West Facing House Vastu: Plan, Main Door and Room Placement

West facing homes are often misunderstood. Some buyers avoid them because of beliefs about the direction, and others because of the strong afternoon sun. In Bangalore, west facing plots and flats can be good value, and with careful planning they are as comfortable and well regarded as any other.

A house is west facing when its main entrance faces west, which usually means the road is on the west side. In a flat, the direction is taken from the main door.

This guide explains what Vastu traditionally recommends for a west facing house, how to place the main door and rooms, and how to design for the afternoon sun.

Is a west facing house good?

Vastu considers west facing homes good when the main door is placed correctly and the rooms are arranged with care. The west is associated with Varuna, the lord of water, and in many traditions with stability and gains.

West facing homes are often recommended for people in business, trade and public-facing work.

Main door placement

For a west facing house, Vastu traditionally places the main door in the north-west half of the west wall, in the padas towards the north, while avoiding the extreme north-west corner.

The south-west part of the west wall is avoided for the main door.

In practice, keep the door in the middle to north part of the west face, with a clear and well-lit approach.

Room placement

Living room: north-west or north, near the entrance.

Pooja room: north-east, at the back of the house.

Kitchen: south-east, with the north-west as the alternative.

Master bedroom: south-west.

Children's bedroom: west or north-west.

Guest bedroom: north-west.

Dining room: west or east, near the kitchen.

Bathrooms and toilets: north-west or west, avoiding the north-east and south-west.

Staircase: south, west or south-west.

Study: east or north, at the back of the house where it is quieter.

Open spaces and heights

Keep more open space on the north and east sides of the plot. On a west facing plot, the east is at the back, so plan a garden, utility court or open area there.

Place the overhead water tank and the staircase in the south-west.

Keep the north-east of the house light, open and uncluttered.

Designing for the afternoon sun

The biggest practical challenge of a west facing home is heat. The front walls and windows take strong sun from about 2 pm until sunset.

Use deep sunshades, vertical fins, louvers or a pergola on the west.

Keep west windows smaller, and use double glazing or solar control glass.

Plant trees or a green screen on the west side. A row of medium-height trees in the front setback, or a climber on a trellis in front of the west wall, can lower the wall's surface temperature noticeably in April and May, when Bangalore's afternoons are hottest.

Use light, heat-reflective exterior paint on the west walls.

Plan bedrooms away from the west front if possible, or give them good shading.

Colours

Light colours suit west facing homes: white, off-white, light blue, light grey and soft cream. They reflect heat and keep the house cooler. Use darker colours only on small accents.

West facing flats

In a flat, the west side gets the afternoon sun. Use blackout or thermal curtains on west windows and balconies.

Place the pooja unit in the north-east corner of the living room or dining area.

Use the south-west bedroom as the master bedroom.

Keep heavy wardrobes and furniture on the south and west walls.

Common issues and remedies

If the main door is in the south-west part of the west wall, families traditionally add a threshold, bright lighting and symbols at the entrance.

If the kitchen is in the north-east, place the stove in the south-east part of the kitchen and keep the north-east corner light.

If a toilet is in the north-east, keep it clean, ventilated and closed.

Plot shape, slope and water

Square and rectangular plots are preferred. On a west facing plot, the ground should ideally slope down towards the north and east, which is the back of the plot, so that rainwater drains away from the south-west.

Place the sump or borewell in the north-east and the overhead tank in the south-west. On a west facing plot both sit away from the road, which also keeps the front tidy.

The main door itself

Vastu prefers a solid, well-made main door that is larger than the other doors in the house, opening inward and clockwise, with a threshold. On a west facing house, shade the door with a porch or canopy, because afternoon sun on a wooden door dries the polish and opens up joints over time.

Keep the approach to the door clear, well lit and free of a staircase or pillar directly in front of it.

Furniture and interior details

In the living room, place sofas and the TV unit so you sit facing east or north where possible, and keep the north-east of the room uncluttered.

In bedrooms, place the bed with the head to the south or east.

In the kitchen, place the stove so the cook faces east.

A west facing house on a 30x40 site

On a west facing 30x40 site, a common Vastu-friendly ground floor puts the entrance in the north part of the west wall, the living room in the north-west, the kitchen in the south-east at the back, the master bedroom in the south-west and the pooja room in the north-east at the back. The staircase runs along the south or west, and the garden or utility court sits on the east.