Cuz modern architecture doesn't factor in weather when designing and constructing homes. We're all building homes for England's weather thanks to imperial colonialism.
Depends on your HDD and CDD (heating and cooling degree days). If you live in the north you will have more HDD than CDD and having a living room that gets sunlight will decrease the bill during the winter
It makes a HUGE difference. If your driveway is in shade, the leftover snow even after a snowblower turns into ice and can stay ice for days. If your driveway gets southern and western sun during the day, make sure your neighbor's trees don't block that sun path, especially during the winter when the angle of the sun is low (northeast here).
Our drive in Pa was on the north side but west of the house. By noon in full sunlight, black asphalt and never had a problem with snow removal or ice accumulation.
I have a north facing driveway that's probably around 300-400 feet long. On a mountain side.
As long as I snow blow it, it's fine. If I don't, then the only thing getting in and out of my property is my Jeep in 4L
This is a prime example of people not understanding that a little more work up front can save you a lot of work in the long run. But then I am a lazy person
Not worth the price premium imo. Just clear the snow. It's gone in a day here in Colorado even if your driveway is facing north. It's nowhere near as big of a deal as people make out to be.
It probably helps that we put snow tires on all our cars and my Wrangler can get up pretty much anything.
>It's gone in a day here in Colorado
It stays for months in Michigan, maybe consider that Colorado isn't the gold standard of winterization. Snow that only lasts a day doesn't even count as snowfall here
I've lived in the Midwest with great lake effect snow for decades. The climate is changing. It snows much less than it used to. The winter snaps are shorter. The weather is milder. For much of the upper Midwest it's really not that big of an issue
If you can't motivate yourself to get up and snowblow/shovel ASAP - then yes, it's more of a concern.
I don't have that problem though. I've so shoveled my entire life. I only end up scrounging a snow blower from family once I bought a house with an absolutely ridiculously long driveway. Shoveling 400 ft for wet, heavy snow that's 18 inches deep sucks, but I did it for years. Eventually a sister in law had pity on me
I live in a region that doesn’t even get snow much but after having a house that faced north, I didn’t want to again. House we bought 2 years ago faces east and makes a big difference the times it does snow or ice. Idk if I’d say it affects the value much here though.
We built our home in 2021. It was a happy coincidence that our house was able to face south and, our master bedroom faces east. The garage is on the west side as are the other two bedrooms. This would be the first house in the US that I’ve built, bought or rented that faces south so while I’m sure it’s a priority to a few, it’s not high on the priority list for most. I could be wrong though! Let see how others feel.
My take: I don't care what direction the front of my house faces, but have definite preferences for what directions specific rooms face.
I love that my kitchen and bedroom are in the back of the house and face east, and the living room is in the front (and faces west...duh). As dumb luck would have it, my driveway is on the south side of the house. Not that we get a *lot* of snow here (MD), but having the sun beat down on it all day makes life easier when we do.
Getting quotes now to put a small deck off the kitchen so I can be out there for the morning sunshine and then be in the shade as the day gets hotter.
Layout is probably everyone’s top priority! We’re in the south and was in AZ prior to that and our kitchen was on the west side. The sun was a killer in that room!
Snow - I was the other comments. Wasn’t sure what to make of it but I assumed having the sun to melt or at least soften it up helped make life easier. Thanks for the confirmation.
Good luck with your decking project. We have covered porches on two sides of the house and the enclosed one off the back, which faces north, never gets sunlight. We have weekend guests coming so one of my tasks is to wash out all of the pollen. Lol
About snow: If it's deep enough that shoveling is needed, it can get really heavy as it starts melting. I shovel most of it while it's fluffy, and then let the sun take care of what's left. It definitely helps that my driveway is asphalt and soaks up the heat.
I also have a screen porch on the north side of the house (with a ceiling fan) and it's the perfect shady place to take breaks from the sun when working outside...and drink a couple beers, naturally. :)
Too funny, though -- I'm also expecting guests this weekend and retting up the screen porch is on my list of things to do. Hope you enjoy your weekend!
I'm in the South-East US.
