Having stepped into one of your friends’ homes, feeling that the location of the door shouldn’t have been in that position? Your gut instinct may have served your right. If you go scouring the internet for keywords like “the best location for doors in a house” or even “where should doors be positioned”, you will be deluged with a plethora of web pages that contain varying answers to your inquiry. Halfway through your search, you will even come across similar content on the placement of windows, and in fact, there exists science-backed practice when it comes to adding these eye-catching, although essential, elements to a home.
Some cultures have gone beyond this by putting superstitious beliefs into the equation. Especially, of the Chinese – thought to have a rich history, culture, and tradition, being superstitious is one of the typical traits. The Chinese superstitions have their origins in ancient times, and they historically have led to high door sills or the prohibition of odd-numbered staircases in Chinese-own homes. The position of windows and doors in dwellings did not escape from the influence of the Chinese superstitions either.
Putting aside all the superstitious beliefs aside, we will only cover simple, easy-to-follow guidelines in this article. We will also attempt to provide logical and/or scientific explanations as we go along so as to clarify your doubt – in case there is any.
Positioning your doors
Nobody likes being in a stuffy room, especially with the feeling of wanting to dash out of the place for a gust of fresh air. As a general rule of thumb, placing internal doors and windows opposite each other ensures cross-ventilation between the rooms, giving an effective channel of airflow through the house. Having a sufficient flow of air through your house will definitely contribute to health-giving living as it also eliminates the presence of stale air that may promote the growth of bacteria and viruses that are harmful to your health and that of your family.
For your main door, you will have to consider the direction to which the front facade of your house faces. Aesthetically speaking, it should be positioned towards the center of the facade. Just picture your house with a center, vertical line dividing the front facade into two equal portions. The main door should be located close to the line and slightly further to either – this will depend on where the main door faces – the left or right. We will explain why you will have to consider the direction that your main door faces later under a new heading as it is directly tied up to the proper position of your front-facade window.
If your house has two main doors, you should opt for having these two doors – assume that you have a west-facing house – in the west and east walls respectively. Likewise, in the case where the front of your house faces north, place one of your doors in the north wall and the other in the south wall. This design will help with the circulation of air in your premise, ensuring a well-ventilated home that minimizes the possibility of the stagnation of air.
Positioning your windows
Bring up the picture again in your mind that shows the equally-divided front facade of your home. If you have an east-facing house, you should have a window on the north-east side – because the sun rises from the north-east and sets on the north-west – for the morning sunlight to get into the premise. Similarly, if the front facade faces north, it is preferable that you include more openings in the facade to have sunlight into your home throughout the day. You may have already realized how the proper location of a window in a front facade affects the placement of the main door. For an east-facing window, the main door should still be towards the center but slightly off to the north-west direction to give space for the window.
Try to have long and wide windows in the north-facing facade and have them face more towards the north-east; you can get beneficial, morning sunlight into your home with fresh air permeating the place. Particularly, windows that face south require a roof overhang to prevent the hot infrared rays of sunlight from entering into the home in summer but allow the winter sunlight to stream into the interior.
Doors and windows are essential elements in a home, and the proper placement of these ensures a well-ventilated space that promotes good health and comfortable living. Now, you have got an idea of how and where you should position your doors and windows. The next step that you may take is to get a new set of windows & doors for your home.