Outside, Actually.

Leave private notes out of the project file Leave coordinates out of the project file Include private notes in the Room Lab file as unresolved questions. Coordinates are never included.

Trust receipt

Record schema 7. Model 2026.09.3. Prepared 2026-10-30. This is a model of the geometry it was given, not a forecast and not a building assessment.

Measured 5

Why this result

Reading chair is open for reading for an hour 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM.

What you told it, and what it assumed

You told it

The place is called “The courtyard with two different privacy problems”, in Chicago (demonstration), America/Chicago.
Lengths are shown in feet and inches.
1 private note is on this device. They stay in a project file unless you leave them out.

It assumed

Nothing in the counted geometry is marked as placed by the model.
Every counted object has some standing. That is not the same as every standing being a tape.

What it calculated

Calculated

Reading chair is open for reading for an hour 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM.

What would change the answer

A taped dimension where the plan still says estimated, placed, or unknown.
Running the same change through a month that is not this one. A July gain is not a year.

Smallest next check

The next useful check is the object whose standing is still unknown or estimated, measured at the place.

Where it stops, and which sources it used

Stops

Any freestanding barrier above about 6 feet 7 inches carries real wind load into its footings and is likely to need consent. That is an engineer's calculation and a planning question, not a design one.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.
Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.
Wall fixings, cantilever loads and wind class are an installer's responsibility, and a badly fixed awning takes render off a wall.
This is a decision instrument. It models sun, shade, sightlines, radiant heat and drying from the geometry it was given. It is not a structural, drainage, electrical or planning assessment, and it does not replace one.

Sources

NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Solar Calculation Details
ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, Climatic Design Information, clear-sky solar model
Oke; Steyn, Boundary Layer Climates and the sky view factor method
ASHRAE Standard 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy
International Journal of Climatology, Thorsson and others, Different methods for estimating the mean radiant temperature in an outdoor urban setting
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Plant Hardiness Zone Map
ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
Proceedings of the Royal Society A, Penman, Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass
ASTM and DIN 51130 ramp test, Slip resistance classification for pedestrian surfaces
ISO 9223, Corrosion of metals and alloys, corrosivity of atmospheres
ASTM C666, Resistance of concrete to rapid freezing and thawing
American Architectural Manufacturers Association, Voluntary specifications for high performance organic coatings on aluminium
Purdue University Horticulture, Faust and others, Daily light integral as a design metric for plant growth

BuildingNot yours (dashed edge)CanopyShadow nowCan see inWhat a window can see, cut short where something is in the wayProposed

To scale · to the measurements given: Drawn to scale from the measurements given. Not a survey. It is not a survey.

The property, as mapped

The courtyard with two different privacy problems at Chicago (demonstration). 1 places are being read, against 2 things that stand in the way.

House	23 ft	100 per cent solid. Confirmed.
Existing side fence	5 ft 11 in	100 per cent solid. Confirmed.

How Reading chair behaves in October

Reading chair is open for reading for an hour 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM.

About 9.5 hours in October, and what it feels like is what closes it.

Read for 30 October 2026, in America/Chicago, northern hemisphere. This is the day the place is reading, not the fifteenth that stands in for the month, and not a forecast for that date.

The sun reaches this spot from 7:40 AM and leaves it at 5:00 PM. The sun reaches Reading chair at 7:22 AM. Reading chair loses the sun at 5:07 PM because of the Existing side fence.

When this was read	30 October 2026	America/Chicago. Northern hemisphere.
Direct sun	9.7 hours	of 10.3 hours of daylight
Sky visible from here	81 per cent	House takes 100%
Usable light	15.3 mol/m² a day

Whether it works for reading for an hour

Reading chair is on the edge for reading for an hour right now, and what it feels like is why.

