Page 12 | To wonder why anyone would choose to buy a house with a north facing garden?

chillidoritto · 2023-09-26T17:50:41+00:00

Currently trying to find a new house and every time I think we’ve found one that ticks all the boxes, a quick look on street view shows it has a north facing garden!! A woman at playgroup was going on about how lucky she was that she had a shady north facing garden! It’s dark, damp and nothing seems to grow there except moss! She does have very pasty kids mind. Am I missing something? Are they so bad?

Ilinaya · 28/09/2023 18:40

I actually think north facing is quite good as you are more likely to get evening sun coming from the side, but you don't get glaring sun all day, provided your garden is long enough to get sun most of the day.
Ours is north East which I think is probably the worst direction, because the sun is blocked from the west by our neighbours house so we don't get any evening sun at all beyond 6pm, and at this time of year the sun is all gone by 3 or 4.
There are so many factors to consider when it comes to the sun in a house.
I am like a lizard and move around depending on where is lightest, so wouldn't even have considered a north facing garden. We fell in love with the house thinking it was south facing, when I realised it wasn't, my heart sank, but I didn't have the heart to tell DH it was a deal breaker.
I've been pleasantly surprised though, as I've often been grateful for the shade.

Nopenopenopenopenopenope · 28/09/2023 18:43

Some people have absolutely no interest in gardening, or being outside for that matter. I don't get it either. South facing here with a shady front garden I'm doing my best to coax some plants to grow in...

sassyclassyandsmartassy · 28/09/2023 19:49

😂😂 I have always had an East facing garden. It gets sun in various places throughout the day (full sun early doors and then moved round side and then front of house). I love this set up as it allows us to make the best of all seasons and the sun as we wish. I can’t imagine anything worse than cooking in my garden or in the house all day in the blazing sun with no escape!!!! Especially in the unbearable heat we’ve known in the last few years….

Jcf1977 · 01/10/2023 10:07

Hi, I have a north facing garden and it is amazing. Has so much more than moss growing in it. The back half gets the sun almost all day so I can grow allsorts right where I want it visible from the house, and in the crazy hot weather the back half of the house (where you want to hang out in your open plan whatever) is super cool and lovely place to be. No shading the sliders or bifolds just sling them open. South facing houses with open backs are horrid in the summer imo.

DangerousAlchemy · 01/10/2023 10:17

Our back garden faces NE & I mostly love it. It's quite long so it does get some sun for most of the day. I love the fact my kitchen doesn't get direct sun & stays nice & cool all through the summer months. Our big front drive faces SW so that is boiling hot in summer. I should probably try growing grapes out there or something! I planted Staghorn Sumac trees years ago so they provide leafy shade at the back. I'm not a huge fan of sunbathing tbh. Along our fence we do have a frost pocket which is annoying as not everything will grow well there. Still got Cranesbill geraniums, Sedums, climbing hydrangea & lemon balm flourishing though. My in-laws have a huge south facing garden & their garden & parts of their house on the back are far too hot imo.

RicePuddingLady · 01/10/2023 10:20

Our garden is north facing. I never even thought about it when we bought, as we love the house and the garden was planted with mature evergreens and really pretty.

I can’t honestly say it’s ever bothered me.

Noodles1234 · 01/10/2023 10:26

As long as you have a long-ish enough garden it’s fine, nice and cool in the summer, rear of house in shade and can leave doors and windows open for a cool breeze.

if only a postage stamp of a garden possibly not great if you like the sun and gardening.

best thing I like is east facing house, the sun naturally defrosts your car in the winter before work if you’re lucky, then keeps car in shade during the hottest part of the day.

DinosApple · 01/10/2023 10:27

Our last garden faced north. It was very good for growing hydrangeas. A pain for drying washing in autumn though.

We moved house, have a beautiful wrap around garden, and the bulk of it is on the north side.
Still use the tumble drier in the depths of winter though.

Goldfish41 · 01/10/2023 10:28

I recently realised my last place was north facing - in the 10 years I’d lived there I never noticed! It depends on other factors too like what’s around you - I had a south facing garden in a rental which was MUCH shadier than my north facing one because of surrounding trees. Never had any issue with growing things in a north facing garden.

I’ve got a south facing one now and it’s quite an intense sun trap, no shade whatsoever, I’m now planning a pergola etc to get some. And a south facing garden has its own issues for plants! I really wouldn’t reject a great house on this basis.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 01/10/2023 10:34

It sounded like you were saying the kids are pasty because of the north facing garden, as if you were saying this woman has a north facing garden and therefore her kids don’t get enough sun and are pasty and unhealthy because of it. Pasty has negative connotations, it doesn’t just mean pale it means pallid and unhealthy looking. Saying somebody is pale skinned isn’t rude or negative, but saying they are pasty definitely is.

