The short answer
Read Vastu from your own unit: the unit door is the main door and the centre is the centre of the unit. Take true north from the building's key plan or the satellite view, not from the street grid or the top of the page. Toronto's grid is turned about 16° west of north and Brampton's about 44°, and a compass is 10° to 15° off. Mirrored units on the same floor read differently, so check each one.
In a condo, the unit is the home
Classical Vastu reads a home from its centre and its main entrance. In a condo that means your own unit, not the whole tower: the outline of the suite, its centre point, and the door you open from the corridor. The lobby, the elevators and the other units do not change your reading.
This is good news for buyers. Two units in the same building can read very differently, and you can choose between them on paper before you sign.
| Room in the unit | Classical Vastu preference | What to look for on a condo plan |
|---|---|---|
| Unit door | North, north-east or east is traditionally preferred; every direction has better and weaker door positions (padas) | Where the corridor door sits on the unit outline |
| Kitchen | South-east; north-west is the usual second choice | Open-concept kitchens along one wall: note which corner of the unit that wall is in |
| Primary bedroom | South-west | The bedroom furthest from the door in many layouts; check it is not in the north-east |
| Living room and balcony | North, north-east or east | The window wall and balcony side, often the "exposure" in the listing |
| Bathrooms and ensuites | North-west or west; north-east is traditionally avoided | Inside bathrooms with no window are common; their zone still counts |
| Den or office | North, north-east or east | A den without a window can still sit in a good zone for work |
Which "north" to trust on a Canadian condo plan
There are three different norths on a condo purchase, and only one is right for Vastu.
- The street grid. People call Yonge Street "north", but the City of Toronto's own planning documents say the street grid is generally rotated about 16° west of north. In Brampton and much of Mississauga the old survey lines along Hurontario Street run at a bearing of about N 44° W, almost half a Vastu zone. A plan drawn "square to the street" can be badly off.
- The compass. A magnetic compass in Canada is also off true north, by about 10° in the GTA and about 15° in Vancouver.
- True north. This is the one Vastu uses. Get it from the building's key plan or site plan, which usually has a north arrow, and check it against the satellite view of the building.
| City | A compass needle points |
|---|---|
| Toronto | 10.1° west of true north |
| Brampton | 9.9° west of true north |
| Mississauga | 10.0° west of true north |
| Ottawa | 12.6° west of true north |
| Montréal | 13.6° west of true north |
| Calgary | 13.3° east of true north |
| Edmonton | 13.5° east of true north |
| Vancouver | 15.4° east of true north |
| Surrey | 15.3° east of true north |
From the World Magnetic Model (WMM-2025) for late 2026, the same model the free score uses.
Have the floor plan? Check it now: the score uses true north for your city.
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Exposure is not the same as facing
Condo listings describe a unit by its exposure, such as "south exposure": the side the windows and the balcony look out to. Vastu reads the unit door and the position of each room around the centre. A south-exposure unit can have its door on the north side, from the corridor.
Both still matter in their own way: the exposure tells you the light and the sun, which the report shows separately as plain sun facts, while the Vastu reading comes from the zones.
Mirrored and stacked units: check each one
- Stacked units (the same suite on different floors) share the same layout and the same directions, so they read the same for Vastu. The floor changes the view and the light, not the zones.
- Mirrored units on either side of a corridor are flipped left to right. A kitchen in the south-east of one can end up in the south-west of its mirror. Always check the exact unit number, not just the model name.
- Corner units have two exposures and often a different door position. Read them on their own.
Fixes that fit condo rules
Condo buyers rarely can, or want to, move walls. The report keeps to what you can change inside your unit: where the bed, desk and dining table go, what is kept in the centre, colours, lighting and simple placements. Fixes that would need building work are marked "If renovating", so the condo corporation's rules rarely get in the way.
How to check units before you sign
- Get the floor plan of each unit you are considering and the building's key plan or site plan.
- Mark true north on each plan from the key plan or the satellite view.
- Upload each plan, choose your city (the compass correction is applied for you) and confirm the rooms.
- Choosing between 2 or 3 units? Use Compare 2–3 homes to see them side by side; the comparison is free.
Questions people ask
Does Vastu apply to a condo?
Yes. Vastu reads a home from its centre and its main door, and in a condo that is your own unit: its outline, its centre and the door from the corridor. The rest of the building does not change your reading.
Which way is north in Toronto?
True north is not the direction of Yonge Street. The City of Toronto describes its street grid as rotated about 16 degrees west of north, and a compass in Toronto points about 10 degrees west of true north. Use the north arrow on the building's key plan, checked against the satellite view.
Is Brampton's street grid aligned with north?
No. Survey plans in Brampton give the lot lines along Hurontario Street a bearing of about North 44 degrees West, so a plan drawn square to the street can be off by almost half a Vastu zone. Take north from the key plan or the satellite view.
Is a south-exposure condo bad for Vastu?
Not by itself. Exposure is the side the windows face. Vastu reads the unit door and the zone of each room around the centre, so a south-exposure unit can still have a good layout.
Do two units with the same model name have the same Vastu?
Only if they are stacked, with the same layout and orientation on different floors. A mirrored unit is flipped left to right, so its rooms fall in different zones. Check the exact unit.
Ready to check a home in Canada?
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Related
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.