VASTU ARTICLES

Doors and Windows

The doors and windows need a great attention. Besides outside settings and interiors too, there are several other aspects, which need consideration while planning and designing, and this is one of them.

There are some points that one should always consider before designing the doors and the windows.

The best thing is if the maximum number of doors and windows open in North and East sdes of the building as compared to the South and the West Side.
The main door should be the tallest and other doors should not be superior in size or in beauty to the main door. It is also written in Braunth Sanhita as:
"Mool Dwaaram Naanayyarabhisanthathi Roopdurya, Gatpal Patra Pramathibhishch Thanmadulau shrich nuyath"
Doors in all rooms should be of equal size but if want to make some bigger ones, then the doors in South and West side should be bigger than the North and the east side and not the other way.
The number of doors and windows in the house should be in even numbers like 2,4,6,8,etc.
While fixing the doorframes in an internal wall, it must be ensured that the doorframe is not fixed contiguous to the main wall of the house. At least a minimum of 4" pad should be built before fixing the doorframe to a lateral wall.
While fixing the doors and the windows, cross-ventilation should be taken care of. It is essential to fix doors and windows opposite to each other to have better light and air.
Doors should not be placed in the center of the wall; they should always be off centered.
If a house faces east, the entrance should be fixed towards East, so that the main door falls in the Northern half of that side. Such a door yields good results and is very auspicious.
If a house faces West, the entrance should be fixed towards West, so that the main door falls in the Northern half of that side.
When the house is north facing, the entrance should be fixed towards North, so that is falls in the eastern half of that side.
If the house is south facing, the entrance should be fixed towards North, so that the door falls in the Eastern half of that side.
Main entrance or the gates of the two houses opposite to each other should not open exactly towards each other.
For making doors and windows, as far as possible one type of wood should be used. Teak is the best wood for this purpose.
Irregular shaped doors or square doors are not recommended and are considered inauspicious. The door size should be in ratio of 2:1 in respect to height and width. The normal sized door is 7' X 3'.
Windows also should have symmetry in height through sizes of width may differ.
If only one door is to be fixed in a house, it must be fixed either Eastern or northern side of the building. If the house have two doors, they can be placed in North and South, in east and west, in East and North but never in South and West.
Placing doorways in the three directions except east are not auspicious. Avoiding a doorway in the South and keeping doorways in other directions are auspicious.
Main entrance should always have threshold or doorsill. The main entrance of a house is compared with the mouth of a human being. Just as the face has two eyes, a nose and a mouth, the main entrance of a house is supposed to possess windows on either side, or a sill or threshold below the doorway. The purpose of lips is served by the frame shutters, and the threshold. It is said that the threshold protects the household from perils, diseases and paves way for prosperity.
It is better to make the door consist of only one panel or shutter; or by joining three or five shutters. Frames can be four or maximum five in a door.
There should be no obstructions in front of main door such as rails, staircase, big trees etc. Opposite to it should not be a temple, lamppost or any kind of obstruction.
If there are more floors in a building, one door over another door brings poverty and financial crisis and this condition should be avoided.
One should take utmost care of several things like; if the door closes itself automatically, that will make the inmates lunatics; if the door closes itself, it will destroy the children; if it is oversized or under sized, it should be changed immediately.
If a door is making screeching sound while movement, such a door along with chowkhat should be replaced immediately.
It is better to have doors both at the beginning i.e. down below and at the end i.e. in the top of the staircase.

Entrance Door To the House

The entrance door should also be taken in consideration while the application of Vastu to your house. Entrance door should be in North, East or North East of the house. The entrance door size should always be larger than the other doors of the house.

Number of Entrances

Many houses may have more than one entrance on the frontage. Some rules however, have to be followed for providing these doors. If there is only one main entrance door to the house then more wealth is expected over other factors. If there are two doors in the entrance then a comfortable life for the inmates can be expected. If there are three doors than it is harmful to the residents. If more than three doors are provided as main entrance than it causes many problems.

Placement of Main Entrance Doors

One Door

If only one entrance is provided to the house, it should be placed in east or north for the best results. Doors in the west and south are not good/allowed, but these directions can be used for a entrance in commercial establishments.

Two Doors.

If a house has two doors than they can be in the following combinations:

East in combination with north and west.
West with north and East is allowed.
South and West Doors are not allowed.
South and East Doors are not allowed.

Three Doors

Three doors excluding the east is inauspicious.
Three doors excluding south is auspicious.
Three Doors excluding north is inauspicious.
Three doors excluding west is auspicious.

