AbstractAn often encountered problem when preparing the basic input data for a wind atlas study is the correction for the influence of the house or hut on which the mast—whose data form the basis of this wind atlas—is placed. The article will describe an experiment where this problem has been addressed. The knowledge gained will be used to give guidelines as to the use of the WAsP program to correct the observations. Should the house/hut simply be treated as an extension of the mast, should the house/hut be treated as a hill with speed‐up effects, or should the house/hill be ignored completely? The paper will show that the house/hut should indeed be treated as a hill with speed‐up effects. Placing meteorological masts on houses or huts is common practice in quite a few countries in the world. The problem is therefore one which most people involved in detailed wind resource assessment will face sooner or later. The article will show that the effect of the house/hut is such that it cannot be ignored. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.