"New year, New me" is the name of the game for the start of 2023!

The new mantra in life, new clothes, and a unique chance to start all over once again. But starting new does not only limit itself from changing the way you perceive things or how you wear your clothes but sometimes the things in our environment can also be altered for better consumption of space and a new look in the eye! This article will show you the benefits of ideal house orientation, what it is and why we should learn and apply it at home.

What is House Orientation and Why is it Important?

What is House Orientation, and why should a homemaker like you know about it? The physical design of the House, as well as the living arrangements and health of the residents, are affected by the House's orientation. Because it can have an impact on living conditions, resident well-being, and energy efficiency, the direction of your lot or home is essential. When a home is well-oriented, natural light enters your space and provides lighting throughout the day. 

 
Image from Carter Grange

Another benefit of good house orientation is the reduction of home maintenance. One drawback is the long-term harm that direct sunlight can do to siding, roofing, furnishings, fabrics, and flooring. Your home's south-facing side will be most affected by sunshine, so it would be a good idea to plan and set aside money for home maintenance. It's also a good idea to put window curtains or shades to protect interior decorations on the southern exposure. Good Views for the residence and decorative choices are also affected by good home orientation, so it must be essential to consider these all the time.

The Ideal House Orientation: N.E.W.S-Facing Rooms

It is essential to study how each portion of the House is positioned in relation to the sun, regardless of orientation type. This might change your space's atmosphere, temperature, and general vibe. Grab your compass to know how you will orient the area of your room. The room's orientation can be determined by aiming at the largest window in the space and seeing which way the needle points.

Image from Arcadia GlassHouse

North-Facing Room

Rooms with less sunlight are those that face north. To counteract the chill of the area, pick lighter interior paints with a warm undertone. Given that natural light is unreliable and limited during the day, it is best to invest in indoor illumination when it comes to lighting. If you want to make your space feel cozier and more inviting, you may also spend money on floor lamps and table lights with a soft glow to add home vibes to the room.

East-Facing Room

Expect that the sun shines will always be available to wake you up if your room faces east. The natural light will progressively decrease over the day as the sun moves in a different direction. It is advisable to pick neutral paint colors that aren't very warm or cool. If you are a shift worker who is often awake at night, you can get roller shades or blackout curtains. East-facing rooms are ideal for morning people such as parents and homemakers to keep them alive during the day.

West-Facing Room

It is best to watch the sun in a west-facing room through its windows as the sun sets. But keep in mind that the sun will flood your room with warm, substantial undertones, especially in the afternoons. To achieve balance, it is advised that you utilize cool-toned paints in your space to create a pleasing contrast over the warmth of the environment.

South-Facing Room

As the room that receives the most natural light throughout the day in a Philippine home, south-facing rooms are frequently the rooms that are the brightest and hottest. As a result, stay away from using warm colors to paint a room that faces south; you do not want to feel hot with the vibes of the home because of too much light over a long period of time. Choose colors with a chilly undertone as an alternative. Ideal colors are cool tones. The contrast it will create with the room will make it more neutral and will be helpful for you to apply the design concepts of your choice. To further shield your space from excessive direct sunlight, use blinds which are popular because of their low maintenance property compared to traditional curtains.

The Ideal House Orientation: Home Ventilation

Aside from the sun exposure of rooms inside the home, another thing to consider in-home orientation is its ventilation, especially in a tropical country that gets humid in warmer seasons. An excellent and well-ventilated house helps to cool the home and bring a natural breeze from the outside, creating a better atmosphere for the residence.

 Image from Arch Daily

The back of homes facing north often receives most of the building's direct sunlight. A house with a north orientation may stay more relaxed in the summer than one with a south orientation. North-facing residences might benefit from lower cooling expenses in warmer climes when summer temperatures soar.

Single-Sided Ventilation

An area primarily ventilated by wind entering one or more openings within a single external wall is referred to as having single-sided ventilation. It would be ideal to have top and bottom openings where some ventilation is still available on days with little or no wind. This will allow the space's convection currents to pull in the fresh air at the bottom and exhaust warm air through the top windows. Large vertical openings like horizontal sliding sash windows also work well.

Cross Ventilation

Cross ventilation is a natural method of cooling. This refers to unobstructed ventilation paths that cross your home's interior from one side to another. The system depends on the wind to bring cool outer air into the House, while the end window is a passage pushing warmer air outside. Modern natural ventilation systems support the stifling atmosphere leaving the space while increasing the flow of cool air flowing in. This automatically improves the airflow in the building.

Stack Ventilation

Inside a room, warm air naturally rises. By creating vents in the building envelope that are high, stack ventilation takes advantage of this phenomenon and allows warm, stagnant air to escape. The cool air that enters will force the warm air up and outward if there is a window or other opening in the top part of the same room or even on your roof. Usually, longer stacks will result in more airflow. A kitchen should have this kind of ventilation so that cooking odors don't remain inside your House for too long.

Regardless if you can do all these things, what matters the most is that the people residing at the House are comfortable and pleased with every inch of the House. Home Orientation and Home ventilation add comfort to your house, but making your house a more comfortable place by providing a comforting and loving family that supports each other is the warmest, coziest feeling of what a true home is.