Also known asopen areaverandah
The shape of a building is the shape in which its plinth beam and foundation (neev, bunyaad) are laid in the ground, because the underground geopathic current runs in that shape. Balconies and chhajjas projecting above do not change the shape.
The air element is flag-shaped, green, located in the North-West and ruled by Saturn; in a house it is the main door, windows, balcony, garden, plants and floor-to-slab height. Balanced, it gives speed, courage, patience and risk-taking capacity; imbalanced, it delays every work.
On large plots such as villas, kothis and farmhouses, the whole plot inside the boundary wall is zoned for the gate and outbuildings, while the house itself is zoned on its constructed area alone.
The centre, zoning, devtas and marma are taken on every area the residents can access and use, such as parking, a small garden, terraces and balconies. Only when a large part of the land lies unused is the constructed area zoned on its own.
In Vedic vastu (not feng shui) the air element has a flag-like shape, green colour, North-West location and kansa (bell metal) as its metal; the main door, windows, balcony, garden, plants and floor-to-slab height represent it.
East is the Sun's direction that starts creation and connects people socially, politically and religiously, so it is the zone of association and politics. Keep it open and clean; obstructing the Sun here brings trouble to the house owner.
In SSW the Sun's energy is burnt out and its composition destroyed, so this is the zone of expenditure and wastage, where waste activities belong. It is the main zone for a toilet, dustbin and storage of useless goods.
There are three types of doors: the boundary wall door, the main door and room doors. The pada results apply mainly to the main door, the door through which you actually enter the home.
Each floor is judged from its own base: a ground floor from its foundation, a first floor from the floor it stands on. Construction built out over chhajjas becomes part of that floor, and the centre of every floor changes with its own carpet area. If one family uses all the floors, the ground floor shape is the full shape, and a smaller upper floor, such as 25 x 25 over a 50 x 50 ground floor, does not make the plot cut.
No, it is regular. Balconies are like the hair on a head; spreading hair does not change the shape of the body. The shape is the one in which the plinth beam and foundation were laid, because the underground current runs in that form.
Yes, if it is connected and fully usable. It is not treated as a cut or an extension; this will be explained later on a plan.
No, take the whole, including the terrace. Every place you can walk in and access is included when taking the centre; only areas you cannot reach are left out. Zoning only the built half can mislead, for example making a heavy store room look as if it sits in the North when the North of the whole is open, which is good. Large balconies and terraces of 200 to 300 sq ft are counted too.
Include it in both cases, covered or not. You go there and move around in it, so it counts as part of the house.
Yes, a balcony on that side should not be low; keep it higher, though level also works. Another principle also works: raise the centre and slope the floor toward all directions, which makes kurma prishtha (tortoise-back) land.
Hanging is ruled out for consecrated deities: if the idols are pran-pratishthit (consecrated), they must never hang.
A balcony door is counted in the category of room doors, not as a main door. Asked whether a balcony door in the South-West also has to be blocked, the answer was yes.