North facing gardens

[NotAGolf]

I have only lived in houses with West or South facing gardens. We're looking to move and had originally written off North facing gardens on the basis that they don't get as much sunshine, especially in the winter months. We have two young kids and we spend a lot of time in our current garden.

A house has come up for sale and it looks promising, the only downside we can see is the north facing garden. It's quite a long garden though, so I would imagine the bottom of the garden will still see sun year round.

Is writing off a house based purely on the orientation of a garden stupid? Just wondering if we're overblowing how bad north facing garden is in reality.

 

[ChrisD.]

They have a major advantage with evening sunshine. That’s what I miss about our old house. We have south facing now and it’s great during the day but on an evening it’s mostly shaded.

 

[Worthy]

You're right, as long as the garden is long enough you'll get sun year-round. The only thing to consider (which I didn't do in mine!) is make sure you have a patio/seating/BBQ area at the bottom of the garden so you get the sun. I must sort that out this year

Yes btw, you're blowing it out of proportion.

 

[aVdub]

I would weigh up location (coastal, sheltered, prone to rain) and check if it is closer to West that direct North.

Ours runs East (front) to West (outback) and works perfect for us, even though on the compass it is not a million degrees off North.

 

[tom_nieto]

We’re NNW facing and that tiniest hint of West really helps with evening sun. A lot depends on the garden size, how much it’s overlooked and how surrounding trees and hedges are. We lose the sun at the back of our garden quickly due to high hedges. That’s a bonus due to the privacy it affords us.

A bit of decent outdoor lighting and a patio heater would make our north facing terrace very comfortable for a lot more of the time.

 

[tamzzy]

We’re NNW facing and that tiniest hint of West really helps with evening sun.

same boat here
thankfully no massive trees in mine/my neigbour's gardens so reasonably light and airy

 

[Buffman]

Depends how long your garden is. Mine is completely north facing but about 50m long so is fine.

It also has bifolds and Rooflights on the rear and because it's north facing it doesn't suffer from solar gain or glare so don't need curtains or blinds etc.

I like having sections of shade in the garden on a hot day so overall quite pleased with it.

If it was a circa 10m long garden I can understand the concerns...

 

[tom_nieto]

It also has bifolds and Rooflights on the rear and because it's north facing it doesn't suffer from solar gain or glare so don't need curtains or blinds etc.

We’ve got a massive amount of glazing on our north facing extension. The light is amazing and a real bonus as you say is that is doesn’t turn into a hot house in the summer. Even in the 40’C heat we were ok. Below freezing we start to need a lot of heating, but that’s a reasonable trade off I think.

 

[Buffman]

Below freezing we start to need a lot of heating, but that’s a reasonable trade off I think.

Even then I think the winter solar gain isn't massive. If it's a newer property that's well insulated (or even in last 10 years or so with an insulated cavity/floor/roof) I think it should be fine.

 

[SPG]

We have the same, you do lose significant amount of heat through the glass in the winter months and it takes a bit more to heat but for summer it's great.

The only downside is your planting takes a nosedive in options and you will lose the eternal battle against snails.....

 

[thebandit]

After my last two houses having South facing gardens I swore I would never buy a North facing garden again, however, when it came time to move (forced move due to the D word!) the one house I really loved had a North facing garden. I nearly didn't buy it, but on reflection I'm so glad I did as I love the house.
In the summer I do wish the house could be rotated 180 degrees ? absolutely, however during the summer the sun is pretty high in the sky, more than half the garden is bathed in sunlight in the day, if you have younger ones, having a section of the garden slightly shaded for them to play in may actually be a benefit. In the evening I get enough sunlight at far end garden to sit out and enjoy those boozy summer nights. The only issue for my garden is its long (ish) and narrow. So the sensible position for the shed is at the end of the garden, but that would be the ideal spot for my outdoor dining space / patio.