How important is aspect?

climber59

Just wondering what everyone thinks with regards to a house’s back garden. I’m adamant that I want it to face south, west or some variation of the two. My partner is happy to respect my wishes but if it were up to him it wouldn’t matter.

I grew up in a south facing bedroom (and kitchen/back garden). We currently live in a south facing apartment but due to other buildings we don’t get sun after 5pm in the height of summer. We always go out for walks or to sit in the park after work in the summer and it really bums me out we can’t just stay in our own place.

With the market the way it is I’m worried I’m being too picky but at the end of the day you can change most things except the direction of the house.

Just wondering what people’s thoughts are.

Eric Cartman

it depends on what you want,

I'm not a gardener or a morning person, a west / south west garden would suit perfectly for evening sun,

south east / easterly gardens suit for earlier sun, a south facing garden is a compromise for a bit of both.

North facing back garden would be out and can just be damp and bland though,

climber59

Yep we both work 9-5 jobs and are quite outdoorsy so my ideal would be sun in the evening after work. At least at the weekend we can go for a hike/walk but Mon to Fri I’d like to have the option of just chilling in the garden.

Wesser

Only matters if your garden is small.
If your garden is very long then north facing is fine.

Essien

It can make a huge difference depending on your surroundings and the size of the garden.

A permanently dark back garden can be pretty bleak.

Thestones

Aspect is important, obviously north facing is the worst. My preference would have been south west when buying but any property with this you will pay a premium for. We ended up with a South East house and it's fine as the shape of it we actually can move down in the evening, get it til after 7 in the summer.

1983ish

Very important for us.
We were renting for 5 years, the house had a north facing back garden that got the sun til 730pm in the summer. We rushed home from work to make the most of it.
We bought a wreck of a house 2 roads over in 2014 solely on the potential of the 55ft south facing back garden. We renovated and put in a 4m wide glass sliding door.
We recently put down a big patio and honestly it’s like having an extra room!
Personal preference I suppose but it was and in the future will be high on our list

climber59

Thanks for all the responses. I hadn’t thought about length of the garden - makes a lot of sense!

theteal

It was one of the main factors in choosing our current house. Our last was easterly facing, grand for early sun but we’d be moving up and up the garden in the evening to avoid the shade, not a great way to enjoy a glass of wine.

We’re south westerly now and I’ve got big plans for garden, roll on the Spring!

Samuel T. Cogley

I've a SE facing back garden and kitchen (and bedroom) and early in the morning...

lawred2

We're in Dublin with a totally north facing garden. It's bleak enough in the winter but reality dictates. Everyone wants South facing and many are prepared to pay a premium for it.

If out in the sticks, I would not even countenance north facing for a second.

lawred2

As it happens, all the South facing gardens in the estate are badly overlooked on almost all sides whereas we're not so swings and roundabouts.

PhoenixParker

People always focus on aspect of the garden. Personally I think aspect of the house itself is far more important, especially in Ireland.

Is the house itself bright and sunny? Especially the kitchen where you're likely to spend most of your waking & daylight hours when you're home. It helps if some of the bedrooms get morning (preferable) or evening sun too.

Decent sun in the garden May to September and decent light in the house year round are what to look for. Most aspects will get decent sun somewhere in the garden in those months and a slightly northern aspect may even be better for evening sun.

Cienciano

I had south and west facing gardens. I'd definitely go with west or south west ahead of south. For the evenings and even just to be able to see the sunset.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Where’s the soul destroying shadow coming from? The two story house itself? Midsummer the sun sets in the north west anyway.

climber59

Really interesting perspectives. I suppose that's part of it too, you can get the best aspect in theory but it's not much use if something is blocking it.

We're looking at new builds (buying off plans) so the gardens tend to be relatively small and the houses close together so that's more why I was thinking it would make a big difference in this case. We still might not get a lot of sun in the garden/light in the house but with a better aspect we'd have a better chance.

