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tina_teaspoon_

North facing garden - yes or no?

Talina Louise
5 years ago
Hello, I’ve found a house I love to buy but it has a North facing garden. It’s not a huge garden, and I’ve worried it’ll get no sun. I currently have a west facing garden, so use to sun all afternoon.

Does anyone have a North facing garden? Where do you get the spring and summer sun? Would you buy a house with a North facing garden again?

Thank you :)
Featured Answer
  • Talina Louise
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    Hello, thanks for the comments. I decided not to buy in the end! If it were a larger garden, then possibly could have been swayed. I’m still hunting...

    Comments (22)

    • Juliet Docherty
      5 years ago

      No I wouldn't, not if it was small and didn't get sun. We had a north facing 'yard' in Manchester and in the summer it felt like Autumn.

    • rachelmidlands
      5 years ago
      I think it depends on how you use the garden and how built up it is around the perimeter. For instance if you had a a patio immediately outside the back of the house then this would be in shadow for most of the day. On the plus side the back of the garden is potentially getting the most sun which is great for flowering plants and gives you a great outlook when looking out the window. Our last house had a north facing garden and I had all the sunny flowers and patio in the sunniest spot then all the ugly things like disused pots, scrap wood, etc. nearer to the house so I couldn’t see them when looking out of the window.

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    • PRO
      Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
      5 years ago

      Hi Tina, Its certainly not the most ideal aspect but with climate change a shady spot can be very welcomed in the summer months. I would avoid grass as this will never do well but there is an abundance of shade loving plants which look fabulous like ferns and Hostas. These days we are using our gardens increasingly in the evenings more as an outdoor room so with good lighting your north facing space can be really appreciated when the sun has gone down. Good luck and I hope this helps. Georgia

    • H BB
      5 years ago
      Hi,

      I have lived in terrace with a 35 ft north north west garden and we had sun on the patio from 3pm against the house until about 7:30-8pm from April to early October and we ate outside all the time in the sun and needed an umbrella. In mid-summer we had the the sun all day. Generally our early spring flowers were 3 weeks behind the front south-facing garden.

      I now have a NNE facing garden and we have the sun on the back of the house from 4am-until 9am I think, from springtime. In peak summer as the sun rises we have sun in the garden all day, but not on back windows directly. We lose the sun mid-afternoon near the house, but as we have a long garden, we have another patio at the sunny end which is sunny all year round.
    • janet_allen8
      5 years ago
      I agree with Colourhappy ... we had a north facing garden previously (about 35ft long) and never used it in summer as the difference in temperature between that and the front was astonishing... you couldn’t tell when it was glorious sunshine! Now we’ve got southwest and I’d never go back. Sorry if this doesn’t help
    • Talina Louise
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      Thanks for your help. It’s a tricky one, but I think I need the sun and north facing sounds too gloomy.
    • Sonia
      5 years ago
      My front garden is North East facing and it gets the early morning sun, but then it is in shade for the rest of the day. My back garden is South West which has the perfect mix of sunny and shady areas. The different between back and front garden is huge. I would choose sitting in a sunny garden every time!
    • Jonathan
      5 years ago
      Lots of new homes builders build more houses with north facing gardens. (I suspect this means more houses look better at the front and are more saleable.). Since housebuyers cant avoid north facing garden you just need to consider how to get the most out of them- conservatories on the northside should be easier to keep cool, patios might be better placed at the end of the garden, in the same way you would concentrate on the colours and lighting of a dark room you might decide to put a light colour on the fence, add some lighting, choose a pale patio slab rather than a dark one. You might well make different choices on plants too which might even mean using artificial turf and plants with interesting an colourful foliage rather than sun living flowers.
    • Tani H-S
      5 years ago
      Our last house was a dormer bungalow and it was north facing. We thought it was south facing when we went to view it and the agent told us it was as well. That was because all the houses were low and the gardens were wide so we got a lot of sun across the bottom half all day and it crept towards the rear of the house early evening. That was fine on super hot days as it was nice to get some cool shade indoors. But, it wasnt ideal.

