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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

373 replies

chillidoritto · 26/09/2023 18:50

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?

OP posts:
bringonyourwreckingball · 26/09/2023 18:59

My garden is north facing but also very long so we get sun on most of it. Lots of things grow. We built a patio half way up so that gets sun all day in summer. And actually when it’s very hot it’s nice that the back of the house stays cool.

KARENJRAYBOULD · 26/09/2023 18:59

I have a southwest facing garden which is way too warm by lunchtime but rather dull in a morning when I am most likely want to sit outside.

Raincloudsonasunnyday · 26/09/2023 18:59

I'd rather have a south-facing living room. Gardens are overrated.

Fallenangelofthenorth · 26/09/2023 18:59

I've had both North and East facing back gardens and I agree with you. Perhaps it depends where you live? My current house is north at the front and south at the back, so if I want to be freezing cold I still have that option, but generally I spend the majority of my time at the back in the sun.

Freetodowhatiwant · 26/09/2023 19:00

I am personally not a fan either and would much prefer south or west facing, so much so that I have also been reluctant to buy north or east facing. I guess if a perfect house came along but it faces the ‘wrong’ direction I might still buy it but it’s not my preference.

HippoStraw · 26/09/2023 19:00

We have 2 reception rooms and it means the back one is cooler on hot days. Plus as long as your garden isn’t tiny, it gets sun anyway.

HAF1119 · 26/09/2023 19:00

Ours is north facing, it gets a good amount of sun but there's also always a shady area even on a hot day, which I love! Most the time half the garden has sun (moves sides later in the day) and half is shade, it works really nicely :)

BucketofTeaMassiveCake · 26/09/2023 19:02

I think it depends on whether your garden is cramped, narrow, or has lots of overhanging trees, rather than just being north facing OP.

My south facing garden gets too hot and the 'dry' border needs to be watered on a regular basis just so that plants can survive - I've lost a few in the past because of a lack of diligence. The 'shady' border largely looks after itself with no losses at all. The patio gets too hot and I rarely sit out as I cannot bear the heat.

If you love sunbathing you'd be in heaven here but I loathe it. I've had to plant shrubs and trees, and will shortly be building an arbour simply to provide some much needed shade. South facing isn't always comfortable.

Torganer · 26/09/2023 19:02

It’s true. Originally we were a blonde haired, blue eyed family from Iceland. Having now purchased a house with a south facing garden, we now have glossy dark hair and Mediterranean olive skin. Highly recommend.

OhmygodDont · 26/09/2023 19:02

I have SW facing back garden and livingroom and dining room to be fair. It’s in the sun all day long. I love it because the slightest sun hitting the windows in autumn/ winter / spring means the house heats up fast so less heating. Our first summer here was too hot though, but we erected sun shades.

Only one house we lived in hasn’t been down kinda south facing and the garden was barely used as it was just overlooked and shady all day long.

So unless there was no choice I’m with you op.

AlisonDonut · 26/09/2023 19:02

I have a north facing garden.

However is has a south facing aspect.

Which means that the first 6 feet is in shade, but is in full sun to the top of the garden.

And the right hand side is in shade in the morning, from the woods to the rear, but the left hand side is in shade late afternoon/evening.

If it was north facing and north aspect, we wouldn't have bought it.

Beezknees · 26/09/2023 19:05

I live in a flat with no garden at all. I am not bothered. Different people care about different things.

Jeschara · 26/09/2023 19:06

Your OP about the pasty kids was very ignorant and not relevant to the post.

Beezknees · 26/09/2023 19:07

Raincloudsonasunnyday · 26/09/2023 18:59

I'd rather have a south-facing living room. Gardens are overrated.

Agree! I don't have one at all, housework is boring enough I don't want to have to garden and mow the lawn on top of that. If I had a garden I'd rip it all out and put fake grass down.

Nonplusultra · 26/09/2023 19:07

Is her surname Addams?

ExpressCheckout · 26/09/2023 19:07

I'd say it depends more on the length of the garden, and whether you are shaded either side, e.g. by high fences, and whether there is a decent gap between adjacent gardens to let the light in.

My house is semi-detached suburban, garden is North facing, and longer (about 35ft) than it is wide (about 25ft) with ordinary 6ft fencing all around.

So, I get good morning sunlight on one side, and good evening sunshine on the other, and good light all day at the end of the garden. The only bit that doesn't get good sunlight is the 10ft or so strip along the North side of the house.

I'm not an expert gardener btw, but I manage to grow herbs, flowering shrubs, and I've a couple of nice acer trees that do very well. But if you want to 'sit out' you might need to do this at the end of the garden, not near the back door.

grass67 · 26/09/2023 19:08

I have a n facing garden, but it's massive and much, much wider than the house. It's full sun most of the year apart from ten foot at the back of the house which is lovely shade from 11-4. (I love that shady area, especially in heatwaves.) Also means my front garden and S facing rooms are all full sun. It's perfect. My children were always pasty, good parents use, cream, clothing and shade surely??

Comedycook · 26/09/2023 19:08

My garden is North facing...I hate the fact it's north facing. We have artificial grass because real grass doesn't grow very well. But...it's a house in London which we could afford, which meant my DC each have their own room, we have a playroom, two bathrooms and a driveway. So like most house buys, we made a compromise.

32quietlyshocked · 26/09/2023 19:08

Our garden is south facing with no shade. Would rather have a north facing garden and actually be able to use it in summer.

ASCCM · 26/09/2023 19:09

north facing gardens are fine. We still get tonnes of sun in the summertime. When buying houses, this would be at the bottom of my ‘must have’ list.

I would 100% prioritise off road parking , utility room , awesome kitchen etc before caring about where the garden faces!!

17CherryTreeLane · 26/09/2023 19:10

It depends on how big the garden is, and how close you are to objects that cast shade! My garden is north facing, but very large, with no other houses nearby. It's a lovely sunny garden.

Slaterz · 26/09/2023 19:13

I mean, 2 of my kids are pasty. The other is swarthy. WTF has that to do with my garden? Don't kids play out? Also my living room gets the sun.

I'm so sorry that I was too poor for you to understand why I had to buy the house I could afford for the house that gave. me en suite and downstairs loo and my kids could have a room each.

It's a nasty thread.

WombatSocks · 26/09/2023 19:13

I love my North facing garden, the bottom half gets the sun most of the day, so I can have a beautiful flower bed.
The rest us in shade so we can spend time out there all day in the summer and not get too hot. Perfect.
It also means my front garden is south facing so I have Mediterranean plants and gravel out there and it looks like a holiday place when I step out the front door as well as heats the living room in the winter.
There is nothing not to like about the orientation of my house.
Maybe if you don't have a front garden and have a small back garden so it is all shade its not so great. But honestly I'd rather live on this side of the road than the other.

GeorgeBeckett · 26/09/2023 19:13

I'm a sun worshipper and never thought I'd go for a north facing garden for my forever home. But there wasn't much on the market at the time, this ticked all the other boxes and actually it works well. The garden is reasonably long so there's always a bit of sun somewhere in the garden and also always a bit of shade for the children. The kitchen and middle room stay lovely and cool even in a heatwave, the front room gets the sun and there's a park around the corner. I was a bit worried but I'm actually happy with the amount of sun and we're out in the garden a lot and eat outside. It depends on the layout and the surroundings as well. And these heatwaves are becoming more frequent.

Slaterz · 26/09/2023 19:14

My garden is small, but opens directly onto a play area and rec. I have a gate right out there. My kids had a whole huge field space to play in with woods, and a stream, and football pitches and a play park.

Fuck me and my shitty pasty arsed kids with my north facing garden.