Thanks for all the thoughts so far!

cowboyjoe

We bought our north facing semi d in 2012. If I could change only one thing it would be the aspect. We have a small ish garden I like to mess about in, and sit out in during Spring/summer. But from Oct-march it gets little or no sunlight so does feel very cold. Also no light into out kitchen. You make do with what you have, so I have paved the west side of garden, now there's a nice sun trap on that side and bottom of the garden too. For me aspect is very important.

PhoenixParker

Sketchup is a great tool and surprisingly easy to learn. You can draw up the house and surroundings and do a full sunpath analysis. Thoroughly recommend it, especially if youre buying a new build. There should be enough dimensions on the plans to model it.

climber59

That's a great tip thanks! I'd been using suncalc but it's hard to really envision it with nothing around. I'll have a look at sketchup.

lawred2

This is an amazing site too

https://www.suncalc.org

put the site address/coords in and away you go

Hurrache

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Where’s the soul destroying shadow coming from? The two story house itself? Midsummer the sun sets in the north west anyway.

I reckon if there's neighbours at an angle to your left. We moved from a south mainly west facing garden were we had the sun until very late evening to a mainly north facing garden, angled a few degrees to the east, and we're really only losing out on sun directly entering the back of the house. We gain getting it through the front of the house throughout the winter, when you won't be out in the garden anyway.

In the summer we pretty much have sun all day, from the morning to late evening, in the back garden.

little bess

Hurrache wrote: »

I reckon if there's neighbours at an angle to your left. We moved from a south mainly west facing garden were we had the sun until very late evening to a mainly north facing garden, angled a few degrees to the east, and we're really only loosing out on sun directly entering the back of the house. We gain getting it through the front of the house throughout the winter, when you won't be out in the garden anyway.

In the summer we pretty much have sun all day, from the morning to late evening, in the back garden.

We’ve just bought a house at the same angle, the garden is facing north and few degrees east. At the moment we’re in south west facing, which is perfect, and I’m dreading the idea of no sun in our new garden.

But, like you, we have no overlooking neighbors to our left, so hopefully we’ll get some sun??

Franz Von Peppercorn

I’ve alwars been confused by this. A south facing house has a north facing back garden, right?

And people would more likely sit outside in a back garden, right? And it’s generally bigger.

Why then isn’t a north facing house in demand.

Or is that what people mean by south facing - the back garden is south facing.

little bess

Yeas, they mean the garden is south facing.

climber59

Yes people are usually talking about the back garden. It did confuse me at the start too!

GreeBo

Its not just the garden, the back of your house, typically the Kitchen will be dark all year round in a North Facing house.

I grew up in one, its fine in summer as we had a big garden, but the back of the house is just always dark.

PhoenixParker

climber59 wrote: »

That's a great tip thanks! I'd been using suncalc but it's hard to really envision it with nothing around. I'll have a look at sketchup.

It does take a bit of learning but quicker then you'd think when you start. Read the beginner guides and watch a few you tube videos. When you're comfortable add the shadows and sun stuff. It also has the advantage that you can use the warehouse feature to arrange your furniture and see how it fits.

Malari

Aspect was one of the 5 essential features that we wouldn't budge on when looking for a house! We have a south-east facing back garden, and the kitchen, living room and garden get sun from morning till late evening. Garden wasn't even a big thing for me at the time of purchase, but I love the feeling of being in a warm , sun-lit room most of the time.

The other side of the house can be really dull and cold in comparison.

Also, we have very large windows so even it's it's freezing (literally) outside, but still sunny, the heating doesn't need to be on at all and it can get to 22-23 degrees during the day. We'd be spending a lot more on heating if the aspect was different.

