Vastu for Balconies, Decks and Outdoor Space

Vastu keeps open space lighter on the north and east and mass heavier on the south and west, which covers balconies, decks, patios, gardens and pools. A north or east balcony reads well if it stays open, a pool reads best in the north or north-east, and an outdoor kitchen belongs in the south-east.

Outdoor space is the part of the plan clients think Vastu has nothing to say about, and it is one of the easiest places to get a favourable arrangement, because almost nothing outdoors is structural. A pergola moves. A pool does not, which is why it is worth reading before it is dug.

The short answer

Open, lighter, lower space reads best on the north and the east sides, and mass reads best on the south and the west. That single rule covers balconies, decks, patios, gardens and pools. A balcony or terrace on the north or east side of a home suits the plan. A heavy pergola, a shed or dense tree cover on the south or west side does the same from the other direction.

Balconies and terraces

A balcony on the north or east reads best, and one on the north-east is the most favoured of all provided it is kept open rather than turned into storage. That last point is where the guidance usually breaks in practice. A north-east balcony enclosed and filled with a washing machine, boxes and a drying rack has stopped being open space, and we read what is there rather than what the plan drawing intended.

A balcony on the south-west is read more carefully, since the plan wants weight in that zone rather than a void cut into it. It is not a fault to lose sleep over in an apartment, and in a house it is worth knowing about before the extension is designed. Apartment specifics are covered further in our piece on Vastu for flats and apartments.

Practical points

• Keep the north-east balcony or deck light in every sense, in what stands on it and in how enclosed it becomes.
• Where heavy planters or storage are unavoidable, put them on the southern or western edge.
• An enclosed balcony converted into a room is read as a room, not as open space.
• A roof terrace holding a heavy tank or equipment is read as load, which is covered in water tanks and household utilities.

Decks and patios

American homes have far more outdoor floor area than Indian apartments, so the reading has more to work with. A deck or patio off the north or east side of the house extends the lighter zones and reads well. A large covered structure on the south or west sits comfortably too, because there the mass is welcome.

The arrangement that needs care is a very large raised deck taking the whole north-east side while the south-west is left open lawn, which inverts the balance the plan wants. That is a real finding rather than a technicality, and on a property being landscaped it is usually solvable on the drawing.

Gardens and planting

Keep the north and east lighter, with lawn, low planting and open sight lines. Put the taller trees, the dense hedging and the shed on the south and west, where they also happen to do the most good against afternoon sun. Classical guidance and practical landscaping agree here more often than they disagree.

The zone to keep clear is the north-east corner of the plot. A large tree, a shed or a heap of stored material there is the most common outdoor finding we hand over. A dead or dying tree close to the house is read as a fault wherever it stands.

Swimming pools and water features

A pool is stored water at ground level, so it reads best in the north, the north-east or the east of the plot. The south-west is the position read most carefully, because it puts a large void and a body of water where the plan wants settled mass. The south-east is treated carefully too, being the fire zone.

Pools are also the least forgiving outdoor decision, since almost nothing about them can be adjusted once excavated. Where a client is planning one, a floor plan review covering the site is the cheapest form this advice ever takes. Smaller water features follow the same logic and are easy to reposition.

Outdoor kitchens and fire pits

A grill, an outdoor kitchen or a fire pit is a fire element, so the south-east is the zone that suits it, with the north-east the one to avoid. This is straightforward and it is also one of the easiest things to arrange, because an outdoor kitchen is usually placed on a drawing months before it is built. Indoor cooking placement is covered separately in kitchen direction as per Vastu.

Having the property read

We assess properties in the United States online by video call from our offices in India, working from the floor plan and the compass bearings you send us. Vastu consultation, Vedic astrology and kundali, muhurat, tarot card reading, Akashic Records reading and numerology are all available online by video call. Reiki and sound healing are conducted in person only, at our Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and Pune offices, and are not available remotely. Dowsing requires attending the property and cannot be conducted remotely either.

If you are landscaping, adding a deck or planning a pool and want the site read alongside the house, see our residential Vastu consultation, our Vastu consultant services for the USA, or what a Vastu consultant does.