ElFupacabra · 01/10/2023 10:39

Jcf1977 · 01/10/2023 10:07

Hi, I have a north facing garden and it is amazing. Has so much more than moss growing in it. The back half gets the sun almost all day so I can grow allsorts right where I want it visible from the house, and in the crazy hot weather the back half of the house (where you want to hang out in your open plan whatever) is super cool and lovely place to be. No shading the sliders or bifolds just sling them open. South facing houses with open backs are horrid in the summer imo.

We don’t even have an open back house, but the back room has a bay window. We have to close thick heavy black out curtains at night otherwise the entire downstairs is horrendous on a morning in the summer!

Despite being surrounded by trees, we barely get any shade in the summer, and having a pasty pale kid, it’s a pain in the arse as there hardly any shade.

ElFupacabra · 01/10/2023 10:45

Saying somebody is pale skinned isn’t rude or negative, but saying they are pasty definitely is.
I agree with this.

A friend making a disparaging joke about themselves is very different to pointedly calling someone else’s children “unhealthily pale” which is what pasty means. The kids are just fair skinned, if they burn easily she is doing the right thing keeping them in the shade, after all tanned skin is damaged skin. You don’t believe a tan is a “healthy glow” do you?

Stormyweathr · 01/10/2023 10:46

A pasty kid is a sign of good parenting it shows they have not subjected their child to the damaging sun and that they have looked after their child’s skin as they should off!! It’s extremely rude to make such a comment

OhYeahOhYeah · 01/10/2023 11:00

We have a decent sized north facing garden. Two patios. One at top of garden off back of house which gets sun in the mornings and lower terrace which gets all the afternoon and evening sun. It’s nice to be able to
retreat to the shade when it’s peak summer.

We have fruit trees which love the combination of sun and shade as well as roses etc which equally enjoy the combo. Don’t discount the house based on garden orientation alone. You may be missing a trick!

Justifiedcheese · 01/10/2023 11:10

It's absolutely fine, we have lived with a North facing garden for nearly 30 years and I assure you no-one is "pasty" (what a nasty dig. OP, glad there is no chance of you being my neighbour as all mine are lovely). In summer it's very pleasant.
Personally I got rid of my lawn once kids grew up as I prefer a flower garden. Lawns aren't compulsory you know! Two neighbours have part hard landscaping but tall trees along the back boundary have had more impact than orientation.
I mean, do as you like but kill the silly attitude.

Lovemycat2023 · 01/10/2023 11:12

We have a south west facing garden, quite a big one, but lots of trees overshadowing it so you have to chase the sun around. Direction isn’t everything - have a look at it at different times of the day and see where there is sun, and also what’s possibly in the front garden.

Given we are likely to have more very hot summer days in the future there are definitely some advantages.

MinnieMouse0 · 01/10/2023 11:13

I’m buying a house with a north facing garden.. it has a stunning view and if I was on the other side of the road with a south facing garden I’d be looking onto a giant retaining wall 😂

But in general, when you buy a house there has to be a compromise on something and for me a good south facing garden would be the first to be dropped!

Justifiedcheese · 01/10/2023 11:17

All those stoutly telling the OP she's quite right, you do know you are speaking from a position of utter ignorance, don't you? Which is your right of course, but them's the facts

PandaExpress · 01/10/2023 11:30

I like having a South facing garden, for the all day sunshine. I wouldnt like a garden that was mostly shaded all day. It's a factor for me. I don't think that alone would cause pasty faced kids though 😅

Kwasi · 01/10/2023 11:47

Different people have different requirements. I like a small garden because it’s easy to maintain. I spend no time in it whatsoever and I’m not pasty.

My husband thinks anyone who lives in a three-bed or below must be poor. We’re all different, love.

Haribosweets · 01/10/2023 11:51

It depends on the position of the house too - my parents have a North facing and have sun all day apart from one shady spot. The next door neighbour is positioned more forward and does not get any sun at all. Neighbour does have zillion overgrown trees though so maybe that doesn't help. Have to admit I do like a sunny garden and I am south west facing but it does get unbearable at times!

Puffalicious · 01/10/2023 11:57

fyn · 26/09/2023 22:10

The definition of pasty is pale and unhealthy looking. Synonyms include sickly and pallid. An odd and quite rude thing to call children, surely by now everybody knows it is not appropriate to negatively comment on anybody’s skin colour.

Absolutely. So derogatory and indeed quite bitchy, as if the mother is an over-protective helicopter who makes her kids unhealthy.

gemma19846 · 01/10/2023 13:01

Wow. Pasty kids....better than sunburned kids and future skin cancer. What a very strange post!

ALJT · 01/10/2023 13:04

First world problems. Actually read this post open mouthed at how ridiculous it sounds 😝

Pokotho · 01/10/2023 13:22

I have genuinely never even considered the direction of the garden when looking for a place to live.