Orientation

Dolbhad

I am looking at a new build and have three options available - off plans. However the aspects of back gardens are terrible to chose from as there is no west or south facing options.

One is north facing and overlooked a bit, one is east facing with north aspect but that house will be the most private with nothing behind us. The third is east with a slight southern aspect but is the most overlooked so don’t think that helps.

House ticks all the right boxes otherwise but is so top end of our budget. I’ll admit aspect is very important to me. I’d initially had written these houses off over it as along with a small garden, I felt it would be too gloomy.

Any advice from those leaving with those kind of aspects or those who bought off plans and how they figured out aspects. I know new builds now have a lot of light/widows (it’s a detached house) so I don’t know how much of a difference it makes.

Ricosruffneck

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/types-of-garden-shade/

This is quite handy. Also there are apps you can download and use in real time.

anewme

My first house was north facing and very gloomy. I'd no idea about orientation, so I just bought it without realising. The back if the house was very miserable and I'd need electric lights on in the kitchen on a Saturday morning.

When I moved, I paid 10k more for a house with a southern aspect. Even doing the dishes at the kitchen sink with the light coming in at you instead of going right over the house makes a huge difference to to the atmosphere of your home.

Dolbhad

Ricosruffneck wrote: »

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/types-of-garden-shade/

This is quite handy. Also there are apps you can download and use in real time.

Thanks. Just worried about the aspect. Have my aunt who used to be an auctioneer saying ringing in my ears saying stay away for east as she used to say. Her advice was east was the worse and even north could better as you could possibly could get sun late depending on layout. And that aspect always had an influence on the resale value (unless you sold to FTB who she said wouldn’t think about it but for a second time buyer, they were more aware of the affects of the aspect).

But since it’s off plans I can’t know. I’m currently in a south garden and always so grateful for it in the summer.

ted1

I’ve an East facing house. It’s great sun in the front in the morning and then from mid morning it’s directly over the back garden and as we are not over looked we get in the back garden till the sunsets. And we can watch it set from the kitchen window in the back of the house

appledrop

I lived in North facing house + never again. No enjoyment so summer sun in evening.

East would be better than North especially if house not over looked. Obviously hard to know from plans-vs- houses that are actually built.

Ideally the West/South would be best but not ideal if more overlooked.

It's a tough one alright but I'd go for east one.

Dolbhad

anewme wrote: »

My first house was north facing and very gloomy. I'd no idea about orientation, so I just bought it without realising. The back if the house was very miserable and I'd need electric lights on in the kitchen on a Saturday morning.

When I moved, I paid 10k more for a house with a southern aspect. Even doing the dishes at the kitchen sink with the light coming in at you instead of going right over the house makes a huge difference to to the atmosphere of your home.

That’s what I was afraid off. I’d have no issue paying extra for south or west facing back garden but none of the houses in estate are built that way.

I’m hoping not having house to my back would help but have trees that are there that will probably block the light regardless.

ted1 wrote: »

I’ve an East facing house. It’s great sun in the front in the morning and then from mid morning it’s directly over the back garden and as we are not over looked we get in the back garden till the sunsets. And we can watch it set from the kitchen window in the back of the house

Do you mean you have east facing front garden and your back facing west? Cause that would be my ideal situation!

appledrop wrote: »

I lived in North facing house + never again. No enjoyment so summer sun in evening.

East would be better than North especially if house not over looked. Obviously hard to know from plans-vs- houses that are actually built.

Ideally the West/South would be best but not ideal if more overlooked.

It's a tough one alright but I'd go for east one.

Yes I’ve pretty much ruled out the north aspect. Even though the north house was cheaper but that says it all really.

Maybe chance the east with slight north aspect not overlooked. Site will be sloped so houses behind me would be higher up so was trying to get one that’s at the back. Or else I’ll keep looking.

Thanks for the tips!

anewme

I'd not go for any of them. There is a reason these are the last choices.

If you are south now with sun, you will see a huge difference and not positively.

I'd put orientation very high on my list of selection criteria for a home now.

Dolbhad

anewme wrote: »

I'd not go for any of them. There is a reason these are the last choices.

If you are south now with sun, you will see a huge difference and not positively.

I'd put orientation very high on my list of selection criteria for a home now.

