Vastu for house construction: step by step from plot to griha pravesh

Building from an empty plot is the one time when every Vastu point can be followed without compromise. Below are the stages most consultants go through, in order, with the points commonly checked at each one. Traditions differ on some details, and those are marked.

Before you build: the plot and the plan

Start with the plot itself: its facing, shape, slope and surroundings. A square or rectangular plot sloping down towards the north or east is the usual first choice. The checks are set out in the plot Vastu guide, and the plot Vastu calculator scores them.

Then draw the plan with the rooms in their traditional zones before the architect fixes the structure, because a room is far easier to move on paper than after the walls are up. The table below is the room-by-room plan most Vastu books give.

Starting work: bhoomi pujan, digging and the foundation

Work traditionally begins with a bhoomi pujan on a chosen muhurat. Digging is commonly started from the north-east corner, the light and sacred zone, and the earth is removed from there first.

The foundation is commonly laid starting from the south-west corner, the zone of earth and stability, and the foundation stone (shilanyas) is often placed there. Some traditions place the first stone in the north-east instead, so it is worth following one consultant’s system throughout.

• Choose the date with a muhurat or a lucky date for the owner.
• Dig first in the north-east.
• Lay the foundation starting from the south-west.
• Keep the north-east of the plot clean of stacked material and debris while work goes on.

Walls, floors, doors and windows

The walls on the south and west are commonly built thicker and taller than those on the north and east, in line with the rule of heavy in the south and west, light in the north and east. Floor levels are commonly kept a little higher in the south and west and lower towards the north and east.

Most of the doors and windows go on the north and east walls, to let in the morning light and air. Many consultants prefer an even number of doors and windows in the house. The main door is commonly the largest door in the house and opens inwards.

Roof, tanks, the centre and the compound

The roof is commonly kept sloping or draining towards the north or east. The overhead tank goes over the south-west, west or south part of the house, and the underground tank or borewell in the north-east, north or east of the plot.

The centre of the house, the Brahmasthan, is kept open and free of pillars, beams and toilets where possible. The compound wall is commonly higher on the south and west than on the north and east, and the main gate follows the same directions as the main door.

Finishing and moving in

Before moving in, the house is traditionally completed: doors fitted, the roof finished and the house painted. A griha pravesh puja is done on a chosen muhurat, and the family commonly enters through the main door with a kalash or with the lamp lit.

Many families first cook something simple, such as milk boiled until it rises, in the new kitchen on the day of griha pravesh.

Adjustments without rebuilding

• Where the plot is irregular, many consultants suggest building a square or rectangular house within it and using the rest as garden.
• If a room has to go outside its zone, adjusting its position inside the room (the bed, the stove, the desk) is the commonly suggested first step.
• A higher compound wall or tall trees on the south and west are commonly suggested where those sides would otherwise be open or low.

These are traditional practices that many families follow. They vary between Vastu schools; for your own home, a consultant can say which matter most.

Related Vastu guides

• Plot Vastu: Plot facing, shape, slope, roads and soil: what Vastu commonly checks before you buy or build.
• Vastu tips for home: Where each room traditionally goes, how to treat the centre and the corners, and what to change in a flat.
• Main door Vastu: The best directions for the main door, where it sits on the wall, and what to keep out of its way.
• Water tank Vastu: Where the borewell, sump, overhead tank and septic tank go, and the directions to avoid.
• Staircase Vastu: The best direction for stairs, the clockwise climb, the number of steps and the space under them.

Your personal best directions come from your Kua number. Check your whole home with the house Vastu calculator, see whether your house number suits you, and find your lucky number. More tools: all free calculators.