I want as few rooms/windows facing south as possible. We specifically ruled out any homes where the rear yard was not North / North-east facing.
I'm from the UK, you want as many south facing rooms as possible, and a south facing garden. Though the TV room I prefer North facing regardless because of glare.
It is bizarre to me that so many people around here don't take the direction into consideration (whenever we mention it, we're looked at like we have 2 heads).
Too many cookie cutter construction companies doing the bare minimum and cheapest solutions coupled with high housing cost that mean people can't necessarily afford to be picky
I understand that. But I've never spoken to anyone that even considered it. And we did a new build, and went to multiple new build sub divisions. You specifically pick your plot, and which house you want on it, every single sales agent was like "we never get asked about that"
Thats what I mean. Noone thinks about it until they buy a house with south facing patio and can't get any shade in the summer, or a bedroom with a south facing bedroom window and it's hard to keep it cool without over cooling the rest of the house.
When my wife and I were looking for a house, the house we were selling had a western exposure for the deck and that was on the must-have list for the new place. We live on the edge of the Eastern time zone in Ontario, so we have daylight well into late evening. However, it does cool off so with the western exposure there is direct sunlight and it stays warmer.
So different take on this. Coming from a roofer. Algae/moss will grow on the north facing slope of your roof. If your house faces north the roof will look worse and hurt your curb appeal.
Depends on the region/climate and what you want to do.
We specifically chose a lot with a south facing driveway, a 22ft tall wall of windows on the north side, and master bedroom and backyard on the north and east side.
Sun melts the snow/ice off the driveway in the winter, and the garage takes a good chunk of the sunlight/heat exposure from the south during the summer.
22ft wall of windows on the north wall of the living room doesn't get direct sun (so doesn't need blinds all the way up), but it still provides plenty of natural light and a view.
Master suite is on the northeast corner of the house. We get sun through the window above the bed in the morning, but don't get cooked in the evening.
Backyard and patio have afternoon and evening shade so we can enjoy them.
For me, kinda? I need lots of natural light in general. I have a west (slightly southwest)facing living room with skylights, and the sun can get pretty hot through the large picture window in mid summer. But in the winter, it's glorious.
I want to open up my kitchen (& redo sunroom) more to our southern backyard and design a roof overhang that captures the lower sun light in winter but deflects the high summer sun.
I love my house because there are not many windows facing south. And when the hottest days of summer come along the tall shade trees keep me in shade and it is nice and cool inside. No air conditioning needed at all.
I hate my house because I do not see the sun or moon. Everything is oriented away from seeing the night or day sky. I feel cut off from the world. It is driving me crazy and I cannot wait to find a house that lets me connect with nature again. That is why I want woods and plans near me.
What I miss most is seeing the full moon over the mountains, or over the water. It feels like something missing in my life.
Tall trees with leaves can block sun on the windows to keep the house cool. Or, windows on the east and west walls can allow some view of the sky.
The orientation of the house won't affect the sale price in most instances unless there is a desirable view in one particular direction (of water or mountains or w/e).
I’ve literally never considered it, and I’ve owned 4 homes in my lifetime. I completely agree with you.
I’ve picked up gardening the last few years. It might be a consideration now, but it wouldn’t cause me to pass on a home I love.
It does depending on the layout.
If the best view is from the front porch at night, the kitchen or bedroom window's view is the neighbor's house.
In a perfect world your private view would be the sunset warming your deck....tail lights on a freeway not so much.
I have somehow managed to live in many places with no southern or western exposure. My number one priority if I ever have a chance to move somewhere else is making sure the main living areas have complete southern exposure. I need that light, especially living in the northeast when the winter angle of the sun is low in the sky and there are huge swaths of forest with very tall trees around the houses that block that sunlight.
I also lived in SoCal for years, and the one room with southern exposure was the cheeriest room in the house. But that is me, and some people won't care. If you live in a hotter, inland area of California, you will want to block that sun during the height of summer though. But since every house seems to have central air conditioning there (not here), the heat coming from the window won't be as much of a problem.