      Our current house is south facing and we wouldnt get one that was strictly north again (north west for evening sun or east facing for morning sun is better)
    • PRO
      Italian Design Ltd
      5 years ago

      It depends on the length of the garden. I have a long garden with summer house and decking at the very end and it's "always" very sunny. Shorter gardens would always be in the shade so no ideal

    • pnurse2366
      5 years ago

      Trust be you will regret it!

    • Darren1111
      5 years ago
      Depends on depth. If the garden is deep enough the shadow of your house won’t eat up the entire garden. You will need to have seating area at the bottom of the garden which means carrying things a long way back to the house etc. You could get water and sink maybe a fridge at bottom of garden to save trips!
    • AMB
      5 years ago
      I have the same as Forzaitalia. I moved from a slightly South-East facing garden to a slightly South-West facing garden and the difference is incredible so I would stay away from the North facing one. Our lives are generally geared towards being outdoor in the late afternoon to evening (think after work drinks in the garden) and if you like sitting outside then North is not for you.The fact that you have posted on an advice forum shows the depth of your worry. Don't worry - a better house will turn up!
    • emm3004
      5 years ago

      My advice....avoid a North facing back garden if you can. you can change most things about a house except its aspect. i lived in a house with nth facing back garden and poor enough front sun too becasue of neighbouring house and it was depressing to live in, cold in the summer when everywhere else was bathed in sunshine. Clever architectural design can ometimes put in velux windows and large picture windows to the front to capture the sun, but in reality we all live in the rear of our houses most of the time.


      On a practical level, do you really want to have to walk to the rear of your garden to enjoy your patio, when closer to the house would be more sheltered? Do you want clothes to dry on the line all year round (clothes lines usually near the house), do you want your car baked in sunshine in the summer sitting in your front drive? you didnt say where you live, but i live in a country where the weather is very mxed and we value every ray of sunshine we get. as we cant sit out all year round, nor anything like it, we need the sunshine to come into our living space as much as possible. hope this helps? Emm

    • hapiak
      5 years ago
      My garden is north facing primarily but it is a large L shape - the fact my house is a bungalow and not really surrounded by anything means it does get sun all day. The open plan area at the back of the house was darker than we hoped - so we have added extension with bifolds picture window and velux. Already this has brought a lot more light into this area. Hoping the extension doesn’t add too much of a shadow on the garden but the existing house was never an issue in previous summers.

      A friend has a south facing garden and has had 6 m sliders added to a large open plan space - looks great but she is already having issues with the heat and glare.

      It seems you can’t win?
    • J Hen
      5 years ago

      I loved my north facing house! it was a sixties terraced house so not tall but always seems so sunny.

      The sun wasnt on the end closest to the house but that was great for me as I could set up the kids toys out of the sun but the rest of the garden was an amazing sun trap.

      In same style of house i wouldn’t hesitate buying another north facing house.


      Good luck

    • kadams1010
      5 years ago
      Tina what did you decide in the end? Buy or not to buy?
    • hapiak
      5 years ago
      Good luck with the house hunt
    • HU-780515582
      2 years ago

      Hi i realise this is an old post but im hoping someone can help me, im lookiny at buying my first home but im unsure on the garden. could some one tell me if i would get much sun in the garden


    • Sonia
      2 years ago

      You may be better starting your own new post otherwise this may get lost in all the older posts.

    • HU-333812379
      2 years ago

      Ive got a very small north east facing garden in summer i have sun over the majority except directly at the back door and to the very right bedding near the back of house- between 10am and 4.30pm - it is absolutely boiling and sunny im shocked at how much i appreciate i can get away from glaring sun in my sun lounge which is cool in summer and warm in winter - due to my experience i have just agreed an offer on another house which is north facing- i have no concerns as with rising temperatures this will further benefit me - and i can still access sun elsewhere in the garden (which is still most of it).

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