Vastu checklist for your home
A home Vastu checklist is a short list of placements to compare with the traditional table: entrance, kitchen, master bedroom, toilets, pooja room, staircase and the open centre. Work through it with a plan and a compass, tick what matches and note what does not. The list reflects what texts commonly say, and traditions differ.
2 min read ·
How do I use a home Vastu checklist?
To use the checklist, get a floor plan and find North on it, then compare each room with the table below. If the plan has no North marking, stand in the home with a compass app on your phone and mark it yourself. Most of the checks below depend on getting North right.
| Item | Preferred | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Main entrance | North, north-east, east | South-west, south-east, south |
| Kitchen stove | South-east | North-east, south-west, north |
| Master bedroom | South-west | North-east, south-east |
| Toilet | North-west, west-north-west, east-south-east | North-east, south-west, centre |
| Pooja room | North-east, north, east | South-west, south |
| Staircase | South-west, south, west | North-east, centre |
What should a home Vastu checklist include?
A checklist covers the entrance, kitchen stove, master bedroom, toilets, pooja room, staircase and the open centre of the home.
- Main entrance: north, north-east or east is preferred; west is acceptable.
- Kitchen stove: south-east is preferred; north-west is acceptable.
- Master bedroom: south-west is preferred; north-west is acceptable.
- Toilets: north-west, west-north-west or east-south-east are preferred; avoid north-east, south-west and the centre.
- Pooja room: north-east, north or east; not in a bedroom or under a staircase.
- Staircase: south-west, south or west; avoid north-east and the centre.
- Centre of the home: open, light and uncluttered.
What should I check inside each room?
Inside each room, many practitioners check the way the cook faces, the sleeping direction, any mirror facing the bed and the direction of worship in a pooja room. Cook facing east, sleep with your head to the south or east, and keep a mirror from facing the bed. In a pooja room the person worships facing east or north.
Treat the room-level points as lower priority than where the room sits. Good daylight and fresh air suit any home, and they cost nothing to check.
How do I read the result of the checklist?
Read the result by sorting each finding as preferred, acceptable, not preferred or avoided, since the texts treat them differently. Note which findings are in an avoided direction and which are merely not preferred, since the texts treat them differently. Then decide what is easy to change inside the rooms and what is not worth changing.
If a room does not match
These need no building work.
- Write down every mismatch and mark which ones sit in an avoided direction.
- Fix the movable ones first: bed position, desk, shelf, the stove's spot in the kitchen.
- Clear the entrance and the centre of clutter and open the windows.
- Before any structural change, ask a qualified architect or engineer and the local authority.
In VastuLive
VastuLive runs this comparison for you from your floor plan. It asks you to confirm rooms and North when it is unsure, then gives a finding for each room with the rule behind it, and you can export the report as a PDF.
See how the app worksQuestions
How long does a home check take?
With a plan in hand, working through the checklist by eye usually takes a short sitting. Finding North correctly is the step that deserves care, since most of the checks depend on it. Traditions differ in detail, so treat the result as common guidance and not a verdict.
Should I use this checklist before buying?
Yes, it is a reasonable first screen for a floor plan. It shows how the layout matches tradition, and traditions differ. Combine it with the usual checks on legal title, structure and location, and ask a qualified architect or engineer about anything structural before you decide.
What if my plan has no North marking?
Stand in the home with a compass app on your phone and mark North on the plan before you check anything, since most of the checks depend on it. If the reading looks surprising, take it again in another spot before relying on it. Without North, the directions on the checklist cannot be placed.
Keep reading
Based on traditional Vastu texts and practice. Traditions differ, and nothing here promises a result. For structural, legal or safety questions, ask a qualified architect or engineer.