What it feels like	about 83°F — 4°F over (at most 79°F)	An hour is long enough for a few degrees to matter.
Privacy exposure	51 / 100 — 6 over (at most 45)	Settling in takes not feeling observed.
Glare	22 / 100 — 4 over (at most 18)	Glare on a page is the whole problem; heat is secondary.

NoteNot answered here. Noise: Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.

Privacy and view

East upstairs window has a clear line from 36 feet away, 18 degrees above the seat. Halfway along that line a barrier would have to reach about 9 feet 8 inches. A 6 ft screen 6 ft 6 in out is the smallest thing that closes every line that matters. It leaves the view essentially intact.

A 6 ft screen 6 ft 6 in out	6 ft × 7 ft 11 in	Line into the seat 51% open → 4%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
A 7 ft 5 in screen 10 ft 10 in out	7 ft 5 in × 6 ft 9 in	Line into the seat 51% open → 4%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
A 9 ft 1 in screen 16 ft 4 in out	9 ft 1 in × 5 ft 3 in	Line into the seat 51% open → 4%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
An 11 ft 5 in screen 24 ft out	11 ft 5 in × 3 ft 11 in	Line into the seat 51% open → 4%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. not your land.
2 screens, one for each direction	11 ft 5 in × 7 ft 10 in	Line into the seat 51% open → 4%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. not your land.

NoteNot answered here. You are overlooked from 2 separate directions. Each option below closes the lines it was sized against and no others; the residual column says who is left. There is no single object that closes all of them without enclosing the space.

What to try, cheapest first

Move the table 11 ft 6 in north-east is the smallest change that moves this. Move the table 11 ft 6 in north-east fixes what it feels like.

A 6 ft 10 in screen 9 ft 1 in from the seatTestYou can undo it	No extra hours this day	No extra hours this day This hour: Tight → Tight. a project. Reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. Summer solstice, 21 June: no usable hours then, with or without this change. Winter solstice, 21 December: still 4 hours usable. On this day: what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the summer solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what closes it, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. If it worked privacy exposure no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Noise. Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.
A deciduous tree 16 ft 5 in south-west of the seatCommitmentPermanent	No extra hours this day	No extra hours this day This hour: Tight → Works. a project. Not reversible. Summer beam up about 0 per cent, winter beam down about 12 per cent at this hour. Summer solstice, 21 June: no usable hours then, with or without this change. Winter solstice, 21 December: 4 hours usable now, 2 hours with this change. 2 hours given up. On this day: what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the summer solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what closes it, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. If it worked what it feels like and glare no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If privacy exposure still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Noise. Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.
A 9 ft 10 in umbrellaTestYou can undo it	−1 hour this day	−1 hour this day This hour: Tight → Works. an afternoon. Reversible. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. Summer solstice, 21 June: 0 hours usable now, 8 hours with this change. 8 hours gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 4 hours usable now, 0 hours with this change. 4 hours given up. On this day: what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the summer solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. With this change, what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels. On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what closes it, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. With this change, what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels. If it worked what it feels like and glare no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If privacy exposure still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Noise. Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.
Move the table 11 ft 6 in north-eastTestYou can undo it	−1 hour this day	−1 hour this day This hour: Tight → Works. move it. Reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. Summer solstice, 21 June: 0 hours usable now, 1 hour with this change. 1 hour gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 4 hours usable now, 0 hours with this change. 4 hours given up. On this day: what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the summer solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what closes it, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. With this change, what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. If it worked what it feels like no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If privacy exposure still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Noise. Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.
A shade sail over the seatingTestYou can undo it	−1 hour this day	−1 hour this day This hour: Tight → Works. a project. Reversible. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. Summer solstice, 21 June: 0 hours usable now, 9 hours with this change. 9 hours gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 4 hours usable now, 0 hours with this change. 4 hours given up. On this day: what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change. On the summer solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. With this change, what it feels like is what closes it, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels. On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what closes it, and direct sun on the seat is the part that moves how it feels. With this change, what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and how much sky is overhead is the part that moves how it feels. If it worked what it feels like no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If privacy exposure still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Noise. Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.
An 11 ft 6 in awningCommitmentPermanent	Works	This hour: Tight → Works. a project. Not reversible. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. If it worked what it feels like no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If privacy exposure still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Noise. Nobody has told us what the noise is like here, and it is not something geometry can infer.

