Position of house and sun

[zaZa9]

I was told west is hottest, which makes sense. So we planted trees to shade the west facing walls and windows. Rather unplanned, the tree grew big and started to provide shade over the roof as well

Well, that west facing room is now the coolest room in the entire house!

The coolest place down here in the south to site a house is in a rubber plantation.

As a plantation attracts a few too many mosquitios , a line or two of rubber trees will suffice. With the price of rubber in free fall , the options are getting better.

With regard to feng shui , there is a simple way to 'fix' a bedroom where there is no other option to place the bed.

I know this is going to sound ridiculous , but an 'expert' sorted out our problem by making a sign and placing it on the hallside of our bedroom door.

It said in Thai , "This is not a door!"

Apparently the 'pii' are smart enough to be able to read , but stupid enough to believe Everything they read ( rather like some TV members ) , so they do not come into the bedroom , even though I would have thought a ghost basically wouldnt need a door anyway...

Problem ( an overly concerned Thai Lady ) solved ...

[MAZ3]

I was told west is hottest, which makes sense. So we planted trees to shade the west facing walls and windows. Rather unplanned, the tree grew big and started to provide shade over the roof as well

Well, that west facing room is now the coolest room in the entire house!

The coolest place down here in the south to site a house is in a rubber plantation.

As a plantation attracts a few too many mosquitios , a line or two of rubber trees will suffice. With the price of rubber in free fall , the options are getting better.

With regard to feng shui , there is a simple way to 'fix' a bedroom where there is no other option to place the bed.

I know this is going to sound ridiculous , but an 'expert' sorted out our problem by making a sign and placing it on the hallside of our bedroom door.

It said in Thai , "This is not a door!"

Apparently the 'pii' are smart enough to be able to read , but stupid enough to believe Everything they read ( rather like some TV members ) , so they do not come into the bedroom , even though I would have thought a ghost basically wouldnt need a door anyway...

Problem ( an overly concerned Thai Lady ) solved ...[/quote

Yep,my friend brought a Black Toyota but it was bad luck for his Lady. Now there's a sign in the back window saying this Car is NOT Black!. :-)

Edited October 20, 2014 by MAZ3

[monkeycountry]

The sun moves from east to west, and as Thailand is fairly near equator, the sun stays high in the sky most of the day, as opposed to say northern europe, where the sun will be somewhat south all day long.

This means if your windows (in Thailand) face north or south, you will get very little direct sunlight (south facing windows will get slightly more than north facing windows) as Thailand is slightly north of equator (this changes a little during summer/winther as well)

If your windows face east, you will get lots of sun in the morning, but none in the afternoon.

If your windows face west, you will get lots of sun in the afternoon, but none in the morning.

[monkeycountry]

South facing is definitely the hottest here in Thailand. I live in Bangkok...sure glad my house faces north especially for the summer months/hottest time of the year. When we were buying our house around a half dozen years ago during a conversation the sales folks they did say usually the side of the soi with the houses facing north sells out the fastest since their front side remains cooler/get less direct sun...the front side gets more shade from the house itself. But since most folks build their house facing the road, a lot will depend on which side of the soi you may buy a piece of land on to build your house. But a lot will depend on the landscaping you may be able to plant around the house in terms of large trees, structure of your house, etc. Just keep in mind the south side will be the hottest/get the most sun during the year here in Thailand...while that might be desirable in a northern climates like Europe it may not be desirable in the tropics where Thailand is located and where the sun is very intense.

You forget that the sun moves very differently in Thailand compared to northen europe. In northern europe the sun comes up in southeast, and goes down in southwest, hence if your windows face south, you have sun all day long. An attractive option in the otherwise cold north.

However, on equator, the sun comes up in the east (not southeast) and goes down in west (not southwest), hence assuming you have a roof on your house, you will get almost no direct sunlight through you windows if they face directly south or north. This varies with the seasons, but not much near equator, where Thailand is.

However, if your house faces directly east or west, you will get direct sunlight either all morning or all afternoon.

Edited October 20, 2014 by monkeycountry

[KhnomKhnom]

Chinese say home MUST face North. That is also the place of LEAST sun, in Thailand for sure.

I use a combination of trees and green plastic mesh (used on construction sites, etc.) as sun shades. Adding the green mesh on the south side, angled like a porch from the side of the house downward to the rear fence, can be felt cooler by the hand on interior walls where the mesh shades compared to fully open to Southern sun.

Color of roof should be as far toward white as possible with a large and well ventilated attic(helped by attic fan and or louvers to let hot air out the top or roof area). Exterior walls should be white. Windows covered with porch-type overhead and sun filtering plastic covering over the glass (like automobile dark windows) and even using foil over inside of unused windows.

Smart poster said put closets and baths on hot side, South or West, is very good.

Note for Aussies........ please remember when you are in Thailand that it is in NORTHERN Hemisphere.

[laobali]

Depending upon your degrees North above the Equator at your location, wouldn't you get more Sun facing on the Southern side of house?

