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We are buying a house and I want my house to be light and sunny all day. Recently we looked at a front house that was south and the back facing west. Seating area and kitchen and patio looking out to the west.
I like the house very much, but my only concern is that the house has plenty of sunlight from the south or west.
My home is located in Alabama. The broker advised me, this house is bright and sunny and should I buy it?
Please give me some advice!
the sun goes from east to west, no matter where you live. in the northern hemisphere, it also is to the south, not the north. In winter, it goes lower in the southern sky, meaning less sun on the north side.and
wasn't it THIS FORUM someone just asked about orienting the house?
If your living areas are in the back, and your backyard/patio/deck in the back, then the back should face south.
It doesn’t exactly rise in the E and set in the W, except around the spring and fall equinoxes.
Literally every day as the year progresses, the sun rises and sets in a slightly different position relative to your spot in the hemisphere. As a result, the arc of sunlight in winter is much shorter than it is in summer.
For the U.S.,
the sun rises in the NE and sets in the NW in summer (hence, many hrs of daylight),
and
the sun rises in the SE and sets in the SW in winter (hence, fewer daylight hrs).
At midday (not necessarily noon!), the sun is due S.
So you need to decide what is most important to you: position of sunlight entering your house in summer or in winter? And in which rooms?
For example, I like winter sun to come in as early as possible because I find it more difficult to get going in winter. This means a SE-facing window is ideal for bedroom and/or kitchen. However, factors such as terrain, trees, open water, neighboring buildings, and design of the house itself are also factors. And you usually can’t get everything you want.
With the sitting area, kitchen and patio facing west, I'd pass. The last thing I would want in Alabama is the summer sun coming into the areas that I would be using the most in late in the day.
If you enjoy sitting outside in the summer, I’d avoid having a western orientation at the back of the house.
I once had a house with the back yard facing west (front facing east) in Texas. We had a covered deck across the entire back but still — in the summer — from 3pm until sunset it was incredibly uncomfortable. We had all the rear facing windows tinted with UV filters at the highest rating and it did help alot. But we did have transluscent roller shades installed, too, in order to keep our AC bills under control.
We have a house now with the front facing west, but have a front courtyard and the house is U-shaped so the front addition protects the courtyard. We get a blazing morning sun, but lovely evenings all year long.
It's winter right now. The house isn't going to get much darker. If it has enough light for you in the last week of November, you are probably going to be happy enough with the light.
It's Alabama not Alaska. It's not like the track of the sun is going to disappear under the horizon.
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