When it comes to buying a home, Spaniards tend to be much more demanding than other nationalities. They reject anything that does not meet their requirements: that is, the house must be a certain distance from the city or town where they work and live, they wonder what is the best orientation for the house, and they highly value the have a specific orientation, usually to the southwest to get the afternoon sun, and should not only be solid, but also offer privacy.
The transformation of Spain from an agrarian to an industrial society during the 19th century caused a large increase in population density in Spanish cities. As space was increasingly reduced in the large nuclei, and at an increasingly high price, a large flow of people began to leave the cities for the surrounding border areas, building new homes with backyards on land that used to be they had not urbanized.
Consequently, more and more Spanish buyers look at factors such as the size of the plot, orientation and distance to work, schools or public transport. The values given to these accessories vary throughout Spain: while a part of the population prefers houses that are close to everything they need (such as shops and schools), others prefer to have lots of green spaces around them.
How to know the orientation of the house
First of all, we must take into account the type of house, since there are houses with a single facade, there are 2, 3 or even 4, such as individual single-family homes.
In each case, it is necessary to assess which room faces each orientation, we may have cases in which the living room and kitchen face north and the rooms face south, or any type of mixture, so the home must be assessed globally .
To answer how to know the orientation of my house is simple, through applications such as Google Maps it is very easy, it is only about locating our home and locating the cardinal points, knowing that by default this application put north at the top and south at the bottom, of course.
Which is the best orientation for a house in Spain
Well in order to know which is the best orientation for a house we must assess different factors, both economic and other types, knowing that the characteristics of some orientations or others differ considerably.
Depending on the orientation of each room, the following factors will vary:
- The normal and more extreme temperatures to bear in the stay in the most extreme times of the year. That is, the rooms will suffer more or less heat in summer, or colder or less in winter depending on the orientation.
- Related to the previous one, the number of hours of sunshine that some rooms or others will receive, depending on the orientation, can vary drastically.
- The economic cost related to energy consumption varies enormously in the seasons of the year depending on the orientation.
Next we will see the 4 types of basic orientations, and you can configure your orientation yourself if it is a mixture of several of them, such as orientation of the house to the southeast or northeast.
Characteristics of houses with north orientation
There is one main room that should always face north, and that is the kitchen.The kitchen is the place in the house where we keep food, both outdoors and in cabinets or the refrigerator, and food in general is not very friendly to heat, and if we have a south-facing kitchen, we must protect that entrance from the sun as much as possible. possible so as not to jeopardize the preservation of these foods. If we also had the refrigerator or refrigerator with direct sun, it would work much more to be able to work with the right temperature. Of course, a winery should also preferably have this orientation, or better yet, underground, because a cool environment is necessary for its best operation.
Advantages of North orientation
- In summer: very mild temperatures and energy savings in air conditioning.
- Stays cool throughout the year.
- Perfect orientation for kitchen or cellar due to the need for fresh space.
- Savings (optional) in awnings, curtains, blinds or blinds to protect from the sun, especially in the most dangerous hours of summer.
- Perfect for certain plants that shy away from the sun.
Disadvantages of North orientation for home
- Stays that are not sunny and cold, especially in winter.
- Increase in heating costs on cold days and seasons.
- Increase in electricity costs by having less natural lighting.
- Orientation incompatible with the cultivation or planting of certain plants that need many hours of sun for their growth. Not a good choice for natural grass gardens as they will have a hard time surviving the harshest winter months.
- If you have space to put solar panels and save on electricity bills, you have to look for options because they must be placed oriented to the south.
Characteristics of the houses with facing to the South
The south orientation for the house is the most optimal for cold zones and areas such as the North of Spain because it is the orientation that provides more hours of sun per day.
It is also the most popular option when you like the sun a lot and many uses are sought for it, such as hanging clothes, sunbathing, natural grass gardens, less harsh winters…
Advantages of South orientation for a house
- Winters are lighter as the number of daylight hours offsets the low temperatures.
- This previous aspect causes a significant reduction in heating spending.
- The greater natural lighting causes 3 effects, one aesthetic, a room illuminated with natural light is more beautiful, another utility, it is better to work or carry out most activities with natural lighting than artificial, and third argument, the economic one, the savings in electricity for lighting consumption is very notable.
- Perfect orientation for gardens or plots with natural grass, since they do not withstand extreme cold climates well.
- Perfect for growing most vegetables that need the sun to grow.
- Perfect orientation to fully enjoy swimming pools.
Cons of South orientation for a house in Spain
- The midday hours of summer are very hot, leading to non-negotiable costs in awnings, curtains or blinds and a significant increase in electricity costs caused by the essential operation of the air conditioning.
- Certain rooms such as the kitchen or the cellar, if they have one, suffer with this orientation since it is necessary to protect them a lot from increases in temperature.
Characteristics of houses with east orientation
The east orientation for a house in Spain implies the incidence of the sun’s rays from dawn to approximately noon, which produces higher temperatures at this time and cooler hours in the evening and at night.
Although a kitchen should not be oriented towards the East either, there are others such as the living room that may be the perfect orientation, since it will receive sun in the hours of less power (morning), and will not receive it in the hours strongest (noon).
Advantages of East orientation in Spain
- In summer it has milder temperatures than the south orientation, but not as cool as the north.
- Perfect orientation for the living room due to the absence of sun rays in the central hours, which are the most extreme. Of course, in winter it can become a disadvantage.
- More is saved than in the other 2 orientations seen as neither summer nor winter are so extreme.
Disadvantages of East orientation for a house
- Orientation not recommended for a garden since when it is usually used more, at least on weekdays, which is in the afternoon, it can be too cold, although in the harshest summer it will be an advantage.
- Orientation not suitable for an office, since it is usually used more in the morning and the sun is not a friend of work activity, especially if you work with computers and screens, due to reflections.
- This orientation also entails spending on awnings or blinds since it receives sun for many hours in the morning.
Characteristics of houses with west orientation
Unlike the previous point, the west orientation receives the hours from noon to sunset.
Without being as sunny as the South orientations, they are also considerably sunny and are also highly requested for cold areas such as the North of Spain .
As it happened to the orientation towards the East, if our house is oriented to the West we will enjoy less extreme temperatures than in the orientations North and South.
It is a good location for offices and bedrooms in winter, though not so much in summer, as the afternoon sun is not the enemy of the habitual use of these rooms, not being good for living rooms and being less recommended but not incompatible for a kitchen either.
Advantages of West orientation
- Less extreme and more moderate temperatures throughout the year.
- This lack of extreme temperatures causes energy and economic savings both in summer and winter compared to other orientations.
- Good option for offices and bedrooms in winter.
Disadvantages of West orientation for home
- Summers are almost as harsh as in the south orientation, which entails spending on physical measures such as awnings or curtains and spending on air conditioning.
- Rooms should be sheltered in summer because nights can be hot, but in winter this is a great advantage.
At Site and Field we are experts in construction of luxury villas, and all kinds of homes in which, of course, we analyze in detail the location of each and every one of the rooms for optimal aesthetic, energy, economic and use performance. For any project you want, our technical engineers provide solutions, manage and execute according to the steps indicated for optimal execution of each project.
For more information info@siteandfield.com