(p.s.wifey always says West Front is worst for the god house. She won't now stay in one of our houses facing the West at front)

West is worst for heat. The afternoon sun is hottest and beats down until it sets. South facing gets more in the Northern Hemisphere. I would suggest (for living room and bedroom) between North and NE facing for the least amount of direct sunlight but efficient roof insulation and ventilation will probably help more as will double glazing. Edited October 20, 2014 by laobali

[ResandePohm]

mja1906

It is not which way your house faces that is important. Nor any Feng Shui. It is the design of the house itself that will help keep your house cool. I have designed my own house and am now in the process of building it. Keeping the house cool was important as well as keeping electricity reliable and cheap.So here are some of the features I have included;

1. Natural air conditioning whereby the house is continually drawing in naturally cooled air at no cost. No electricity required. This will substantially reduce any need for ugly air conditioning units hanging on the side of the house.

2. A straight clear roof at about 45 degrees facing south which is covered by solar panels. I considered this important with all the rumours about electricity outages getting more frequent in the future.

3. Properly insulating all walls and roof to keep heat out.

4. Tinted glass windows on the sides exposed to the sun to reduce sun intensity inside the house.

5. Planting trees to give shade to outside sitting areas.

With all this I will have a house that is cool with very low running costs.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

Edited October 20, 2014 by ResandePohm

[elgordo38]

Ezzra I think you hit the nail on the head. Goodness knows with wifie on the bed it gets hot enough

[smotherb]

Google Sketch up has a shadows option, and a geo-location option.

Then you can select different months, days or hours to see how the sun hits it, where the shadows are and how it will affect light in the house through windows.

By making a 3D model of your structure, and changing it compass orientation in your property , you can optimize your sun associated concerns such as orientation of structure, window placement and size, outside area sun exposure at time of use, tree placement.

It is a pretty powerful option , for instance you can know exactly where to plant a tree so that it will shade a bedroom window at the time the sun is the hottest.

Yes, a good idea. However, simply positioning the rooms logically; e.g., bedrooms to the West--for late morning risers--and lounging rooms, porches, etc., to the East--to avoid the afternoon sun--takes care of most sun issues. Of course awnings, blinds, and a/c can offset most other sun problems.

[habfan]

As said in a few posts...... the sun beating down on your roof all day is going to cause you the most problems with heat inside your house. IMHO this is where you should focus your heat reduction solutions.

My wifes cousins have an old Thai teak house surrounded by massive old trees completly shading the roof and come hot season here in the sticks of Lampang province their house and property is like walking into the Big C (temperture wise).

[PhillyBoy]

We were lucky and picked a Northern exposure and its perfect. Sun comes up on east side in the morning when not hot and over the back yard for most of the day. Makes sitting in the yard at early evening very pleasant. Sun crosses the backyard during the day and the front of the house and living room are pretty cool or can easily be brought down with A/C.

[teatree]

From my experience the west will be the hottest side.

The actual location of the rooms within the house and which ones you want to be cooler probably makes more difference than which way the house is facing.

[Pib]

South facing is definitely the hottest here in Thailand. I live in Bangkok...sure glad my house faces north especially for the summer months/hottest time of the year. When we were buying our house around a half dozen years ago during a conversation the sales folks they did say usually the side of the soi with the houses facing north sells out the fastest since their front side remains cooler/get less direct sun...the front side gets more shade from the house itself. But since most folks build their house facing the road, a lot will depend on which side of the soi you may buy a piece of land on to build your house. But a lot will depend on the landscaping you may be able to plant around the house in terms of large trees, structure of your house, etc. Just keep in mind the south side will be the hottest/get the most sun during the year here in Thailand...while that might be desirable in a northern climates like Europe it may not be desirable in the tropics where Thailand is located and where the sun is very intense.

You forget that the sun moves very differently in Thailand compared to northen europe. In northern europe the sun comes up in southeast, and goes down in southwest, hence if your windows face south, you have sun all day long. An attractive option in the otherwise cold north.

However, on equator, the sun comes up in the east (not southeast) and goes down in west (not southwest), hence assuming you have a roof on your house, you will get almost no direct sunlight through you windows if they face directly south or north. This varies with the seasons, but not much near equator, where Thailand is.

However, if your house faces directly east or west, you will get direct sunlight either all morning or all afternoon.

No, I know where the sun comes up in Thailand and its angle in the sky throughout the year in relationship to my house which faces north. Thailand is in the tropics but still approx 1,700 kilometers north of the equator as measured to around the center of Thailand. And during this time of year when the northern hemisphere is tilting away from the sun the sun is lower in the sky/more sunlight coming from the southern direction. And it only takes a few degrees to make a big difference in how the sun is striking your house, which side of the house gets hottest, which one gets the most sun, etc. Until Continental drift moves Thailand much closer to the equator, a person will get more sun from the southern angle/direction all year round in Thailand, although minor during the summer, which means the north side of the house will get more shade throughout the year.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Pib

[Wat dee]

South facing is preferable but caution, if you have a Thai wife she will have the final say when it comes to the direction each room faces, it's a feng shui issue which will cause you lots of sleepless nights, been there. Google feng shui, it's very real in Thailand.

