How important is the Sun?

danielley

I've viewed a house tonight that was very nice in almost all areas expect it is pretty much north facing and I suspect only gets a very small amount of sun and none during midday.

This seems a deal breaker to me, as my first house didn't get the sun which was something I didn't even consider as a first time buyer, so I made sure that my next 2 houses were south facing to make the most of the climate.

I wanted to garner some other peoples opinions, as I dont want to hastily discount this property as there is nothing else on the market within my budget that is half as nice.

Is this something you would consider when purchasing a property?

Can anyone think of any negatives to getting the sun on the garden?

Running_Horse

My house is north facing but has a large garden so from about midday I get to sit in the shade of the house when it gets hot. We do have a patio in the middle of the garden, but then I'm not really into heat and stick near the house.

poppysarah

So it's a one sided building? or so close the houses behind it gets no sun?

tawse57

Yes, how much sun a house gets and whether it is in the morning or evening is important IMPO. I personally want a garden that has sun in the afternoon / evening so I can relax in the garden during the afternoon and evenings.

Sunlight is important for your physical and mental health. Sunlight creates about 10,000 units of Vitamin D3 in about half an hour during the Summer which is known to help with depression, allergies and possibly also cancers.

mandi

I would never consider purchasing a house that gets very little sun in the garden , and I think many buyers feel the same .

If you proceed with the purchase you may find you have problems with the resale . ( just a thought )

nearlynew

Orientation is something that is often overlooked but is an important consideration if you like being outside - whether for gardening or entertaining.

You can always make shade but you can't make sun.

beeswax_3

The lack of evening sun in my back garden is the main reason I am moving, it is also in a slight dip so we suffer from frost even when those around us don't. The house we have put an offer on has a SW facing garden - I can't wait to move. To be able to grow flowers and veg rather than just evergreens. So imho it is really important, I made the sacrifice when buying my present house because the house was a bargain, but I've regretted it ever since.

seraphina

Best advice I got for considering a house is to look at the things you can't change. Two of the biggies are natural light and location.

Would be a no for me - I love having decent light in the house and a nice garden to sit in.

baby_fuzz

I don't mind sun/no sun in the garden - I'm much more bothered about how overlooked it is.

Doozergirl

South is nice at the back obv. But it will make a difference depending on the orientation of the rooms in the house as well, not just the garden. And if the garden is big then it's not such a big deal if it faces North, you just have to be prepared to sit at the other end. You're nice and cool in summer.

I didn't ever think it mattered but now I've lived in and worked on so many houses, it makes a vast difference, especially here where the climate is so temperate that having the sun on your face or not can make a real difference. The weather particularly at the moment, you can be quite chilly in the shade so you cross to the sunny side of the street.

My house faces east. This house chose me but it is indeed the one thing I can't change. I'm not a morning person at all and I long to sit out in the evening sun. We converted a barn last year which was just perfect. We had windows all along the west side where you could watch the sun set. Glorious.

freddi_2

I once lived in a house that had large patio doors and a window in the lounge and these faced south.

In the summer months the room got too hot in the afternoon and early evening so we used to spend the summer afternoon and evenings with blinds and curtains drawn if we wanted to watch the TV.