River deep, mountain high

One of the most positive fung shui layouts is having mountains behind and water flowing in front of your home, an ideal situation that fung shui masters have always sought. For city dwellers, surrounding buildings fulfil the role of mountains, while roads (with moving traffic) replace water.

Does this mean having buildings behind you and a road in front will immediately denote good fung shui? Not necessarily. Just as traditional fung shui masters assessed the quality of mountains, you will need to consider the nature of neighbouring buildings. If the building behind you is significantly smaller than yours, there won't be much support provided. Conversely, if the building is extremely tall and presses down on yours, there will be problems. Ideally, the building behind should be wider and taller to provide support. Any roads in front of your building should not be highways or roads that are always jammed with traffic. Ideally, they should cradle your building and not run straight at or cut into it.

According to more complex formulas, about 25 per cent of buildings benefit from having mountains in front and water behind, but you need a professional to assess which ones do and which ones do not.