses. During the summer, I wish I'd done the other version, but during the winter I KNOW I made the right decision, since the sun comes streaming into the living room most of the day. I knew that with our gray winters and shorter days, I'd hate not having the sun in that room during the day.

The other views were more obvious, but if I hadn't done what flgargoyle suggested above, I'd have missed the two I just mentioned. Fortunately, the house fit perfectly into a slight ridge, but we had to be careful with how we did the front entrance and landscaping to make it fit into the natural setting as naturally as possible.

I am also glad I decided to put at least one window, even if it's a small one, on each side of the house. I just like being able to see what's happening outside on each side.

Anne

All of the above is good advice. When reading recommendations, be sure to make allowances to suit your specific climate... houses in the South don't need a full wall of windows facing south, just as a Northern house won't get maximum use from a porch on the north side of the house. It helps if you understand WHY a recommendation is made, to see if it suits your situation.

It will really help if you spend a fair amount of time at your potential site, to determine primary wind direction. Neighbors can be helpful in telling from which direction most/worst storms come, so you can incorporate protective measures. For instance, my site has most storms coming from the west, but blizzards roar up the valley from the south. Therefore, my front door will face east and is sheltered south and west.

From experience, I'll recommend that the kitchen face north or northeast. Southern and western windows make a hot room hotter, and have a high potential for too much direct sun just when you want or need to cook.

We saw a 2.5 acre lot this weekend that we like a lot, but I wasn't thrilled with the exposure...it's in Vermont and the view faces northwest so I have no idea how we'd site the house...but visiting the site many times throughout the year/day is great advice and one that we plan on following.

One of the reasons it took us so long to find a lot was because I wanted the house to face North. That allowed me to have the garage on the NE; Breakfast Room, E; Kitchen, NE; Screened Porch, SE (big shade tree S); LR, DR and Guest Room, S; MBR, SW; M-bath, NW; Library, N; Foyer, N.

The 'views' on our one acre are to the East and South.

Yes, I'd prefer my MBR facing East, but *something* had to be sacrificed. As it happened, the low ranch West of us was replaced by a two-story whose second floor windows reflect the rising sun into our MBR now anyway! It's not near enough to shade us from the western sun though.

The North-facing rooms (M-bath, Library, Back Hall) have heat in the floors. That's especially nice in the high-ceilinged M-bath and Library.

Our one-floor house is long and only two rooms deep so there's plenty of natural light everywhere. The Library (N) has a two-story arched window so there's light all year but no reflection on the TV in there. (We tend to read in the LR and watch TV in the Library -- go figure.) The only rooms in the house without a window are the back hall powder room and the guest and library baths.

I would like to add a 38-foot loggia over the LR and DR french doors -- only place we get 'too much' light. I would have liked some double-hung windows instead of all casements because having little-to-no overhangs means I can't open windows or French doors more than a crack if it is raining. The North-facing wood entry door is under a portico, protected from the weather. Most of our weather comes from the West, but really bad snow and ice storms blow down Lake Michigan from the North.

I enjoy having my Kitchen sink window facing the driveway and the street so I can see people passing by. Sunday I spotted the Cub Scouts approaching in time to dry my hands and get to the door before they rang the dog-activator (doorbell). In my last house I could only see the front from the entry door. We are 150 feet back from the road, and it's a lightly traveled 'country' road w/no sidewalk. The house is so tight that if the windows are closed I can't hear a car coming up the bluestone chip driveway.

I always want a quick route between Garage and Back Hall/Kitchen with powder room access there. Back yard door also opens into Back Hall.

I miss a Back Hall or Outdoor access to the basement for ease in storing things and for HVAC, Plumber, etc. Our only basement stairs are off the Foyer. It seemed overkill to add more stairs in a 2900 sq ft house, but if I were doing it over, I'd add them or eliminate the foyer set.

Sometimes, one can think out of the box... the box being that the LR should have the best view. IMO, that's true only if one is going to spend a lot of time in the LR, enjoying that view! If you are buying/building for a particular view, be sure that the room/s you use most are the ones that take advantage.

Also consider (especially those of us in temperate zones) that many people find a screened porch is used more than any other room in the house. If you think you will be a porch person, do place the porch so as to have a view to enjoy, because you will find yourself there, often.