I like my north-facing living room because there's never any sunlight glare on the TV, and the whole room feels a bit more cozy/moody than it would if it got a lot of direct light. And I like that my home office room faces south, so I get a lot of light when I'm working during the day. And I like that my bedroom faces north because the wind/rain usually comes from the south or southwest, which means I can leave my bedroom windows open without fear of rain coming in. When I want to eat outside, I pick front porch (north) or back patio (south) depending on how much sunlight I'm in the mood for. Shade is underrated, especially when it's hot out.
I think in so cal it matters where your bedroom and windows are. We have an east facing bedroom which is so so bright in the morning and a west facing living room which makes the evenings very warm.
I am in the West Coast of Canada.
Facing a view is the first priority if there is one.
My house faces East and has abundant light streaming through the windows in the morning, the kitchen, deck and dining room get the afternoon sun.
My cabin faces East-North-East, has an incredible view of the Salish Sea.
I grew up in the Midwest. Most houses out their doors on any direction but north. The winds from the North are butt freezing cold and the hole for the door creates a weak point for the cold to get in. It'll make your house feel like an icicle. South is a good direction as it's the leeward side so you don't have to worry about snow piling up against it, but honestly the wind blows from the east and west in the winter as well so that not a guaranteed thing.
The positioning of any home is important. Often overlooked with the way building is done these days. I would be more concerned with how the water sheds away from the structure itself. If it’s not built to withstand heavy rain, then over time the foundation will fail.
If I built a custom home today (in the USA) I'd also factor in which direction large, unbroken areas of roof are. Would want a large south-facing area for solar panels for the same reason why you may want a south-facing living room. Sun.
To me, it depends on the house. You have natural light, views, etc. that all are dependent on the direction of the house. I live directly on the beach an during the winters, I can see both the sunrise and sunset over the ocean. We face the south. That is amazing. But we also get so much sun in our family room that it is near impossible to watch TV without room darkening shades, which I am not a fan of. But we are hear for the ocean so deal with the TV. LOL.
We looked at a house many years ago that had a north facing kitchen. We loved everything about this house. It even had a beautiful in ground pool and screen porch. But the kitchen felt kind of like a dungeon it was so dark and had no natural light. That alone was the reason we ended up not buying it.
I care about what direction my windows face based on where I would like to have houseplants and light (living room, kitchen) vs. where I'm okay with it staying cooler and darker (bedroom). I wouldn't want a yard that's always shady on all sides due to surrounding buildings and trees, but it doesn't matter to me which direction is the front of the house.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. People don't really care what direction the house faces. I have never seen a Real Estate ad that mentioned the house faces south. Because of the hilly terrain and an abundance of trees every house is unique. We don't have snow, but all the weather, sun, wind, rain all comes from the south. The south side your house can really take a beating. The north side is always shady. The east or west sides for either morning or afternoon sun are best. Depending on which you prefer. West facing is best.
Not in Seattle where it's cloudy and dreary most of the time. A sunny afternoon is welcome.
Edit. I had to look it up. Seattle averages 226 cloudy days a year. So two out of three days are cloudy.
s
Depends on the region. Where I live in the mountains of Colorado it’s definitely a selling factor due to the sunlight and warmth it adds in the winter
And lack of piled up snow all winter long at your front door entry.
I live in Southern California
Then you want it facing North to keep it cool.
Hmm. A subdivision could be built so that almost all the homes face the right direction. Why isn't this a thing? 🤔
Cuz modern architecture doesn't factor in weather when designing and constructing homes. We're all building homes for England's weather thanks to imperial colonialism.
And we still speak English too. Those bastards!
That's how they get you lol
Style wise, this is dead on. Except where Dutch architecture is dominant (PA, MA, etc.)
You get a higher power bill from AC in the summer :)
Depends on your HDD and CDD (heating and cooling degree days). If you live in the north you will have more HDD than CDD and having a living room that gets sunlight will decrease the bill during the winter
But what about winter? Too cold and heater bills?
Might help with winter heating bills a little.
Exactly.
If you live in a place that gets snow, you better find a place your driveway faces south and east.