Thai feng shui is that neighbors can see your parade side.

[KarenBravo]

It's more important to position the house with the prevailing winds, not the sun.

Therefore, have the house facing north-east.

[IMHO]

It's more important to position the house with the prevailing winds, not the sun.

Therefore, have the house facing north-east.

But that's only for 6 months of the year, then it reverses.

[IMHO]

From my experience the west will be the hottest side.

The actual location of the rooms within the house and which ones you want to be cooler probably makes more difference than which way the house is facing.

Yep, the afternoon sun+heat is definitely more brutal than the morning sun.

[KarenBravo]

It's more important to position the house with the prevailing winds, not the sun.

Therefore, have the house facing north-east.

But that's only for 6 months of the year, then it reverses.

Exactly.....6 months it flows from front through back, 6 months it flows back through front.

Front and back are where most windows are located, not on the sides of the house.

[IMHO]

Front and back are where most windows are located, not on the sides of the house.

That's a fairly generic statement that assumes all houses are similar

e.g. One of my houses has only 2.5 sqm of windows on the back (South), 1.5sqm to the West, but 22sqm at the front - it was designed to minimize sunlight entering from the West and South though.. Another has exactly 0sqm of windows to the West, 5sqm to the South, and 50sqm to the North - but in that case, the East is the front

Edited October 21, 2014 by IMHO

[trogers]

It's more important to position the house with the prevailing winds, not the sun.

Therefore, have the house facing north-east.

But that's only for 6 months of the year, then it reverses.

Exactly.....6 months it flows from front through back, 6 months it flows back through front.

Front and back are where most windows are located, not on the sides of the house.

Perhaps you are referring to town houses. Single houses have no such restraints.

[craigt3365]

It's more important to position the house with the prevailing winds, not the sun.

Therefore, have the house facing north-east.

The wind around our house pretty much comes from the southwest. Sometimes directly from the west when storms come in.

[TuskegeeBen]

Front door facing north/north-east!

Edited October 21, 2014 by TuskegeeBen

[Gumballl]

the bed position got me too. Bed would have fit perfectly one way (which i chose) but apparently it was unlucky so we had to change.

I had an hours long discussion about this at thai language school a year or two ago, Wish I can remember the direction which was the worst. One direction is reserved for the dead I think.

Right now our pillow is on the east.

If I understood is correctly from my wife, one does not want the head of the bed, nor any Buddha statuettes or images, facing westward. The setting sun is akin to 'death' (i.e. a bad omen).

[eeeya]

the bed position got me too. Bed would have fit perfectly one way (which i chose) but apparently it was unlucky so we had to change.

I had an hours long discussion about this at thai language school a year or two ago, Wish I can remember the direction which was the worst. One direction is reserved for the dead I think.

Right now our pillow is on the east.

If I understood is correctly from my wife, one does not want the head of the bed, nor any Buddha statuettes or images, facing westward. The setting sun is akin to 'death' (i.e. a bad omen).

Our family isn't Buddhist and there is the same superstition. Sometimes these superstitious beliefs go further than religion

[Pib]

the bed position got me too. Bed would have fit perfectly one way (which i chose) but apparently it was unlucky so we had to change.

I had an hours long discussion about this at thai language school a year or two ago, Wish I can remember the direction which was the worst. One direction is reserved for the dead I think.

Right now our pillow is on the east.

If I understood is correctly from my wife, one does not want the head of the bed, nor any Buddha statuettes or images, facing westward. The setting sun is akin to 'death' (i.e. a bad omen).

Our family isn't Buddhist and there is the same superstition. Sometimes these superstitious beliefs go further than religion

Ditto thing happened at my house when we first bought it and was determining where and how to place furniture. When I recommended the master bedroom bed be placed a certain way, which turned out to be with the bed headboard facing west, a couple Thai in-laws immediately said no, no, no. I my case the headboard needed to be facing north towards some large windows in the room...but west was definitely not going to happen. In two other bedrooms the bed headboards are facing east/towards sunrise.

[wayned]

My house is faced SSW. Why is it faced that way? Because there is a road that runs in front of my property and I wanted the front of the house to face the road and not face it NNW so the back would face the road. The eastern side, where the carport is gets the morning sun but the carport takes the heat. The western side faces west and gets the afternoon sun and the rooms there are hot. Unfortunately they are the bedrooms. Two years after I completed the house I extended the roof on the western side and built an additional carport. It helped the front bedroom but the rear of the back bedroom still gets the afternoon sun. If I had to do it all over again I would put the bedrooms on the side that gets the morning sun.

As far as the spirit house it is currently facing NNE, catywhompis on the raised slab that I built for it. This was at the recommendation of the new local spirit house guru. The older one died and when she first placed our spirit house there were two, one on each side of the property but the new guru said that it was all wrong and eliminated one and moved the other. Lighten struck the spirit house in my niece's yard and she wouldn't sleep in the house until there was a new one installed in a different location and had the big party where the monks blessed it.

[KarenBravo]

The western side faces west.........

Really?