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TRS30

When we moved last year, I was adamant I wanted a south or west facing rear garden as were in an east facing garden previous so no sun after 5/6pm.
Our current house has a south facing garden so in the summer get the sun (when there is any!) from sun up to sun down. We would spend a majority of our time in the kitchen & playroom which are both at the back of the house so warm and bright. 
The only downside is that the front of the house gets quite cold in the winter. Definitely going to look at getting a porch before next winter.

climber59

Sounds exactly like my parent's house. The front of the house is freezing but I'd take that for a sunny rear. I'd definitely rather the sun in my kitchen rather than my living room anyway.

miezekatze

When we were looking for a house I really wanted a south or west facing back garden too. After months of looking I decided it wasn't that important after all, and took it off the list of priorities. I now have an east facing back garden, but it's long so we still have sun at the end of it in the evening, even during the winter. I don't think aspect is such a big deal anymore. During the summer the sun is high enough so you have sun in your back garden for most of the day anyway. I grow fruit and veg in my garden no problem, and we have plenty of barbecues during the summer. East facing doesnt have to mean that it's a damp and dark garden.

Thestones

miezekatze wrote: »

When we were looking for a house I really wanted a south or west facing back garden too. After months of looking I decided it wasn't that important after all, and took it off the list of priorities. I now have an east facing back garden, but it's long so we still have sun at the end of it in the evening, even during the winter. I don't think aspect is such a big deal anymore. During the summer the sun is high enough so you have sun in your back garden for most of the day anyway. I grow fruit and veg in my garden no problem, and we have plenty of barbecues during the summer. East facing doesnt have to mean that it's a damp and dark garden.

East is not bad at all, our last house was east but garden was pretty small so we lost it around 5/5.30 in the summer and at that we'd have to move to the end of it to get that last bit of sun. A positive of east is the early morning sun, I remember we used to love sitting out at the weekends eating our breakfast on the patio and we still had it at lunch time there, evening BBQs were out but honestly we don't get a lot of good weather for that anyway.

ittakestwo

Not important to me but see for some it makes a big difference which shows in prices.

Personally for a given budget I would prefer to live on the nicer road with a north facing garden than a less nice road with south facing garden.

If the back rooms of your houses faces south, guess what......... the front rooms of your house faces north.

Worth noting too that in the summer the sun sets in the north west. By some people's comments on this you would think if you have a south facing garden then the sun will be sitting due south all day and every square inch of the house will be brighter including the front because "I have a south facing garden"

At 1 o'clock in the summer the sun will be due south , by the time you get from work after 6 it will be in a west direction. When you wake the next morning it will be to the east.

climber59

See in our case it won’t make a difference to the budget. We’re only looking at new builds (using HTB) and any we’ve looked at are priced based on the house type no matter what aspect it’s facing.

Our problem is more that for example if the next phase of a development comes on sale and there’s only north facing rears, do we hang on for another phase or different development knowing the prices might jump or let the aspect thing go and just make sure we get a house? We still have the option to wait until we have a full deposit saved and go for a second hand house but that will be a couple of years and god knows what prices will be like then.

I know it’s a question we can really only answer ourselves but it’s been great to get perspectives of people who have different aspects and how they feel about it.

I know where you’re coming from in terms of south at the back means north at the front but the house I grew up in faced dead on north at the front and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world given how much light we had in my bedroom and the back garden.

Thestones

climber59 wrote: »

See in our case it won’t make a difference to the budget. We’re only looking at new builds (using HTB) and any we’ve looked at are priced based on the house type no matter what aspect it’s facing.

Our problem is more that for example if the next phase of a development comes on sale and there’s only north facing rears, do we hang on for another phase or different development knowing the prices might jump or let the aspect thing go and just make sure we get a house? We still have the option to wait until we have a full deposit saved and go for a second hand house but that will be a couple of years and god knows what prices will be like then.

I know it’s a question we can really only answer ourselves but it’s been great to get perspectives of people who have different aspects and how they feel about it.

I know where you’re coming from in terms of south at the back means north at the front but the house I grew up in faced dead on north at the front and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world given how much light we had in my bedroom and the back garden.