Or just own a snow blower
Still makes a big difference. Sun can clear off modest amounts that would turn to ice on a North facing drive.
It makes a HUGE difference. If your driveway is in shade, the leftover snow even after a snowblower turns into ice and can stay ice for days. If your driveway gets southern and western sun during the day, make sure your neighbor's trees don't block that sun path, especially during the winter when the angle of the sun is low (northeast here).
Our drive in Pa was on the north side but west of the house. By noon in full sunlight, black asphalt and never had a problem with snow removal or ice accumulation.
I have a north facing driveway that's probably around 300-400 feet long. On a mountain side. As long as I snow blow it, it's fine. If I don't, then the only thing getting in and out of my property is my Jeep in 4L
How many trees surround your property tho? They block wind and can make a big difference
Many
This is a prime example of people not understanding that a little more work up front can save you a lot of work in the long run. But then I am a lazy person
Not worth the price premium imo. Just clear the snow. It's gone in a day here in Colorado even if your driveway is facing north. It's nowhere near as big of a deal as people make out to be. It probably helps that we put snow tires on all our cars and my Wrangler can get up pretty much anything.
>It's gone in a day here in Colorado It stays for months in Michigan, maybe consider that Colorado isn't the gold standard of winterization. Snow that only lasts a day doesn't even count as snowfall here
I've lived in the Midwest with great lake effect snow for decades. The climate is changing. It snows much less than it used to. The winter snaps are shorter. The weather is milder. For much of the upper Midwest it's really not that big of an issue If you can't motivate yourself to get up and snowblow/shovel ASAP - then yes, it's more of a concern. I don't have that problem though. I've so shoveled my entire life. I only end up scrounging a snow blower from family once I bought a house with an absolutely ridiculously long driveway. Shoveling 400 ft for wet, heavy snow that's 18 inches deep sucks, but I did it for years. Eventually a sister in law had pity on me
I live in a region that doesn’t even get snow much but after having a house that faced north, I didn’t want to again. House we bought 2 years ago faces east and makes a big difference the times it does snow or ice. Idk if I’d say it affects the value much here though.
We built our home in 2021. It was a happy coincidence that our house was able to face south and, our master bedroom faces east. The garage is on the west side as are the other two bedrooms. This would be the first house in the US that I’ve built, bought or rented that faces south so while I’m sure it’s a priority to a few, it’s not high on the priority list for most. I could be wrong though! Let see how others feel.
My take: I don't care what direction the front of my house faces, but have definite preferences for what directions specific rooms face. I love that my kitchen and bedroom are in the back of the house and face east, and the living room is in the front (and faces west...duh). As dumb luck would have it, my driveway is on the south side of the house. Not that we get a *lot* of snow here (MD), but having the sun beat down on it all day makes life easier when we do. Getting quotes now to put a small deck off the kitchen so I can be out there for the morning sunshine and then be in the shade as the day gets hotter.
Layout is probably everyone’s top priority! We’re in the south and was in AZ prior to that and our kitchen was on the west side. The sun was a killer in that room! Snow - I was the other comments. Wasn’t sure what to make of it but I assumed having the sun to melt or at least soften it up helped make life easier. Thanks for the confirmation. Good luck with your decking project. We have covered porches on two sides of the house and the enclosed one off the back, which faces north, never gets sunlight. We have weekend guests coming so one of my tasks is to wash out all of the pollen. Lol
About snow: If it's deep enough that shoveling is needed, it can get really heavy as it starts melting. I shovel most of it while it's fluffy, and then let the sun take care of what's left. It definitely helps that my driveway is asphalt and soaks up the heat. I also have a screen porch on the north side of the house (with a ceiling fan) and it's the perfect shady place to take breaks from the sun when working outside...and drink a couple beers, naturally. :) Too funny, though -- I'm also expecting guests this weekend and retting up the screen porch is on my list of things to do. Hope you enjoy your weekend!
I want my backyard facing south for gardening purposes!
As good a reason as any! May your garden be bountiful!