It’s not that these are the last left. We are the first in the phase and do have a pick of the houses. However the whole estate will be north or east back facing. It’s trying to pick the best of a bad lot which is why we have choice of corner plot not overlooked which appears to be as good as it gets.

Aspect is high for me cause I am in a south facing garden. But everything else is ticked (and more) off my list for the house. Even second market in our range doesn’t have much in the south/west back garden to chose from.

It’s very disappointing!

appledrop

Dont get caught on on cheaper house! That's what happened to us. It was 10,000 more for south facing house + we didn't have it at the time but regretted it later.

Make sure your really happy with it before you buy. It will be hard to move from a south aspect to east facing garden.

ted1

Dolbhad wrote: »

Do you mean you have east facing front garden and your back facing west? Cause that would be my ideal situation!


Thanks for the tips!

yes the house / front garden faces east. With west being directly behind us

Darc19

Avoid East, and absolutely avoid northeast. (no sun from mid morning


North is not too bad if nothing is blocking the sun coming from the side aspect of the garden.


I'd go onto the site on a sunny afternoon and stand in the various plots and see where the sun is.

naughtysmurf

Darc19 wrote: »

Avoid East, and absolutely avoid northeast. (no sun from mid morning


North is not too bad if nothing is blocking the sun coming from the side aspect of the garden.


I'd go onto the site on a sunny afternoon and stand in the various plots and see where the sun is.

Yes, do the above, our back garden faces north BUT we get glorious sunshine from early afternoon until late from the west which is unblocked also from the east in the morning, we only lose the sun for a couple of hours around noon during a sunny day

q85dw7osi4lebg

I'm east.

Have sun from morning then lose it about 7pm in summer.

It all depends on the length of your garden and the houses around you as opposed to just the aspect itself.

In summer the sun sets in the North West not the West, remember that.

appledrop

I think the plot is the really important thing + unfortunately with a new build very hard to exactly know what will be blocking you light/ where sun will come from till houses are built. New houses dont tend to have big gardens so that's why I'd stay away from north facing as you may get very little sun in back.

Some people set up their patio decking down back of garden in north facing gardens to maximise use of sun.

Dolbhad

Thanks for all the comments and advice. Will need to think about it. Himself isn’t bothered at all but aspect was high on my list. You can change anything else but can’t change location/aspect. Shame as it has everything else and more.

PhoenixParker

It's not just about the garden. Consider where the sun is inside the houses. Do you get sun into the kitchen in the morning for instance? When is each bedroom sunny? When does the sitting room catch the sun? Which rooms will you live in most? How sunny are they?

I wouldn't mind a dark garden too much if the house itself is sunny. If the back of the house is East and your kitchen is at the back, you should have lovely sun for breakfast every morning. If you're morning people that's great, if you're rush straight out of the house and sleep instead weekends, not so much. Most of your time will be in the house not the garden.

Dolbhad

PhoenixParker wrote: »

It's not just about the garden. Consider where the sun is inside the houses. Do you get sun into the kitchen in the morning for instance? When is each bedroom sunny? When does the sitting room catch the sun? Which rooms will you live in most? How sunny are they?

I wouldn't mind a dark garden too much if the house itself is sunny. If the back of the house is East and your kitchen is at the back, you should have lovely sun for breakfast every morning. If you're morning people that's great, if you're rush straight out of the house and sleep instead weekends, not so much. Most of your time will be in the house not the garden.

The kitchen, conservatory and master bedroom are allocated at the back, east facing. Two living rooms are to the front west facing. I’ll admit I’m usually out the door to work in the mornings and would lie in weekends so won’t get much use of the sun that way. But there would be a lot of widows and it’s a detached house so the kitchen would have a side widow facing west but will be blocked by house next door.

I’ll admit I’ve viewed some second hand houses before north facing and immediately could tell in the kitchen it got no sun. But as previous posters said it will really depend on the layout and what surrounds us and we can’t know for certain until we are in.

We did have an engineer friend look at he site layout. We have preference the house with the biggest back. He said it’s east with a north aspect but is not overlooked by other houses and would be more private. There is one which is east within south aspect which may be better but he said that had existing houses behind us and have a smaller garden (up higher as site is sloped) so the may cancel it out.

So really for us to decide and take the risk.