I would hang on if it was north, literally any other aspect is ok but north you'll never have light at the back and you'll regret it. My brothers first house was north and they regretted it for 10 years until they moved on and luckily found a west facing house within their price, they love it now. I wouldn't confine yourself to New builds, second hand houses are usually much better value, some of the new developments I've seen lately are priced ridiculously, don't know what area your in but certainly in south Dublin you'd be better off in an older house and doing it up than paying the extortionate new build prices.

climber59

Thestones wrote: »

I would hang on if it was north, literally any other aspect is ok but north you'll never have light at the back and you'll regret it. My brothers first house was north and they regretted it for 10 years until they moved on and luckily found a west facing house within their price, they love it now. I wouldn't confine yourself to New builds, second hand houses are usually much better value, some of the new developments I've seen lately are priced ridiculously, don't know what area your in but certainly in south Dublin you'd be better off in an older house and doing it up than paying the extortionate new build prices.

Yep that's my gut feeling alright - anything but North!

Day Lewin

I love love love my southerly garden. It faces just a little West, so summer sunsets flow on to the end of the terrace. It's full of suntraps.
This would be of overwhelming importance to me: I get SAD in winter, I need daylight.
My kitchen door faces East so i can walk out on the terrace in the morning and eat breakfast in sunshine. Lunch almost too hot there.
In late evening we can sit facing west and bask in the last rays.

To cover one more point: south facing gardens are popular for all the reasons given above: and some people pay better prices for them. But not all!
I've often been amazed to view a house with a dull, dank back garden, north-facing dimness; and still it went for an excellent price. To those who don't take an interest, the aspect doesn't matter a dam'. So it won't hike up the price as much as you might think, unless the garden itself is also nice.

ittakestwo

Day Lewin wrote: »

I love love love my southerly garden. It faces just a little West, so summer sunsets flow on to the end of the terrace. It's full of suntraps.
This would be of overwhelming importance to me: I get SAD in winter, I need daylight.
My kitchen door faces East so i can walk out on the terrace in the morning and eat breakfast in sunshine. Lunch almost too hot there.
In late evening we can sit facing west and bask in the last rays.

To cover one more point: south facing gardens are popular for all the reasons given above: and some people pay better prices for them. But not all!
I've often been amazed to view a house with a dull, dank back garden, north-facing dimness; and still it went for an excellent price. To those who don't take an interest, the aspect doesn't matter a dam'. So it won't hike up the price as much as you might think, unless the garden itself is also nice.

But does this mean your front garden is dull and dank? And your welcoming front Hall is dark and you get SAD in winter sitting in your dark front living room?

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Malari

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This is it exactly. We arranged the rooms in our house so that the places we spent most time in got the sun all day - for us that was the living room and kitchen. We have the same in the garden...a patio that gets the sun most of the day, and a small second patio further down the garden to get the late evening sun.

jimmycrackcorm

I've a north facing garden, but as the only real times I use the back garden is in the evenings after work. Having sun from the west is really what matters. Also the back of my house has a lot of glass having a small sun room extension, so I don't have a perceptible issue with light.

Grawns

I have a South facing garden (and I went out of my way to procure one) but I grew up with a South facing garden. People don't miss what they don't know.

amtc

I have a south facing back garden...but when sunny it obstructs the tv! My kitchen is very dark ....north facing...but doesn't bother me at all as have enough functional lighting to cook and eat. My dad if he had his way would install light blocks but I find it intimate.

Muahahaha

OP as everyone is saying yes south facing would be what you want in an ideal situation.

The problem though is the current market for buyers is not ideal. Prices are rising month on month by about 1% in Dublin and surrounds so you have to trade off your desire for a south facing garden against the potential extra expense it could cost you.

Are you willing to wait it out for 6 months to get what you want? If so prices could well be 6% higher then than they are right now. Also dont forget other buyers/bidders will also place a premium on a south facing back garden so a house with one will cost more than a house without. When you do your sums it is not difficult to see how the aspect of the garden could end up costing you (for example) an extra 30k on a 300K house if you were willing to let the market keep on rising till you get exactly what you want.