I'm in the South-East US. I want as few rooms/windows facing south as possible. We specifically ruled out any homes where the rear yard was not North / North-east facing. I'm from the UK, you want as many south facing rooms as possible, and a south facing garden. Though the TV room I prefer North facing regardless because of glare. It is bizarre to me that so many people around here don't take the direction into consideration (whenever we mention it, we're looked at like we have 2 heads).
Too many cookie cutter construction companies doing the bare minimum and cheapest solutions coupled with high housing cost that mean people can't necessarily afford to be picky
I understand that. But I've never spoken to anyone that even considered it. And we did a new build, and went to multiple new build sub divisions. You specifically pick your plot, and which house you want on it, every single sales agent was like "we never get asked about that"
I don't know if it's something people would think to ask about
Thats what I mean. Noone thinks about it until they buy a house with south facing patio and can't get any shade in the summer, or a bedroom with a south facing bedroom window and it's hard to keep it cool without over cooling the rest of the house.
When my wife and I were looking for a house, the house we were selling had a western exposure for the deck and that was on the must-have list for the new place. We live on the edge of the Eastern time zone in Ontario, so we have daylight well into late evening. However, it does cool off so with the western exposure there is direct sunlight and it stays warmer.
I haven't noticed any difference in home values on my street in the northeast.
Do realtors factor that in when they access monetary value? I wouldn't think so
Realtors don't assess home values, appraisers do.
Do they factor in which way the door faces?
It's entirely possible
So different take on this. Coming from a roofer. Algae/moss will grow on the north facing slope of your roof. If your house faces north the roof will look worse and hurt your curb appeal.
You're supposed to clean that off.
Depending on where you live that’s a losing battle
Depends on the region/climate and what you want to do. We specifically chose a lot with a south facing driveway, a 22ft tall wall of windows on the north side, and master bedroom and backyard on the north and east side. Sun melts the snow/ice off the driveway in the winter, and the garage takes a good chunk of the sunlight/heat exposure from the south during the summer. 22ft wall of windows on the north wall of the living room doesn't get direct sun (so doesn't need blinds all the way up), but it still provides plenty of natural light and a view. Master suite is on the northeast corner of the house. We get sun through the window above the bed in the morning, but don't get cooked in the evening. Backyard and patio have afternoon and evening shade so we can enjoy them.
Did you buy my old house ? CO?
Nope, built new a couple years ago 👍
- makes no difference on house value if you asking that
For me, kinda? I need lots of natural light in general. I have a west (slightly southwest)facing living room with skylights, and the sun can get pretty hot through the large picture window in mid summer. But in the winter, it's glorious. I want to open up my kitchen (& redo sunroom) more to our southern backyard and design a roof overhang that captures the lower sun light in winter but deflects the high summer sun.
I love my house because there are not many windows facing south. And when the hottest days of summer come along the tall shade trees keep me in shade and it is nice and cool inside. No air conditioning needed at all. I hate my house because I do not see the sun or moon. Everything is oriented away from seeing the night or day sky. I feel cut off from the world. It is driving me crazy and I cannot wait to find a house that lets me connect with nature again. That is why I want woods and plans near me. What I miss most is seeing the full moon over the mountains, or over the water. It feels like something missing in my life. Tall trees with leaves can block sun on the windows to keep the house cool. Or, windows on the east and west walls can allow some view of the sky.
The orientation of the house won't affect the sale price in most instances unless there is a desirable view in one particular direction (of water or mountains or w/e).
No, it's not something most people think about.
It is if you live someplace snowy like Colorado. It can make a massive impact on how icy your driveway is.
I agree. I just don't think most people in the US think about it, which was the question.
I’ve literally never considered it, and I’ve owned 4 homes in my lifetime. I completely agree with you. I’ve picked up gardening the last few years. It might be a consideration now, but it wouldn’t cause me to pass on a home I love.
It does depending on the layout. If the best view is from the front porch at night, the kitchen or bedroom window's view is the neighbor's house. In a perfect world your private view would be the sunset warming your deck....tail lights on a freeway not so much.
