A bagua map on a rectangular house is the simplest case in feng shui: you stretch the nine-square grid to fit the rectangle, rather than forcing it into equal squares, and line up its bottom row with the wall containing the front door. The real questions are which floor plan to use, where the outline actually ends, and how to treat later extensions.

If you have a plan in front of you and are unsure where a line should go, you can send it to us with your question.

Why a rectangular house is the easiest bagua map to draw

The bagua divides a home into nine areas, each linked to a life theme: career, knowledge, family, wealth, fame, relationships, children and creativity, helpful people and travel, with health and balance at the centre. A rectangle has no missing corners, so all nine areas are present and complete. Many detached and semi-detached houses, bungalows and purpose-built flats are close to rectangular, which makes them a good place to learn the method.

If your home has an L-shape, outrigger or bay that complicates things, our main feng shui bagua map guide covers irregular plans. This article stays with the rectangle and the practical steps of drawing on it.

Drawing the bagua map on your floor plan, step by step

Get a floor plan to scale. An estate agent's plan is a starting point; a survey or architect's drawing is better.
Trace the outer walls of the ground floor as a single outline, ignoring internal walls.
Decide what belongs inside the outline (see below).
Measure the length and width, divide each by three, and draw two lines in each direction.
Turn the plan so the wall with the front door is at the bottom, and label the nine areas.

Which floor plan to use

Use the floor where the main entrance is, usually the ground floor. The same grid is then carried up to the other floors, aligned with the walls directly above.

Finding the true outline

Include rooms that are fully enclosed and heated, such as a kitchen extension or a converted garage you live in. Leave out an unheated lean-to, a carport, a separate outbuilding and an open patio. An integral garage that is only used for storage is often treated as part of the outline but given less weight; practitioners vary on this.

Dividing the rectangle into nine

Divide the rectangle by its own proportions, so a long house gives nine long, thin sections rather than nine squares. Laying a printed square bagua template over a long plan is a common mistake at this step.

Door on the long side or the short side

The same rectangle reads differently depending on which wall the front door sits in.

Wide, shallow houses

When the door sits in the long wall, as in many detached houses and bungalows, the bottom row of the grid is long and the areas are wide and shallow. Rooms at the front fall into career, knowledge and helpful people; the rear rooms take wealth, fame and relationships.

Deep, narrow houses

Terraces and many town houses are entered from the short side, so each area becomes a long strip stretching backwards. The front room often holds most of the bottom row, while the kitchen at the back holds the top row. Our guide to Vastu for terraced houses looks at the same layout from the Vastu angle.

When the door is set to one side

A door in the corner of the front wall still sits in the bottom row; it simply enters through knowledge or helpful people rather than career. That is not a problem in itself, and the method does not change.

When a rectangle has been extended

Many rectangles are no longer quite rectangles. A widely used rule of thumb compares the projection to the width of the wall it sits on.

Less than half the width: the projection counts as an extension of that area, generally seen as strengthening it.
More than half the width: the projection becomes the new outline, and the unfilled part of that side is read as a missing area.

A shallow porch or a modest bay window usually counts as an extension. A rear extension running almost the full width of the house usually redraws the rectangle, which shifts the grid lines backwards. Redraw the map after any significant build rather than relying on the old one.

Upstairs and multi-storey houses

Carry the grid straight up through each floor, aligned to the same outer walls. Bedrooms upstairs therefore sit in the same areas as the rooms below them. A loft conversion follows the outline of the loft room itself. People sometimes look for a "wealth corner" upstairs; our article on the feng shui wealth corner in UK homes explains how to treat that area sensibly and without overblown promises.

A map tells you where each area falls, not what to do about it. The Energy at Home session takes that next step. In 45 minutes online, it combines the home's horoscope and your own Vedic chart with Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui, so the areas that matter most to your household get attention first.

Frequently asked questions

Should the bagua map be squares or rectangles?

Rectangles that follow the proportions of your house. Only a square house gives nine equal squares.

Do I use the compass or the front door for a rectangular house?

Both methods exist. The front-door method used here aligns the grid with the entrance; the compass method aligns it with true directions. Choose one and use it consistently.

What if my front door is in a side wall?

Treat the wall with the door as the bottom of the map and rotate the plan accordingly. Side entrances are common in semi-detached houses.

Does a conservatory count?

If it is heated and used all year as part of the home, it is usually included. If it is mainly seasonal, many practitioners leave it out.

If you would like the map checked, mark the front door and north on your floor plan and note any extensions, with the birth details of the main occupants. Send your question through the enquiry form or book the home session, and we will reply with how the map falls in your home and what to look at first.