South, no doubt in my mind. The light coming in to your living area year round will be much better. Some solar gain in the winter, hopefully not much heat in the summer.

I viewed several units quite a few years ago and I think I liked the afternoon light on that side of the building best. I wasn't sure what it would be like earlier in the day. I am currently in a townhouse style middle condo and have windows only facing east and west.

South or west

South is nice but can get hot. Are you around more in the morning or in the evening? If more in the morning I would pick east for the morning sun but if you are around more in the evening I would pick west for the evening sunsets.

Do you have buildings in the way in any of the directions that may block your sun? What are the actual views like out of any of the windows or is that a consideration. Could any building be built in the future that may block views or sunlight in any of the directions.

In the city where I live people will often pick north because you get a gorgeous view of the mountains.

I would maximize sun and put up window treatments when/where necessary. (My kid was wearing swim goggles at breakfast the other day due to too much sun--I guess window treatments for excessive sun are never truly necessary!)

I do think the concerns BLFenton described are worthwhile. What exactly IS out there and what MIGHT be out there in the future? They can't be exactly identical!

I am retired so am home a lot throughout the day. This is a 10-storey building, sort of on a hill. I am hoping to get as high up in the building as possible. Right now, probably somewhere in the 5th-8th floor.

Views to the east are of the downtown area (off in the distance but with a view of the state capitol building). Closer to the building itself on this side is a shopping area, restaurants, movie theater.

There are lake views to the north but pretty limited and there could be some construction in the future, although there is also a golf course in that direction which will limit construction.

There is an office building that is getting ready to start on construction across the street looking west. I don't recall right now how tall but it will be a pretty large building. The current views to the west are my least favorite but still not terrible. Not sure how much impact the new construction will have. It sort of depends on how close to the street they build, how high, etc.

Views to the south are residential, single family homes that have nice yards (so lots of green), a couple of parks. Potential for some close construction in the future. The impact would again be how high the new construction is. If I'm on a high enough floor, it may be minimal since (as mentioned above) the condo building is sort of at the top of a hill.

All other things being equal, in a cold climate I would choose a southern exposure.

I'd say south or east. West can get very bright and hot in the afternoon sun requiring blinds to be closed. I like my windows uncovered as much as possible.

As much as I like sunsets. if I were going to have windows in only one direction, it would probably not be west. Our family and breakfast rooms face west and the sun is so harsh -- we heat up in the summer and get terrible glare and low angled sun in the winter. In your case, the construction would be one more reason to avoid the west -- noise and fishbowl feeling both during and after onstruction.

From what you are describing, I'd probably like the southern exposure for the green and residential, but the the northern views sound like they could be nice. CIty view and state capitol could be nice too. The particular location is going to have some bearing too -- but which most interests you or will make you smile and relax when you gaze out?

One thing not mentioned yet -- do you like watching approaching weather or would you rather feel more sheltered? I like watching the cloud formations and movements, so that might be a factor for me.

I live in a generally mild and sunny climate and I love my eastern exposure the best. West is out because it can be brutal in the summer afternoon. North doesn't have enough oomph on its own although it can provide a lot of light from adjacent buildings bouncing their southern light.

I love mornings. I love the early morning light from the east. Right now it's 1 p.m. and I'm still getting bright light through my kitchen's east-facing window.

Second choice would be south, probably the most useful light. But oh, the light from the east.

I'm in a cool climate and even here large windows on the W side mean higher energy bills. My former home was almost all glass on the west...those windows got every strike of winter storm (close to the ocean), and summer/early fall afternoon heat. Protecting furniture, lampshades from ongoing sun damage in living and dining rooms took some thought and attention.

Here, my largest windows face E, SE (run of 27' floor to ceiling in my living room). I have just a few weeks where low winter morning sun might touch furniture when leaves are off trees (and we don't have a lot of winter sun to begin with, mostly clouds). But what about you, would you be happy if your most prominent view would be of downtown skyline and capital building?

We face east and west right now and I absolutely hate the west with all the sun, would be nice in the winter but the sun fades everything unless I semi close the shutters. I prefer north and south.

I'm not familiar with cold climates, but my choice is always north, as I like to limit direct sun. Second choice would be east, as morning sun is more likely to be tempered by clouds - at least where I have lived.

Artists tend to prefer north windows, as direct sun light can be distracting. We have north windows in our art studio; I have SE and SW windows in my bedroom (house is on a 45° angle from true north), and I have to keep my drapes closed much of the time - or at least my blinds, and so the view that I have (of my back yard) does not even matter that much.

Definitely south...I'd want to capture as much solar gain as possible, esp in the winter months

I would say South too.

In Wisconsin I would do South for sure. Even for resale value I'd bet more people in your town would want Southern exposure. Especially with what you have mentioned about the views

If you're a morning person, east. Otherwise, south.

I'm in the south, so light is different here. West-facing is the worst for afternoon heat and glare here in the summer. In the morning, my dog and I head for the east sunroom due to the splendid light.

I'm in the southeast (Atlanta area) and my cubicle at work is on the 5th floor by a south facing window. During the winter, it gets extremely warm/ hot after about 1pm due to the lower angle of the sun, even when we shut all of the blinds. I would go for the direction that has the nicest views (now and in the future). Based solely on direction, I would probably go for east or north

East. I love the morning sun streaming in.

Even in S FL condos south facing units are the most expensive because they get the sun in the winter when things are cool and have shade in the summer when the sun is brutal.