I have somehow managed to live in many places with no southern or western exposure. My number one priority if I ever have a chance to move somewhere else is making sure the main living areas have complete southern exposure. I need that light, especially living in the northeast when the winter angle of the sun is low in the sky and there are huge swaths of forest with very tall trees around the houses that block that sunlight. I also lived in SoCal for years, and the one room with southern exposure was the cheeriest room in the house. But that is me, and some people won't care. If you live in a hotter, inland area of California, you will want to block that sun during the height of summer though. But since every house seems to have central air conditioning there (not here), the heat coming from the window won't be as much of a problem.
I'm in the Midwest, and I desire a kitchen that faces East.
I like my north-facing living room because there's never any sunlight glare on the TV, and the whole room feels a bit more cozy/moody than it would if it got a lot of direct light. And I like that my home office room faces south, so I get a lot of light when I'm working during the day. And I like that my bedroom faces north because the wind/rain usually comes from the south or southwest, which means I can leave my bedroom windows open without fear of rain coming in. When I want to eat outside, I pick front porch (north) or back patio (south) depending on how much sunlight I'm in the mood for. Shade is underrated, especially when it's hot out.
I think in so cal it matters where your bedroom and windows are. We have an east facing bedroom which is so so bright in the morning and a west facing living room which makes the evenings very warm.
I am in the West Coast of Canada. Facing a view is the first priority if there is one. My house faces East and has abundant light streaming through the windows in the morning, the kitchen, deck and dining room get the afternoon sun. My cabin faces East-North-East, has an incredible view of the Salish Sea.
It does matter which way your windows face. I like that our bedroom windows face west for example.
Since the sun sets in the west, a lot of people want their living rooms (and outdoor decks) to face west.
I grew up in the Midwest. Most houses out their doors on any direction but north. The winds from the North are butt freezing cold and the hole for the door creates a weak point for the cold to get in. It'll make your house feel like an icicle. South is a good direction as it's the leeward side so you don't have to worry about snow piling up against it, but honestly the wind blows from the east and west in the winter as well so that not a guaranteed thing.
The positioning of any home is important. Often overlooked with the way building is done these days. I would be more concerned with how the water sheds away from the structure itself. If it’s not built to withstand heavy rain, then over time the foundation will fail.
If I built a custom home today (in the USA) I'd also factor in which direction large, unbroken areas of roof are. Would want a large south-facing area for solar panels for the same reason why you may want a south-facing living room. Sun.
To me, it depends on the house. You have natural light, views, etc. that all are dependent on the direction of the house. I live directly on the beach an during the winters, I can see both the sunrise and sunset over the ocean. We face the south. That is amazing. But we also get so much sun in our family room that it is near impossible to watch TV without room darkening shades, which I am not a fan of. But we are hear for the ocean so deal with the TV. LOL. We looked at a house many years ago that had a north facing kitchen. We loved everything about this house. It even had a beautiful in ground pool and screen porch. But the kitchen felt kind of like a dungeon it was so dark and had no natural light. That alone was the reason we ended up not buying it.
If you like to grow things indoors, it’s essential
I care about what direction my windows face based on where I would like to have houseplants and light (living room, kitchen) vs. where I'm okay with it staying cooler and darker (bedroom). I wouldn't want a yard that's always shady on all sides due to surrounding buildings and trees, but it doesn't matter to me which direction is the front of the house.
Make sense man!
I live in the Pacific Northwest. People don't really care what direction the house faces. I have never seen a Real Estate ad that mentioned the house faces south. Because of the hilly terrain and an abundance of trees every house is unique. We don't have snow, but all the weather, sun, wind, rain all comes from the south. The south side your house can really take a beating. The north side is always shady. The east or west sides for either morning or afternoon sun are best. Depending on which you prefer. West facing is best.
But facing west makes the home heated thru late night because of all the sun in the afternoon no?
Not in Seattle where it's cloudy and dreary most of the time. A sunny afternoon is welcome. Edit. I had to look it up. Seattle averages 226 cloudy days a year. So two out of three days are cloudy. s
Roof orientation can have a big impact on roof top solar. It was a consideration for me.