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Original poster

Would a north facing garden put you off?

92 replies

WildflowerChild · 02/03/2020 22:03

Found a good house, ticks majority of boxes.

It does however have a north facing garden. I’m not a gardener so won’t be growing anything ... but would be nice to sit out in the summer

OP posts:
Mummyshark2018 · 02/03/2020 22:23

No I wouldn't buy a house with a north facing back garden, unless it was rural and/ or had a secluded facing front garden.

Sycamoretrees · 02/03/2020 22:24

Would be a deal breaker for me. Especially if the living room faces on to the garden, it would be very dark and gloomy. Sunshine in a room makes such a big difference to the way it feels.

Ittakesallkindsofpeople · 02/03/2020 22:25

No from me too. I currently live in a house with a north facing garden.

The kitchen is at the back of the house and I can't use the kitchen without putting the light on and the kitchen is cold even in the summer as there is so little sunlight.

Nothing will grow outside either except moss.

I previously lived in an apt and had use of a shared courtyard that was completely overlooked on every side by apartments. I spent more time in that courtyard than I have done in my current garden. I absolutely hate the house because of the lack of light.

Ikeameatballs · 02/03/2020 22:25

Yes. I bought this house as a new build 2 years ago. I had the option of getting the same house design sooner but it was a north facing plot so I waited for this one which is west facing. I love the sun.

Nanalisa60 · 02/03/2020 22:26

I would not buy it, but then I live in the north east of Scotland , so when the sun does come out in the summer (not that often) I want it in my I back garden and coming in my house!! I suppose if you live in the far south of the UK it would not be so important as it’s warmer.

WwfLeopard · 02/03/2020 22:28

Would put me off, not just for enjoyment and the house being bright, but the cleaning of patio and decking, and everything else, so much mould and green algae type stuff on north facing gardens

IceWings · 02/03/2020 22:28

Yes it would put me off. In fact it would be a deal breaker.

cushioncovers · 02/03/2020 22:28

Yes it would put me off. Absolutely love sitting in a sunny garden.

Ittakesallkindsofpeople · 02/03/2020 22:30

I meant Yes it would absolutely put me off buying it just in case there was any doubt :)

CountFosco · 02/03/2020 22:32

Depends how big the garden is, how tall the house is, how many neighbours you have and where in the country you are. Further north you are the more morning and evening sun you'll get in a north facing garden (probably better than an east facing garden) but further south you are the nicer it might be to have a shady garden in the summer heat.

Raindancer411 · 02/03/2020 22:33

Nope we have a NE garden and it hasn't put me off. I still sit in the garden and to be honest sitting in direct sun gets me too hot. So it's nice to have some coolness. Plus in the summer the sun more or less goes straight over head.

fastliving · 02/03/2020 22:41

The front of my house gets full sun all day and I hate sitting at the front of the house with the sun glaring at me, so I'm happy with my north facing house (I am lucky in that most of my back garden gets sun - but the sun beam through the windows at the back of the house.

help1653 · 02/03/2020 22:41

I have a south facing garden and don't know why people are so bothered about them. In summer it is too hot to sit outside as there is no shade. Better to face SE/SW I think. Or just have a huge garden so you can plant trees and direction you face is irrelevant.

MiniMum97 · 02/03/2020 22:42

Yes.

anon2020202020 · 02/03/2020 23:03

I'm very very fair and so are my kids so a shaded garden would be perfect for us.

Original poster
WildflowerChild · 02/03/2020 23:03

Well I probably won’t get the house anyway as it’s got so much competition.

But please send positive vibes that if I do put an offer in that it gets accepted Flowers

OP posts:
needmorecoffeeandcake · 02/03/2020 23:13

I’m buying NE facing. It hasn’t put my off because all the other boxes are ticked (and too much sun is bad for you anyway).

Simonfromharlow · 02/03/2020 23:35

I'd love it. I have a south facing garden and we rarely use it in the summer as it's too hot and difficult to make useable shade.

longtompot · 02/03/2020 23:53

It was my one thing, not to have a north facing garden. Esp after 20+ years of a sw facing one. But, it is surprising just how sunny our garden is! It is nw facing, so poss more sun than a solely north facing one will get. You just need to see where the sun is at certain times of the day, and sort seating areas accordingly. I do wish we had a bit more sun after 6pm ish, but now a north or nw facing garden is a consideration.
An east facing garden would now be a no no.

StarlightLady · 03/03/2020 03:29

I would want to check to see how much sun it actually got. The term north facing can be quite broad and sometimes you can be surprised.

jalopy · 03/03/2020 06:05

I would hate the fact that kitchen would always be dark and cold.

tallah · 03/03/2020 06:11

Yeah. I don't see the point in a garden you can't bake in :-). It's such a shame when it's the perfect house tho isn't it

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 03/03/2020 09:11

Would depend on how big it is, how close any other buildings are, trees casting shade, etc, A big enough garden will always get sun somewhere.
However in a normal sized or small garden, yes, it’d put me off.
From experience, though, people from some cultures where sitting in the sun isn’t a thing, aren’t bothered.

Cookit · 03/03/2020 09:16

I don’t think it would put me off a house like that as the garden is small and just patio so would probably just be used for drying clothes and letting some air into the house.
If I wanted to enjoy a garden I wouldn’t want north facing.
We have a fantastic garden and I didn’t realise how much I would enjoy it.

Freshnewus · 03/03/2020 09:18

It depends on how big the garden is. If it's a small garden then a North facing garden will not get much sunlight.
But if it's large then the back portion of the garden will get sunlight a fair amount.

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