If you are going to spend a lot of time on a patio, remember to consider the prevailing weather. For us it comes out of the West. We situated our home with a covered patio on the East side because we use it all the time in the late afternoon. In the Summer it is cooler and the house provides a wind shelter, ditto for leaving windows open. We also have a 24" overhang all around. Our master bedroom is also on the East side because we are up early and enjoy the sunrise.

I would avoid outdoor space where you want to spend time in the summer to be on the south or west side. In TX even with covered areas and ceiling fans it gets very hot.

Also bedrooms on the west side in TX will mean they are nice and toasty when going to bed and you might feel the need to have the AC cooler.

I'd want the most natural light during the day where I spend most of my time. If that meant choosing between bedrooms or living areas I'd choose living areas.

I live on the edge of the hill country and have built in this part of Texas three times over 25 years...doesn't make me an expert but I do have some thoughts. You've already gotten some really great advice and thoughts on siting your house (find out where the prevailing breeze comes from during the warm months, look at where the views will be from various sides of the house.) I think one of the most important is to remember that in this part of the country, a *lot* of what you might read about passive heating and etc. don't apply...we need protection from the sun most of the year, not to be able to "capture" more of its heat and light! I do have some thoughts you might call general advice for this area:

If possible, make the house longer toward east and west (the long sides facing north and south, only short sides facing east and west...now if you have lots of big trees to either the east or west, close enough to the house, you could ignore that some.) Some specific advice would depend on what direction your views and prevailing breezes are from...but in general in this climate you can put the most windows either facing north or south or both, as long as you are aware of a few things.

If most of the windows and outdoor living areas will be on the south side of the house: tilt that side of the house toward the south/southeast and not true south (if possible.) That will give you more sun on windows and porches facing south in the morning but pay off in the afternoon. If you can use trees, a wall of the house or even just the bulk of the house to provide a little shade in the late afternoon for windows and porches it would be great. This is really important in the summer..though the sun will have moved to the north, the payoff for having the windows and porches facing a bit to the southeast is big because then none of them will have direct sun on them and the patio or porch will be a bit shaded by the house.

South-facing windows and porches need much deeper overhangs all year round because the sun is generally to the south...and even in the winter we have such warm temperatures much of the year that we don't really want that extra heat and light. South light is also much brighter all year round, so even rooms with deep overhangs and porches protecting them get good light. Just remember if most of the windows and porches face south...deep overhangs and porches everywhere possible, tilt the whole house so that side is a bit more south/southeast.

If most of the windows and outdoor living areas will be to the north: I would try to tilt that wall of the house toward the northeast quite a bit. Yes, you will again take a little more sun in the mornings but the payoff in the late afternoon (especially in the hotter months) will be big. North facing windows are in general protected from sun by the eaves of the house except in the hottest part of the summer in the late afternoon (when the sun has moved the farthest north.) Again, it is more pleasant in the afternoons if the windows and porches aren't looking directly at the afternoon sun.

North-facing windows are a bit of a balancing act in that those rooms will have much less natural light. In general those windows don't need such a deep overhang or protecting porches (and will be darker if they have them) except that during the very hottest part of the summer, that side of the house takes a direct hit in the afternoons. In this climate I actually like lots of windows facing north for as much light as possible, just normal deep overhangs and not much in the way of porches....but then try to design it so that doorways and any porches or patios have lots of trees toward the northwest to provide shade and protection when that late afternoon July and August sun hits. But for the most part, north-facing windows will not take any direct sun most of the year so you can get away with a lot of them if that works for you.

Because of the way the sun moves and its height in the sky....in general it is better to think of protection for the south windows and porches all year round. Yes, north-facing does have that exposure in the late afternoon during the hottest part of summer but it is for a smaller amount of the year and for a smaller part of the day.

You've gotten good advice about finding out where the prevailing breezes come from on your land. On mine, the breeze is from the south/southeast most of the year but sometimes changes to being from the north and east (so my siting for breezes is also the same as for sun.) If you have to choose one or the other....site for the sun!!! Anyway, it is good to have windows you can open on the side the prevailing breezes come from and windows on the other side of the house to let it out...but best of all is if you can put some windows up high to create an updraft or "air chimney" effect. We put high celestory windows (that open via remote) in a tall central hallway and opening them creates airflow through the house even when there is not much breeze.

I hope this all make sense...I know it's wordy! If it does not, please ask questions or email me and I'll try to clarify.