Vastu Shastra Appendix B – Remedies & Retrofits for Tricky Homes (Practical Fixes)

First principles: how to “fix” without folklore fights

Function first, myth later: Vastu aims for clarity, light, air, hygiene, and order. If a remedy hurts these, it’s not a remedy.
Mitigate, don’t mutilate: You rarely need demolition. Start with light, ventilation, screening, zoning, weight distribution, and maintenance.
NE stays visually light; SW grounds weight: Within every room, not just the site, keep this bias.
Clean beats charm: No yantra can outwork a clogged drain, leaky sill, or greasy hood filter. Fix physics.
Measure impact: Prefer fewer, bigger wins (air, light, flow) over trinket scatter.

Remedy ladder: no-build → light-build → heavy-build

No-build (1–7 days): Clean/declutter, rearrange furniture, relocate storage weight to S/W walls, add sheers/blackout, portable screens, plants, rugs, stick-on seals, motion lights, charcoal deodorisers.
Light-build (1–4 weeks): Add doors/screens, swap window films, install exhausts/hoods, retrofit ducting, add linear drains, false ceilings to hide beams visually, pocket doors, shade devices, sound-sealing.
Heavy-build (design + contractors): Move kitchens/baths, regrade site, rebuild stairs, add light wells or ventilated shafts, waterproofing renewals, structural root barriers, boundary changes. Use only when physics demands.

South/South-West entry that feels heavy

No-build: Create a vestibule pause inside: console + rug + plant/screen so the door doesn’t stare into the whole house. Keep shoe mass enclosed on S/W wall; NE of the room visually light.
Light-build: Add a set-back or L-shaped entry path; use warm lighting (2700–3000K) and matte, grounded surfaces. Door closers + seals cut dust/noise.
Heavy-build: Re-hinge/swing to avoid direct line to living; carve a micro-lobby with a partial wall (not full block). If gate aligns with road arrow, bend approach with planting and a short wall.

Kitchen landed in the North-East

No-build: Keep NE of the room bright and decluttered; place hob on an East/South wall; sink toward North/East; hyper-hygiene and strong daylight.
Light-build: Upgrade to baffle chimney (800–1200 m³/h), real duct out; add make-up air. Move heavy pantry to South/West wall inside the kitchen.
Heavy-build: If smoke/grease invade the house, consider swapping with a utility/SE room. Where impossible, add a sliding screen to isolate during frying.

Center (Brahmasthana) clogged by stairs/toilet

No-build: Visual lighten: brighter ceiling, avoid storage piles under stairs; mirrors angled to bring light (no glare at eyes).
Light-build: Convert under-stair to open shelving/green niche instead of closed heavy storage; add skylight/tubelight or borrowed-light window from an adjacent room.
Heavy-build: If a toilet sits dead-center causing chronic damp/odor, relocate fixtures to a side bay; keep only a powder handwash with proper vent if center must host plumbing.

Bedroom or heavy wardrobes in North-East

No-build: Keep NE corner of the room visually light; move wardrobes to S/W wall; use pale fabrics and declutter ritual.
Light-build: Add blackout + sheer to control early glare; acoustic seals if streets face NE; move study to N/E side and bed to a solid S/W wall.
Heavy-build: If plan allows, swap with a lighter-use room (study/pooja). Where not possible, accept the room but discipline weight placement.

Beam over bed/dining/pooja

No-build: Shift the furniture 300–600 mm if possible; keep eye-line free of hard shadow.
Light-build: False ceiling/canopy to visually dissolve beam; wash light on the ceiling to soften the line.
Heavy-build: Structural changes only with an engineer. Never chip beams.

Toilet over kitchen / kitchen over toilet

No-build: Double-down on hygiene: sealed trap covers, regular flush discipline, exhaust on timers.
Light-build: Re-line wet areas with proper membranes; install floor drains with 1:80–1:100 slope; acoustic + odor seals at doors; upgrade vent stacks.
Heavy-build: If leaks are chronic, relocate fixtures or swap spaces at next renovation; move cookline away from the exact overlap if possible.

Awkward staircase (direction/placement/steepness)

No-build: Improve lighting (step lights at 150–300 mm), add non-slip nosing strips, and a continuous handrail at 850–900 mm; declutter landings.
Light-build: Correct riser consistency (150–170 mm) with overlay treads; install pocket door if a door fights the stair.
Heavy-build: Rebuild dogleg to landings; move stair from exact center if it blocks the home’s flow; ensure 2100 mm headroom clear.

