[quote=sdrealtor]Portions of my backyard face northeast. I turn my sprinklers off in the winter and it is still a frozen tundra/swamp. I would never buy this orientation again. I can pay to cool my house with A/C in the Summer but I cant buy sun in my backyard in December.
Like the dude says, it all depends upon what you like.[/quote]
I’m with you on this.
Personally, I like a ranch style home with the front facing the west and the back toward the east, but the backyard needs to be big enough so that the house doesn’t shade it too much (easier with a single story ranch, too). This way, the backyard can have a pretty decent southern exposure too, as long as there isn’t another house or tree blocking the southern sunlight. I’d put the garage on the northern side, because I like lots and lots of sunlight in the house.
