West facing house Vastu: layout and main door

This guide looks at the common fear around west facing homes, then covers the door, a room by room layout and the mistakes to avoid.

Is a west facing house bad?

No. West belongs to Varuna and Saturn and is traditionally linked with gains, children and steady results. In Vastu it is an acceptable direction for an entrance, while north, north-east and east are the first choice. Many west facing homes are planned well and lived in happily.

What matters far more than the facing is where the door sits along the wall and where the main rooms are. A west facing home with the door in the right part and a south-west master bedroom is better placed than an east facing home with a north-east toilet.

There is also a practical side. The west wall takes the strong afternoon sun, so in a hot city such as Nagpur, shading, trees along the west boundary and lighter wall colours keep the front rooms comfortable.

Where to place the main door

Measure the west wall from the south-west corner to the north-west corner and mark the middle. The door is commonly placed from the middle towards the north-west. The south-west end is avoided, since the south-west is kept closed and heavy.

Some consultants divide the wall into nine equal parts from the 81-square mandala and rate each part; their charts differ in detail, so treat this as a refinement for new construction.

Room by room layout

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

What a west facing house offers

• An entrance in an acceptable direction linked with gains and steady results.
• The north-east falls at the back, away from road noise, which suits a quiet pooja room.
• The heavy south-west is at the front, where a staircase, master bedroom or overhead tank can sit.
• Evening light at the front of the house.

Common mistakes

• Placing the door at the south-west end of the west wall.
• Leaving the front south-west open as a car porch while the back is built up.
• Building toilets or a staircase in the back north-east.
• Leaving no open space in the north and east because the house is pushed to the back of the plot.
• Painting the west front in very dark colours, which traps afternoon heat.

In a west facing flat

Keep the entrance well lit, place the shoe rack on the south side of the door, use heavy curtains on west windows for afternoon sun, set up the pooja shelf on an east or north wall and give the south-west room to the head of the family.

Adjustments without rebuilding

• Many consultants suggest a solid wooden door with a raised threshold and good lighting for a west entrance.
• Where the door sits towards the south-west, a commonly suggested adjustment is a heavy door and keeping the area beside it uncluttered and well lit.
• Many consultants suggest tall potted plants or trees along the west boundary for afternoon shade.
• Keeping the shoe rack on the south side of the door and the north-east corner of the plot clear is a common suggestion.

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.
• South facing house Vastu: Why many south facing homes are fine, where the door goes on the south wall and how to place each room.
• 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.
• Vastu directions: Deity, planet, element and the right rooms for each of the eight directions, and how to find them at home.

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.