Because you are in Wisconsin, I would pick south. I live in IL and am most appreciative of the windows (with sunshine & warmth) on the south side of my house.

In Wisconsin? South, south and south.

I like the light spectrum best that comes from the south.

If one of the views faces a lake (Mendota?), I'd go for that. Love a view of water.

I would pick south because I love a sunny room. You can always pull the drape or shade, but you can't make sun. Is it possible for you to go visit these condos or buildings nearby to see/feel the light/view in person?

The beauty of southern exposure is, in the winter, when you want the sun, it is low in the sky and more light comes in. In the summer when you don't want the heat, the sun is high in the sky and little comes in. A western view is hot all year as the sun always pours in in the afternoon.

We have our house oriented to the south and in the winter the sunlight reaches 12-14' into the rooms. In the summer, it barely skims the window sill.

Thanks to everyone for your perspectives. The home I am in right now was my first home purchase. I was in my 40s before I was able to buy a home but made some errors, in retrospect, so I want to be very careful and weigh my options before making another purchase. I just turned 60 so I won't be making another move after this one.

I looked at units in this building a little over five years ago and the southern exposure appealed to me then. I'm looking forward to taking another look at the different units and will pay closer attention to lighting vs. views to see what jumps out at me but it really does help having other opinions from all of you.

If I do purchase one, I will have the option of an unfinished unit where the walls and everything except finishes (cabinets, flooring, etc.) are already installed or an "empty box" where I can have input on the actual interior design, as well as finishes. A lot will depend on what I can afford but I'm really hoping to do the empty box.

In either case, I will certainly be coming here for advice!

Try to visit an apartment with the city view at night. My sister-in-law lived in a high rise in center city Phila. once. I don't know what direction it faced because I was only there at night, but the city lights were quite dramatic at night. Her condo had those floor to ceiling windows on one side for her living/dining room and master bedroom. Really cool, sort of comforting too, to have that view in a bedroom at night. A friend in the same building had a luncheon bridal shower for my s-i-l. I think it might have been sometime in April. Her apartment faced south. Nice and bright but very warm. Much warmer than the outdoor temp. I would have had to put the ac on if it were my place.

We were trapped in a north facing condo for a year while they redid our house. I called it the bunker. Hated it. One day the guy across the hall was coming out of his south facing condo. It was sun-filled and bright and happy and joyous and basically everything ours wasn't. I would never purchase a north facing condo unless I lived somewhere that was blazingly hot more than 9 months of the year.

East or south in your location.

I spent 4 yrs living in a west facing condo on the 15th floor in Chicago. My a/c bills in the summer were really high because of the sun/heat coming in through those windows.

@ jmc101z5, am also in Chgo - you mean the 2 months of "summer" we get? My heating bills far exceed my AC costs.

:-)

I guess it might depend on how many sunny days per year that you have. We hardly ever have two overcast days in a row, but I do remember a lack of sun when I visited Seattle and Vancouver. I probably would want southern or eastern exposure there, but I do like cloudy days, as the sun get monotonous. I grew up in Texas, and there was abundant sunshine there as well, and the heat was unbearable.

What is or will be across the street? DMIL has southern and western exposure north of Toronto, loves it. But now a high rise condo is going up across the street. She'll still get the winters light, and the view is quite as obstructed as we feared.

Light can be controlled, I would want the direction that the winds typically blow in. My favorite thing to do is open the windows and feel the cool breeze!

No, melon, I mean July- Oct.. Sun coming in through glass is hot.

North -- it's easier to control interior temps and your floors/carpets/furniture won't fade nearly as badly.

Well, pugga, from the responses, I guess you'll just have to spring for the penthouse and have it all!

Ha, bpathome! Wouldn't that be wonderful?

i would prefer southern exposure, but i think i would probably make my choice based on the view ... if there is a good possibility for another high rise constructed nearby to the south, i would probably choose east or even north, based on which i preferred- i wouldn't want to be looking out at another highrise or office buildings...

I would say anything but west. My house faces west. We get pounded by the sun all afternoon til sundown. Our LR can be 15 degrees hotter than any other room.

I think I would choose east for the sunrises. South would be my second choice. But like others said, depends on the view.

Anyway except face up and six foot under. HaHa!

I love the morning sun except in my kitchen because it is so blinding. I can't see to work at the sink until the sun is high enough in the sky. East or South would be my choice however if I was a working woman I would want to live east of where I work so the sun wouldn't be in my eyes on the way to and from work...ask me how I know.

Holly-Kay, you mentioned a good point, if someone still has a daily work commute. I'd forgotten how much I hated the drive to and from work. Even with sun glasses on and sun visor down, I often had to drive one handed, down a particular road, in order to shield my face from the blinding sun. It wasn't ideal, but I figured one handed driving was safer than trying to drive without being able to keep my eyes open, lol! But I'd always want the exposure for my home that offers the most light in rooms that I spend most daylight hours in, especially in Wisconsin, where you aren't going to suffer extremely hot summers.

Definitely south, then west. I need light as much as possible.

For me, it would depend on where the windows are located and what time of day will you be there the most. When building our home, I took that into consideration as to where The sofa, chairs and tv would be placed. I didn't want the sun blinding me when sitting or shining out the tv. We are retired and spend a lot of time in the house, so for me being "sun blinded" was a factor.

In your case, my first choice would be east, because I think the capital building is beautiful and no chance of construction blocking your view. Second choice would be south, because south facing windows bring in so much light. The brightest room in my house is my son's room in the basement, because he has a big window facing south.

More important to me is dining room not facing a driveway or road.