“A north to northeast facing backyard could easily be unusable frozen tundra for much of the year”
Our yard faces north and I love it so far after 7 months in it. We have a relatively big yard with the patio area extending ~25 ft from the house. So the grass still gets plenty of sun during the day. Our vegetable garden is further in the back away from the house so it gets to enjoy the sun most of the day too. And I love the fact that we’re NOT baked in the sun ALL day like our southfacing neighbors across the street. I can actually send the kids out to play in the yard after noon without having to worry about sunburn.
Even though you’re right that the north facing yard can get a bit cold in the winter, I would rather take this than send the kids out to play in a south facing yard under the harsh San Diego winter sun.