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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.

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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

....... wrote: »

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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.

[Deleted User]

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:

[Deleted User]

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.

Muahahaha

climber59 wrote: »

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 am the same OP, aspect is really important to me. However if it came down to a kind of Hobsons choice I would not be risking being priced out of the market because of the aspect. Only you know your budget and what it is getting in the area you want to live in. But do realise that many houses are achieving 10-15% above asking prices and that then makes the asking price for the next house for sale on that road go up 10-15% itself. It is basically a horrible market for buyers right now as there is a real feeling of buy now or else we cant buy at all.

All of the above is predicated on you currently renting in the 2 bed apartment you are in right now. If you own that apartment then prices are rising for it too so you may have a bit more wiggle room to hold off for the right house with the right aspect for you. But if you are currently renting then you have to think of the worst case scenario on waiting for a house with the right aspect and that might mean paying rent for a further six months while house prices continue to rise. It is a potential double whammy as you will be paying on the double to get what you want.