South facing house Vastu: layout and main door

This guide addresses the worry around south facing homes calmly and then covers the door, the room by room layout and the mistakes that matter.

Are south facing houses unlucky?

This is the most common Vastu worry, and it is usually overstated. South belongs to Yama and Mars and is traditionally linked with rest, recognition and stability. In Vastu it is an acceptable direction for an entrance; only the south-west and south-east corners are avoided for the door.

Many south facing homes are planned well and lived in comfortably. What makes the difference is the exact position of the door, a solid and heavy south-west, a kitchen in the south-east and enough open space in the north and east.

Where to place the main door

Measure the south wall from the south-east corner to the south-west corner and mark the middle. The door is commonly placed in the middle or slightly towards the south-east side of it, but not in the south-east corner itself. The south-west end is avoided, as the south-west is kept closed.

Some consultants divide the wall into nine equal parts from the 81-square mandala and rate each part. Their charts differ in detail, so this is best used when planning new construction.

Room by room layout

Standing on the road and looking at a south facing house, the south-west is at the front left and the south-east at the front right. The north-east is at the back right.

What a south facing house offers

• The heavy south-west sits at the front, where the master bedroom, staircase or overhead tank can anchor it.
• The north-east falls at the back, away from the road, which suits a quiet pooja room.
• A south-east kitchen near the front is easy to plan with a separate service entry.
• The open space Vastu prefers in the north and east can be a private back garden.

Common mistakes

• Placing the door at the south-west end, or right in the south-east corner.
• Leaving the front south-west as an open car porch.
• Building the house right up to the north boundary, leaving no open space at the back.
• Putting a toilet, septic tank or staircase in the back north-east.
• Moving out of a well planned home only because it faces south.

In a south facing flat

Keep the entrance bright and well kept, place the shoe rack on the west side of the door, keep the south-west room for the head of the family and set up the pooja shelf on an east or north wall. Heavy furniture along the south wall of the living room is a common, simple adjustment.

Adjustments without rebuilding

• Many consultants suggest a heavy, solid wooden door with a raised threshold for a south entrance.
• A bright light at the entrance and a clean, uncluttered doorstep are commonly suggested for south doors.
• Many consultants suggest heavy planters or a solid bench along the south-west of the front space.
• Where the door sits towards the south-west, a commonly suggested adjustment is keeping a heavier piece of furniture inside along the south-west wall.

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

• Main door Vastu: The best directions for the main door, where it sits on the wall, and what to keep out of its way.
• West facing house Vastu: Why west facing homes are not bad, where the door goes on the west wall and how to lay out the rooms.
• Vastu remedies without demolition: Room use, colours, light, clutter, mirrors, plants, salt and yantras: traditional fixes, and when to rebuild.
• Vastu tips for home: Where each room traditionally goes, how to treat the centre and the corners, and what to change in a flat.
• Plot Vastu: Plot facing, shape, slope, roads and soil: what Vastu commonly checks before you buy or build.

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