Is a North Facing House Good Feng Shui in Australia?
It depends on whom you ask. Practitioners who read the old rule as being about facing the sun say yes, because in Australia the sun is to the north. Practitioners who keep the classical compass still favour a house facing south. In classical feng shui the ideal house sits with its back to the north and its face to the south. That rule began in northern China, where the sun is in the southern sky and the cold winter winds come from the north, so a house facing south is a house facing the sun.
This guide sets out the views on the southern hemisphere and how they sit beside north facing living areas, which is what every plan on Dudils is reviewed for. Schools of feng shui differ on this more than on any other rule, so treat it as background for a conversation with your practitioner, not a full reading by one.
Why does classical feng shui face a house south?
Because in northern China, facing south means facing the sun. The winter sun sits low in the southern sky there, and the bitter winter winds and dust storms come from the north. A house with a hill or a solid wall at its back to the north, and its door and main rooms open to the south, is warm, bright and sheltered.
Feng shui writers also point to a cultural side. The emperor sat facing south to rule, so a seat facing south carried status as well as warmth.
Should the feng shui compass be flipped in the southern hemisphere?
Practitioners disagree, and there are three common views. The first holds that the rule was always about facing the sun and turning your back to the cold wind, so in Australia a house should face north, toward the sun, with its back to the south and the cold southerly.
The second keeps the compass directions as they are. The compass schools give each direction its own meaning that does not depend on where the sun is, so south stays south in either hemisphere.
The third, put by teachers such as Dr Hsu of the Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute, is that the climate, the land and the culture of the place should decide, and that a small rule should not override the principle it came from. Ask your practitioner which view they follow.
How does north facing living fit with feng shui?
It follows the same thinking as the old rule, applied to a sky where the sun is to the north. In Australia, living areas that face north take the low winter sun deep into the room and are easy to shade from the high summer sun with an eave. That is passive solar design, and it is why every plan on Dudils is reviewed so its living areas face north.
Whether that makes a house good feng shui is a question for your practitioner and the school they follow. What it does is make the home warmer in winter, cooler in summer and cheaper to run. For the detail, see passive solar design basics.
Does the front door have to face north?
No. North facing living is about where the living areas and their windows point, not the front door. On a block where the street faces south, the front door faces south and the living areas open to a north facing backyard, which is one of the easiest blocks to build on.
If your practitioner reads the facing of a house from its front door, ask how they treat a home whose living areas face the other way. The guide on north facing house plans explains the difference.
What should I ask a feng shui practitioner in Australia?
Ask whether they flip the compass for the southern hemisphere, and why. Ask whether they read the facing direction from the front door, the street or the side with the most light. And ask them to look at the plan on your block with north drawn on it, because the same floor plan can face any way.
Every plan on Dudils is shown with north up, so you can hand a practitioner the orientation along with the drawing. The feng shui friendly house plans also pass six layout checks that read the same in either hemisphere.
Common questions
Is a south facing house bad feng shui in Australia?
It depends on the school. If your practitioner flips the compass, a house facing south faces away from the sun. If they keep the classical directions, south is still the favoured facing. Either way, a home whose living areas face south gets little winter sun in Australia, which affects comfort and running costs as well as feng shui.
Do the six feng shui layout checks depend on the compass?
No. The front door, stairs, kitchen, toilet and garage checks are about how rooms sit against each other, so they read the same in either hemisphere. That is why they can be checked on a floor plan before the house is placed on a block.
Does a north facing backyard make a north facing house?
For sun, yes. A north facing backyard lets the living areas open to the yard and the sun together. For feng shui, ask your practitioner, because some schools read the facing of a house from the street side.