Short answer: An east facing plot is one of the easiest to plan in Vastu. Look for a square or rectangular site whose north-east corner is complete and whose land is higher in the south and west. Place the gate in the middle of the east wall, leaning towards the north-east, set the house towards the south-west, and leave more open space on the east and north.
Updated 8 November 2026
Is an east facing plot good as per Vastu?
Yes. The east belongs to the Sun, and a road on the east means the front of your plot stays open to the morning light for as long as the house stands. In Vastu that open east is linked with health, a good name and support from people in authority. Practically, it means a bright front room and a dry front yard after the monsoon.
That said, the road side is only one of six things I check on any plot. A badly sloped or cut east facing site is a worse buy than a well-shaped south facing one. The full list is on my plot buying checklist; this page applies it to the east facing case.
How to confirm the plot really faces east
Stand on the plot at its front edge, facing the road, and read the compass in the direction you are looking. A reading between roughly 80 and 100 degrees is true east. From about 100 to 125 the plot leans towards the south-east, and from about 125 to 145 it is really a south-east facing plot, which needs different advice.
Layout brochures round directions off generously. Take two or three readings away from parked cars, poles and steel gates, and use the average.
Shape and corners
- Square or rectangular is ideal. Most layout sites, 30×40, 30×50 or 40×60, are clean rectangles, which helps.
- A plot narrower at the east road and wider at the back, gaumukhi, suits a home.
- A plot wider at the road and narrower at the back, shermukhi, is usually kept for shops.
- The north-east corner should be complete. On an east facing plot the north-east sits at the front, beside the road, so check it carefully; a corner lost to a road curve or an electricity box is the first reason I ask a buyer to slow down.
- The south-west corner, at the back, should be complete too.
Slope and road level
The rule is the same for every plot: high in the south and west, low in the north and east, with rainwater leaving towards the north, east or north-east. On an east facing plot that is convenient, because the natural drain is towards the road.
| What you find on site | My reading |
|---|---|
| Land falls gently from the west boundary down to the east road | Ideal |
| Level plot, at or slightly above road level | Fine; set the slope during construction |
| Plot well below the east road | Water flows in during rain; a real problem regardless of Vastu |
| Land rising towards the east road, low at the back | The difficult case; needs grading and a careful look |
| Land falling towards the south-west corner | The case I take most seriously |
Roads around an east facing plot
| Road pattern | My view |
|---|---|
| East road only | Good, and the most common case |
| East and north roads, a north-east corner site | Usually the first pick in any layout |
| East and south roads, a south-east corner site | Workable; the gate and door positions need more care |
| A road running straight into the plot from the east | Often acceptable from the east or north-east |
| East facing plot at the closed end of a dead end | Less movement; I look at it more carefully |
Corner sites carry a premium in most layouts, so check which corner you are paying for before you pay it.
Where should the gate go on an east facing plot?
For the compound gate, divide the east wall into nine equal parts. The best stretch is the middle, leaning towards the north-east, the parts called Jayant and Mahendra. Avoid the south-east end of the wall. On a 30-foot frontage each part is a little over a metre, so the position needs to be marked on your actual measurements.
Many houses have a wide car gate and a small pedestrian gate. Put the one the family uses daily in the best stretch. Details on height, width and opening are on my main gate Vastu page.
Where should the house and the main door sit?
Push the building footprint towards the south-west of the plot, within the setbacks your sanctioned plan requires, so that more open space is left on the east and north. In Bengaluru the front setback is on the road side anyway, which suits an east facing plot well. Never build into a setback for Vastu’s sake.
For the main door of the house, the east wall is divided into eight parts instead. Jayanta and Indra, the third and fourth parts counted from the north-east corner, are best, with Surya and Satya next. The two parts at each end are the ones I steer people away from. The room layout that follows, with the kitchen in the south-east and the master bedroom in the south-west, is on my east facing house Vastu page.
The gate and the door do not need to line up. Each should sit in a good stretch of its own wall.
Sump, borewell, septic tank and trees
| Item | Where on an east facing plot | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Sump or borewell | North-east, north or east, in the front open space | South-west, centre, south-east |
| Overhead tank | South-west or west of the roof | North-east of the roof |
| Septic tank | North-west or west | North-east, south-west, centre |
| Car parking | North-east or north-west of the open space, kept light | A heavy shed in the north-east |
| Big trees | South or west boundary | The north-east, where they shade the front |
| Small garden, lawn | East and north-east | Tall planting on the east |
Keep the sump and the septic tank on different sides; my septic tank Vastu page explains why the north-west works.
What I check around the plot
- Tall buildings or a water tank right across the east road. They take away the morning light that makes this facing good.
- A temple directly facing the plot across the road, or sharing its wall.
- High-tension lines or a substation on the road side.
- An open drain or a garbage point at the east boundary.
- What the land was before: filled lake beds and low pockets are common on the city’s edge.
And always the papers first: title, approvals, encumbrance and setbacks. Vastu is the next filter after the lawyer, not the first.
Having an east facing plot checked before you buy
Send me the layout sketch with north marked, the location pin, and photos of each side and of the road. I check facing, shape, slope, roads, gate and door positions and the surroundings, and I tell you plainly whether to go ahead. My plot Vastu consultation page explains what I need, or book a plot review directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which corner of an east facing plot should be highest?
The south-west corner, at the back. The land should fall towards the east road and the north-east, so rainwater leaves from the front.
Where should the main gate be on an east facing plot?
In the middle of the east wall, leaning towards the north-east, in the Jayant or Mahendra parts of a nine-part division. Avoid the south-east end.
Is a south-east corner plot with an east road good?
It can be. The east road helps, but the gate and door must stay away from the south-east end, and I check the slope and the south-east corner more carefully.
Where should the sump be on an east facing plot?
In the north-east, north or east of the plot, usually in the front open space. Keep it away from the septic tank, which goes north-west or west.
Should I leave more open space on the east side of an east facing plot?
Yes, where the setback rules leave a choice. More open space on the east and north, with the building pushed towards the south-west, is the layout I prefer.