So if your heart is set on south facing thats fine. But dont loose sight of the fact that the extra you pay for the garden may have to come out of another budget such as doing up the kitchen, adding insulation, etc.

climber59

Muahahaha wrote: »

OP as everyone is saying yes south facing would be what you want in an ideal situation.

The problem though is the current market for buyers is not ideal. Prices are rising month on month by about 1% in Dublin and surrounds so you have to trade off your desire for a south facing garden against the potential extra expense it could cost you.

Are you willing to wait it out for 6 months to get what you want? If so prices could well be 6% higher then than they are right now. Also dont forget other buyers/bidders will also place a premium on a south facing back garden so a house with one will cost more than a house without. When you do your sums it is not difficult to see how the aspect of the garden could end up costing you (for example) an extra 30k on a 300K house if you were willing to let the market keep on rising till you get exactly what you want.

So if your heart is set on south facing thats fine. But dont loose sight of the fact that the extra you pay for the garden may have to come out of another budget such as doing up the kitchen, adding insulation, etc.

Yep that’s really the question I’m struggling with at the moment. It is really important to me (and my overall quality of life I feel) but is it important enough to pass up a house and potentially leave us priced out of the market totally in a few months’ time? Especially since my partner doesn’t care at all so it would just be me holding us back.

I think at this stage I’ll just wait until we find a house we like no matter the aspect and go with our gut feeling at the time of how important it is.

Thanks again for all the thoughtful responses.

I have lived in both. It depends on the house and layout. South facing living/tv room is useless as you will spend every sunny afternoon with the curtains closed. Some north facing gardens get sun down the back half. Nice as you can sit in or out of the sun.

Unless you have a spectacular garden and plan on taking up gardenening then I really don't see why it matters tbh. It is something that could be a feature when selling rather than an essential. To say north facing gardens should not.even be considered is a bit ridiculous.

shesty

I would not be interested in a house with a north or south facing garden.
South facing garden is a nice idea...reality is your front rooms are cold and never get heat in them and your back (which is generally the kitchen and is warm anyway) is roasting.House with a west facing back garden is my ideal, or east either will do (our current situation)For me it's as much about getting sun into some part of the house all throughout the day as it is about having the garden in sunshine.
I'm always surprised by how many people don't seem to give it any consideration though.

theboringfox

shesty wrote: »

I would not be interested in a house with a north or south facing garden.
South facing garden is a nice idea...reality is your front rooms are cold and never get heat in them and your back (which is generally the kitchen and is warm anyway) is roasting.House with a west facing back garden is my ideal, or east either will do (our current situation)For me it's as much about getting sun into some part of the house all throughout the day as it is about having the garden in sunshine.
I'm always surprised by how many people don't seem to give it any consideration though.

That's very interesting. Never heard someone talk negatively about south facing. You make a fair point to back it up though. I spoke to architect buddy an he said south facing nice as kitchen/living space to back so get most light in space you live in. Sitting room to front is usually used in evening for TV so light not important. But it's totally a case of each to their own and he said it's just one factor in buying a house along with the rest. He said it is nice to have nstural light in the rooms you mainly use though.

Lumen

Morning person: east-facing.
Evening person: west-facing.

Love my east-facing kitchen/garden. Eating breakfast as the sun comes up is glorious. But I don't think my wife has ever witnessed the sun coming up, except maybe at a wedding reception. :pac:

Lumen

Lumen wrote: »

Morning person: east-facing.
Evening person: west-facing.

Love my east-facing kitchen/garden. Eating breakfast as the sun comes up is glorious. But I don't think my wife has ever witnessed the sun coming up, except maybe at a wedding reception. :pac:

I think that's the key point. Every house gets sun, it's all down to what time of the day you prefer the sun. And design is key. A house that is designed around it's aspect will be a bright house no matter what direction it faces. There is an estate near me and all the South facing houses (nth gardens) are a different design to the rest of the estate. Even the interior is laid out differently. Clearly designed to maximize light within the house.