Four Doors
If the house is aligned to the magnetic orientation than keeping the door in all the 4 directions is very auspicious.

Inner Doors

Height of the doors should be at least 7'-0", and with of the door should be at lea st3'-6".

Number of Doors

The number of doors within the house should be even in count, but not ten or multiples of eight. There are several rules to be noted before counting all ten doors within the house. the main gate or the doors in the outhouse are not counted with doors in the house. It is to be noted than two flanged doors are counted as one door. Entrance may without doors but if they are covered overhead to form a enclosed passage, than they are counted as doors. Doors to partitions within the house which do not touch the ceiling are not counted as doors. Following is the explanation of number of doors in the house and their effect:

2 Doors	Auspicious
3 Doors	Cause Enmity
4 Doors	Cause Extended Life
5 Doors	Disease
6 Doors	Good Child Bearing
7 Doors	Death
8 Doors	Growth of Wealth
9 Doors	Disease
10 Doors	Robbery
11 Doors	Destruction of the good
12 Doors	Growth of Business
13 Doors	Lowers the man's life span
14 Doors	Increase in Wealth
15 Doors	Destruction of the good

Designing the Doors

Vastu allows decoration and carving on the main entrance and other doors, but has some rules to be strictly followed for the same:

Lakshami seated on lotus with elephants is good to be used on doors.
Traditional guard images can be carved.
The gods of wealth emitting coins can be used for decoration.
Kul Devta, the family deity can adorn the door.
Birds like parrots, peacocks, swans images are good to be used on doors
Nature paintings etc.
Pictures or Sculptures of war scans etc. are not allowed.

One should keep in mind that any god images etc. should not be used on the outer side of the door as it may lead to poverty and other problems.

Interior Design of Door

A door is a hinged, sliding or folding barrier of wood, metal, glass for opening and closing an entrance to a building or room. But now the definition for the doors has changed as first impressions are the lasting ones and the front entry makes a statement about the house. It is something that we pass through million times in our lives, from day we enter this world to day we leave, it. The most utilitarian of architectural elements, the DOOR is undoubtedly the most influential. Whether it is for light, warmth, ventilation, access or a view, a well-planned door can have a dramatic impact on your living space.

Door dimensions vary from region to region depending on the context to it's usage. The primary purpose of the door was to defend, today we have a panorama of door designs.

Designers must deliver highly detailed, beautiful and imaginative doors. The responsibility of the designer does not stop at creating a appealing thing, but it must also extend to create a sensory experience from the door knobs to each and element used in there.

We can categorize the doors in seven different categories, each of them is discussed below.

Entry doors: The front door is usually the most eye catching feature of a house. The entrance doors should need to be in relation to the style of their surroundings. Whether viewed from inside or outside, they become an integral part of a home's design. They can vary from modern glass door to gothic style, from multi panelled to arched door.

Interior doors: Interior doors help to connect rooms and sometime it varies from simple flush door to traditional and glass doors. Interior doors need not be impenetrable barriers, frosted or bevelled glass doors allow the sunshine to come yet seal off the noise and the view.

Glass doors: A glass door design should reflect the sensuous sophistication and detailed elegance. Decorative glass is a very good option to door units. Whether it is stained, beveled, etched, mirrored, painted or sand blasted, they can turn the door into a work of art. The patterned glass panels diffuse the light and fill the room with a bright but less intense glow.

Metal doors: These doors are impressive for their intricate and bold surfaces. They can withstand hard use in both interior and exterior application. Copper, bronze, brass and pewter are the metals finishes for the door.

Carved doors: In classically designer houses, the door is treated as a showpiece, thus carved decorations are seen here. With these doors, elegance and permanence are a reality, not just a façade. These highly ornamented carved wooden panels are originally intended for a grand house.

Paneled doors: These doors can be elaborately molded and exuberantly carved, painted and glided. These doors cope well with most weather conditions and need virtually no maintenance. In these doors, a distinct impact is created through fine joinery and sensitive use of material and design.

French doors: French or sliding doors help link living space and garden while doubling as view walls. A sense of accessibility is always achieved through these doors.

Windows: Windows in the house provide us with fresh and light to enjoy our life with. All the windows should be on the exterior walls of the house and not opening within the rooms. All the windows bigger in size should be in the north-east and smaller window should be in the south-west. The number of windows in the house should be in even numbers (when counted in total), and not in the multiples of 10.

Sun Shades The slopes of all sunshades constructed above doors and windows should be towards the north-east, so that the rain water must flow from south-west to north-east.