Vastu Floor Plan Guide: The 9 Zones, Room Placement & a Free Score Checker
If you are building or renovating a home in India, someone in your family has already asked the question: "Is the plan Vastu compliant?" This guide explains exactly what that means — the nine zones, where each room belongs, the mistakes that appear in almost every builder floor plan — and shows you how to check your own plan's Vastu score online, free, in under five minutes.
What is a Vastu floor plan?
Vastu Shastra is the traditional Indian science of architecture — thousands of years old — that maps a building onto directions and natural elements. A Vastu floor plan is simply a layout where each room sits in the direction traditionally considered right for its function: fire-related rooms toward the fire corner, water toward the water corner, rest toward the earth corner.
Whether you follow Vastu as belief, as culture, or simply because your family and future buyers care about it, the practical reality in India is the same: a Vastu-compliant plan is easier to live with, easier to get family approval on, and easier to sell.
The 9 Vastu zones
Vastu divides any plot or floor into a 3×3 grid — nine zones, each with a direction, a governing element, and ideal uses:
| Zone | Hindi Name | Element | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
| North-East | ईशान (Ishan) | Water | Pooja room, water source, open space, entrance |
| East | पूर्व (Purva) | Air / Sun | Living room, entrance, windows, bathing area |
| South-East | आग्नेय (Agneya) | Fire | Kitchen, electrical equipment, inverter |
| North | उत्तर (Uttar) | Water / Wealth | Cash locker, office, living area, entrance |
| Centre | ब्रह्मस्थान (Brahmasthan) | Space | Open courtyard or lobby — keep light and free |
| South | दक्षिण (Dakshin) | Earth / Fire | Bedroom, storage, heavy furniture |
| North-West | वायव्य (Vayavya) | Air | Guest room, children's room, storage of moving goods |
| West | पश्चिम (Paschim) | Water / Earth | Dining, children's bedroom, study |
| South-West | नैऋत्य (Nairutya) | Earth | Master bedroom, heavy storage, wardrobe wall |
Room-by-room placement guide
Main entrance
Best: North, East, or North-East. These welcome morning light and are considered the most auspicious. Avoid: South-West entrances. If your plot forces a south entry, position the door in the more favourable segment of that wall — this is where a zone-by-zone check of your specific plan matters more than general rules.
Pooja room
Best: North-East (ईशान), the most sacred zone. The idol should ideally face West or East. Even in a small flat, dedicating the north-east corner of a room to the mandir follows the principle without needing a separate room.
Kitchen
Best: South-East (आग्नेय), the fire corner. Cook facing East. Acceptable: North-West. Avoid: the North-East — a kitchen here is the most cited defect in Vastu consultations.
Master bedroom
Best: South-West (नैऋत्य) — the earth corner, associated with stability and authority. Sleep with your head toward South or East. Children's and guest rooms fit better in the West and North-West.
Bathrooms & toilets
Best: North-West or the western side. Avoid: North-East and the centre. In apartments where plumbing is fixed, keeping the NE bathroom exceptionally clean and well-ventilated is the standard remedial advice.
Staircase & heavy storage
Best: South, West, or South-West — weight belongs in the earth zones. Avoid: a staircase in the Brahmasthan (centre).
Stop guessing — score your plan
Draw your floor plan in minutes and watch the Vastu score update live as you place each room. Free, in your browser, made for India.
Check My Vastu Score Free →5 common Vastu mistakes in Indian floor plans
- Kitchen in the North-East. Fire in the water corner — the single most common defect in builder flats.
- Toilet in the North-East or centre. Blocks the zone meant to stay purest and most open.
- Master bedroom in the North-East. Rest belongs in the South-West; the NE is for lightness and prayer.
- Heavy storage or staircase in the Brahmasthan. The centre should breathe.
- Underground water tank in the South-West. Water excavation belongs north-east; weight belongs south-west — this one is expensive to fix later, so check it at the plan stage.
How to check your floor plan's Vastu score — free
You could overlay a 3×3 grid on your plan and check each room against the table above by hand. Or you can let software do it:
- Open BlueprintIt — it runs in the browser, no download, and you can start as a guest.
- Enter your plot dimensions and drag rooms and furniture into place — the editor snaps everything to scale.
- Tap the 🕉️ Vastu button. The app divides your plan into the nine zones and shows a live compliance score with specific suggestions ("kitchen is in उत्तर — better placement: आग्नेय").
- Fix placements by dragging, watch the score climb, then share your score card on WhatsApp or download a full Vastu Compliance Report (PDF) to discuss with your architect or family.