feng shui question - stairway in helpful people corner

[Skim]

I have a couple books about feng shui, including one by terah collins, but I cannot figure out my particular issue by reading what I have.

We bought our house last year, and we mostly love it. The main bedroom, however, in the Helpful People/Travel corner, is partially bermed (buried, but still has windows). In addition, there is a mossy stone stair case built right next to the house in that corner, touching it. This stair case also touches the wood shed on the other side. Both the house and the wood shed are built part way into the hillside.

For feng shui purposes, does the mossy stone stairway become part of the house? Does the wood shed? I have a couple pictures I could link to for clarification if necessary, once I download them. And if these structures are all connected, how in the world can I deal with this?

We already have to deal with an entrance that juts out from the house itself. It is fully enclosed.

Advice or opinions most welcome! Thanks.

[Skim]

Bump.

Really, all I need to know is this: is something considered part of your house if it's touching at all, or if it's got a roof/is enclosed?

Thank you!

[Oriole]

Love all things feng shui, and want to learn more.

[doubledutch]

the interior of my house is a rectangle. i also have a front porch and a little back stoop. i do not include those. i've heard that if someone has a really oddly shaped house, that it's possible that then part or all of a bagua may fall outside the home, but from what you describe, i wouldn't think the steps or the shed would be considered part of the home. at least, i wouldn't, if i were figuring it out (just as i wouldn't include an attached garage). but i'm no expert!

[briome]

I think it would be really hard to tell just by describing it, I mean Fen shui can be pretty complicated and depending on what school of it you feel like following at the momment it could be either or both???

I do tend to pay more attention to energy flow then anything else. I think you can get way to into the corners IF you have two entrances to your house that you use just as often, unless you are going by standard directions instead...Do you know what I mean? It can just get so complicated!

I can't sleep under a moving ceiling fan! Love those houseplants...don't let good energy seep out the front door etc...

I think if you take a little of your intution (that stairway BOTHERS you!) I would look into minimising its unhelpful effect on your house. I think it is promising that it is covered in moss actually and maybe you can paint the shed red for some luck energy....but I forget what the helpful family corner's attributes are...but something like that.
Goodluck with that!

[Skim]

briome, thank you for your perspective. You've hit the nail on the head, so to speak - I feel some kind of discomfort with that area but I can't figure it out. I don't feel that painting the wood shed red would help the overall situation, since the house and shed are up on the hill, and parking/garage is at the bottom. So a red structure would totally detract all the energy from the house, which is totally brown. I also think the moss on the steps helps some.

I will post a link in a new post, but will not leave it up there permanently. So go see it now! lol

More advice welcome, too. I am just looking for ideas.

[Skim]

pictures linked

OK, here is a recent album of house photos. The area in question is the third photo; you can see the entrance and front of the house in the first one.

Thanks for looking!

*link deleted*

This link will be up for a day or so before I get uncomfortable and take it down.

[doubledutch]

oh i want to live there!

[briome]

That is a cute place. I REALLY like all the stone work and wood. I do think that would count with the outside of the house not the interior designations.

Do you use this space often>? Is it stagnant? It seems you need more movement, growth etc...but I bet you get that after it warms up a bit? Have you thought of a birdfeeder, wind chimes, a place to sit for people, a water feature..etc
I guess you don't like red on your shed.....but maybe some red flowers or something.

It does seem sturdy and grounded, very good....how about some flags to create some visual and air interaction?

[Skim]

Originally Posted by briome

That is a cute place. I REALLY like all the stone work and wood. I do think that would count with the outside of the house not the interior designations.

Do you use this space often>? Is it stagnant? It seems you need more movement, growth etc...but I bet you get that after it warms up a bit? Have you thought of a birdfeeder, wind chimes, a place to sit for people, a water feature..etc
I guess you don't like red on your shed.....but maybe some red flowers or something.

It does seem sturdy and grounded, very good....how about some flags to create some visual and air interaction?

Yes, we do want benches on the deck and a seating area in back. The girls play back there mostly, but I don't go back there for any particular reason, usually just to enjoy it and look for problems lol. Red flowers really perk up the entrance; we did that last year when we moved in and it was awesome. Some in that corner might be nice. I am so on the lookout this season for outdoor furniture at yard sales. We are so broke but I really want outside stuff to brighten up the energy. Flags.... hmmm. Thanks for the ideas!

And it does green up marvelously, but that doesn't usually get in full swing until May up here.

[sunnysandiegan]

The feng shui books and resources I used and liked included the whole property. We live in an HOA and the front yard is technically community property whereas the backyard is our personal property. Therefore, I included the backyard space in with our physical home, but left the front yard out. Worked out very nicely in many respects.

It sounds like you are following a different school of thought, however, and are looking to delineate the house from the yard.

Ignoring feng shui and convention for a moment, how do you see your property? Is each area separate to you with different functions and different looks, etc.? Is the whole property one big space divided for convenience? Very different perspectives. Another way to look at it... Do you tend to decorate each room/space independently of the rest of the house/space or do you have a general "theme" or color or something that unifies the whole space? Either by default or design, I think this answer will give you the answer you may be looking for......

Best wishes!

[mumkimum]

I generally don't think of outdoor stuff as affecting the inside of the house - but it looks like that stone stair area is either connected to or built out of the lower stone portion of your house - and in that case might have become 'connected' to the house (in the way that a porch built off of the house would be an 'addition' to a particular section of the house).

Since you're feeling like it affects that room - something like a silver-colored wind chime outdoors which would enhance helpful people/travel might be an idea. Or a mirror in that particular corner in the room to bring that area 'back inside'.

You could also look at feng shui ideas on landscaping/gardening and the compass direction of that area and see what that suggests for that outdoor region of your house, if you wanted to look at it in a different way.

[Skim]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

Ignoring feng shui and convention for a moment, how do you see your property? Is each area separate to you with different functions and different looks, etc.? Is the whole property one big space divided for convenience? Very different perspectives. Another way to look at it... Do you tend to decorate each room/space independently of the rest of the house/space or do you have a general "theme" or color or something that unifies the whole space? Either by default or design, I think this answer will give you the answer you may be looking for......

Best wishes!

Thank you for these great questions. I now have to consider them, because I don't have a quick answer. We aren't much for decorating, themes, etc., rather we prefer how rooms are used and what fits in them (i.e., we have a rather large collection of books).

And I do want to expand my feng shui understanding into the property and get a compass reading on our place. How do I do that? Just get a compass and do a rough sketch? Use the map that came with the place and adjust it for north? Can anyone recommend a good book for a busy mama just beginning to learn about that?

Thanks!