Plot quirks: T-junctions, cut corners & odd shapes

No-build: Use hedges/trellis to soften direct road sightlines; place focal art/green inside so first view isn’t the street arrow.
Light-build: “Square off” missing corners with low walls/planters; choose one primary gate; the other becomes service/emergency.
Heavy-build: Keep the house plan rectangular; absorb odd setbacks into landscape; grade to keep water out; threshold drains at gates/garages.

Angry West sun & glare in living/dining

No-build: Sheers by day, blackout at peak glare; re-orient seating to face away from direct West.
Light-build: External shading: fins/awnings/pergola + creepers; low-E or reflective films (careful with mirror to neighbors).
Heavy-build: Add a verandah or deep overhang; re-configure openings; plant a deciduous shade tree at proper offset (mature canopy radius rule).

Noise, dust & smells from roads/neighbors

No-build: White-noise fans at night; door seals; charcoal sachets near shoe zones; close the perfume-war—clean first.
Light-build: Laminated/IGU windows with tight gaskets; double curtains (sheer + heavy); perimeter door seals and drop seals; plant dense hedges as green baffles.
Heavy-build: Double-skin boundary (solid wall + planting); relocate bedrooms away from the loud edge; decouple noisy pumps/gensets.

Dark cores, stale air & no cross-vent

No-build: Borrowed light: glass transoms, lighter paints, reflective but matte finishes; declutter heights.
Light-build: Add high louvers/vent blocks between rooms; install quiet exhausts with make-up air; tube skylights where roof allows.
Heavy-build: Cut a real light well/air shaft; re-hinge doors for cross-flow; consider a small HRV/ERV in sealed apartments.

Leaks, damp & mold that won’t quit

No-build: Dehumidifier in monsoon; constant exhaust in baths post-shower (timer 15–30 min); move furniture 25–50 mm off damp walls; silica/charcoal pouches.
Light-build: Re-seal window/door perimeters; add drip edges; re-grout and silicone wet joints; fix negative slopes at balcony thresholds; ensure trap seals (≥ 50 mm).
Heavy-build: Full waterproofing stack: membrane, flashing, screed slope, drain; French drains at perimeter; regrade soil away from plinth.

Rental-friendly remedies (no drilling drama)

Light & privacy: Tension-rod sheers/blackout; stick-on films; clip-on downlights; plug-in floor lamps.
Storage: Freestanding wardrobes on S/W walls of rooms; soft bins; under-bed drawers on wheels.
Noise/air: Door draft stoppers; adhesive seals; desktop air purifier; portable dehumidifier.
Kitchen: Counter-top induction for frying days; magnetic knife bars (if allowed) or freestanding blocks; charcoal near shoe/rubbish zones.
Zoning: Folding screens to claim entry/dining; rugs to define and soften.

Before/After remedy audit (18 points)

1) NE of each room reads visually lighter; S/W holds heavier storage.
2) Entry has a pause (console/rug/screen); first view is light/art/green.
3) Kitchen vented to exterior; make-up air present; grease doesn’t perfume bedrooms.
4) Wet zones slope to drains; trap seals intact; no standing damp.
5) Bedrooms: solid headboard wall; blackout + sheer; quiet door/window seals.
6) West glare controlled (external shade + interior sheers/blackout).
7) Stair safe: even risers, handrail, non-slip, step lights.
8) Beams visually softened or beds/tables shifted.
9) Noise mitigated: laminated glass or double curtains; door seals.
10) Dark core relieved: borrowed light/tubelight/exhaust path.
11) Shoe mass enclosed/vented; odors actually fixed, not perfumed.
12) Gate approach reads calm; no arrow-shot line of sight into home.
13) Site drains away from plinth; threshold drains where needed.
14) Electrical safety: RCD on kitchen/bath/entry chargers.
15) Fire readiness: extinguisher/blanket near kitchen/entry.
16) Visual clutter reduced: one big art, disciplined storage.
17) Cleaning rhythm set; quarterly purge on calendar.
18) The house feels easier to breathe, navigate, and maintain.

Short story: the house that stopped arguing

Priya and Kabir bought a pretty 2BHK that came with a SW entry, NE kitchen, and a center powder room that wheezed. Nights smelled like yesterday’s tadka; mornings began with keys playing hide-and-seek. We didn’t move walls. We created a 1.2 m vestibule inside the door—console, rug, plant—and sealed the door. The hob slid to the East wall with a baffle chimney ducted straight out; make-up air arrived via a small trickle vent by the window. The powder got a silent exhaust on a timer and a proper drop seal; a motion night light stopped 3 a.m. stumbles. West glare surrendered to a slim awning and sheers; the shoe mass hid in a vented cabinet on the living room’s S/W wall. Two weeks later the home smelled like breakfast only at breakfast, the entry felt like an invitation, and the center stopped wheezing.