What's with certain direction facing gardens?

[Bells3032]

I don't get it. see people obsessing over south facing gardens? what's the reason for it? esp in the UK when you don't spend that much time outside?

And how does the garden direction face towards the house or away?

Sorry just confusing

[JellyBelly78]

I think you need to judge it house by house, ours is NE facing but it’s big with no houses either side blocking. We have sun on our patio till 5 in the summer and it’s always sunny in the garden.
I worry about south facing being too hot now we’re looking to move.

[Runmybathforme]

We had a west facing garden which was perfect. With a south facing one, the front of the house tends to be rather cold and dark. Sun came up at the front, the garden was sunny by the afternoon and all evening. I wouldn’t look at a house with a north facing garden.

[gurglebelly]

No idea, we didn't care but ended up with a south facing garden - I HATE it!! I hate not being able to sit out when it's hot because there is no shade at all, I hate the back of the house being suffocating. Anything but south facing will be a requirement next time

[Flamingolingo]

My preference is for an east/west house with a west facing garden of reasonable length. Our garden is west facing which means that we get good evening sun/warmth for entertaining. It’s very hot though with little natural shade so we are going to need to create some shade.

[Harrykanesrightsock]

We have a north facing with a garden room at the rear of our house which would be unbearable in a south facing. The garden gets sun all day at the back half so that’s where our seating area is. Works for us.

[Dontfuckingsaycheese]

I'm getting old. One of the reasons we chose our house was that it is it has shade for most of the day. It has been blissful in the scorching days. When we step out the front it's like stepping into another country. A hot one!!!

[redtulip12]

I had a North facing garden and the sun never shine in the rooms on that side so they were dark. I found it depressing. Now have a South facing garden which I love so suits me much better

[Greensidepark]

I have wondered about this as so many people here say they won’t buy a house with a north facing garden. Someone must be buying them cos the other side of a street must have north facing gardens

[Zhampagne]

the sun never shine in the rooms on that side so they were dark. I found it depressing

But surely then the rooms on the other side of your house are dark?

[Puffthemagicdragongoestobed]

We have an east facing garden. From morning until early afternoon the back of the house is really bright and sunny, whilst the front of the house is really gloomy and cold. This switches around in the afternoon/ evening. We are going to knock through the front and back room to have both sides flooded with light and warmth throughout the day.

I think the ideal way a garden faces is SW. We had to compromise on the aspect of the garden as we wanted to be in this location and this house was the only one available in our price range at that particular time and we were in a chain, so were somewhat under pressure to find somewhere. We love our garden in every other way, it is huge with lovely planting and trees and does get the sun all day. The patio is in the sun until about 4 pm.

[JoJoSM2]

To me it’s more about the rooms in the house. North facing rooms are permanently gloomy.

I’d only ever consider E-W orientated houses so it’s always bright somewhere in the house.

Re using the garden, it’s about the connection between the house in the garden and good garden design. If you’ve got lots of glazing and a beautiful green space outside the door, you’ll use it loads. People who don’t use gardens much tend to have an unattractive garden that they barely see as there’s a utility room on similar on the back so the garden is completely cut off.

[Bouncycastle12]

South facing Gardens are lovely -
Sun all day!

[ThanksItHasPockets]

I wonder if south facing gardens will become less desirable as our climate changes. I am in a minority on MN as I really don't like them. We have a lot of glazing on the back of our house and it would be an unbearable greenhouse with a south-facing orientation. I can't imagine paying a premium for a south-facing garden but I know that many do.

[Cydonia]

We only have a fairly narrow yard, but luckily it’s west facing so does get some sun in the afternoon and evening, which is when we would use it most anyway. I’m currently house hunting though, with a decent garden very high on the list of “must haves”, I’m going to get my compass out on viewings now after reading this!

[minipie]

For me it’s more about the kitchen than the garden. We spend most time in our kitchen. Most kitchens are at the back of the house.

Therefore, the back of the house needs to face south (or SE or SW) to get any sun coming into the kitchen.

On a cold grey day the direction of the room makes a huge difference to how light it feels.

[minipie]

I’m going to get my compass out on viewings now after reading this!

Most estate agent floorplans show the direction (although a surprising number get it wrong so always double check if this is important to you)

[DuesToTheDirt]

Our garden is small and south west facing, so our patio is a sun trap, but as we're in Scotland it's only usually warm enough to sit out when you're in direct sun. Round here, people with north facing back gardens often sit in their front gardens instead on sunny days.

[Cailleach1]

We had a south facing garden in our last house. It was unbearable in high summer. It was only enjoyable early and later on in the evening. We also had to pull the curtains in the back bedrooms as it heated up like a furnace.

[JoJoSM2]

You don’t even need a compass. I just look at a map - if you know which side of the road the property is on, you’ll easily see which way the garden faces.

[StrumpersPlunkett]

My great friend lives opposite me,
when she comes to me, we sit in my back garden because it is lighter and sunnier
when I go to her, we sit on the bench in her front garden for the same reason.
If you are happy having a cooler, shadier back garden then that it doesn't make any difference. I feel like I am part lizard and need as much warmth and sun as possible to feel awake. :-)

[Kaiserin]

South/north facing matters, but the surrounding area matters just as much.
Our garden is surrounded by buildings (more of a courtyard, really), so sun in scarce.

[LonginesPrime]

Most estate agent floorplans show the direction (although a surprising number get it wrong so always double check if this is important to you)

What? Just look at google maps!

[OutOfDateAppleCrumble]

Or even easier just look at where the sun is in the sky.

[SJK34]

I’m another that is happy with our north-facing garden. I prefer the balance of sun and shade. There is always sun in some part of the garden and it’s not damp or dark at all. It’s not a large garden either so it surprises me when people mention having very dark gardens. I think I’d be hesitant to buy a house with a south-facing garden now.

[OhTheRoses]

West facing back/East facing front. It's cheering.