What survives out here

Things stay wet here for 8 months of the year. That, and not rainfall, is what decides what survives. Untreated softwood is the family this place punishes hardest. Family behaviour is a starting point. The exact product still decides the outcome.

Tempered glass	well suited	The surface here peaks near 130°F. Ask the supplier: What is the edge detail, and how will it be cleaned on the outside face?
Stainless steel	well suited	The surface here peaks near 130°F. Ask the supplier: Is it 304 or 316? Within a few miles of salt water that difference is the whole decision.
Weathering steel	well suited	The surface here peaks near 130°F. Ask the supplier: Is this a genuine weathering grade, and what does the datasheet say about wet-dry cycling and about run-off staining?
Exterior porcelain paver	well suited	The surface here peaks near 130°F. Ask the supplier: What is the slip classification, wet, and how is it being laid: pedestals, sand or mortar?
Gravel and self-binding aggregate	well suited	The surface here peaks near 130°F. Ask the supplier: What size and shape is the aggregate, and is there an edge to keep it where it belongs?
Powder-coated aluminium	workable	The surface here peaks near 130°F. Ask the supplier: Is the powder coat rated to AAMA 2604 or 2605, and is the substrate marine-grade?

What belongs here

About 33.6 moles of usable light a day with about 14 hours of direct sun in high summer. That is full sun, whatever the label on the plant says. Midwinter direct sun is about 9 hours, counted on its own day, not inferred from summer.

Of the groups in the reference set, rain garden and swale planting is the one that actually belongs in conditions like these. Anything planted here sits wet for 8 months of the year, so drainage is the decision before the plant is.

Rain garden and swale planting	belongs here	About 33.6 moles a day, against an ideal of 26. This is the right light band. Examples, not recommendations: Iris in damp ground; Switchgrass; Joe Pye weed in North America.
Moisture-loving marginal	belongs here	Surfaces here reach about 130°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Astilbe; Ligularia; Iris sibirica.
Narrow upright evergreen screen	wrong place	This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does. About 33.6 moles a day against an ideal of 22. There is no stated ceiling for this group, but that is a lot more light than it is built for. Examples, not recommendations: Columnar hornbeam; Italian cypress in mild dry climates; Upright yew in cool climates.
Broad evergreen hedge	wrong place	This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does. Examples, not recommendations: Yew; Portuguese laurel; Holly.
Deciduous hedge that holds its leaves	wrong place	This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does. Examples, not recommendations: Beech; Hornbeam.
Medium deciduous shade tree	wrong place	This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does. Examples, not recommendations: Field maple; Serviceberry; Hop hornbeam.

What to measure before spending anything

Ranked by how far the answer actually moves across the plausible range, not by a checklist.

What the paving actually is	photograph	Photograph the paving next to something white. How dark it is decides both how hot it gets underfoot and how much light it throws back up at a seated person. Across the plausible range this flips the answer between Works and Tight. Worth going outside for.

The year at a glance

Jan	9 h sun	9.6 mol light, would not dry within the day
Feb	10 h sun	15 mol light, would not dry within the day
Mar	11 h sun	21.8 mol light, would not dry within the day
Apr	12 h sun	29.3 mol light, would not dry within the day
May	14 h sun	34.7 mol light
Jun	14 h sun	38.5 mol light
Jul	14 h sun	38.2 mol light
Aug	13 h sun	33.7 mol light
Sep	12 h sun	27.6 mol light, would not dry within the day
Oct	10 h sun	18.9 mol light, would not dry within the day
Nov	9 h sun	10.8 mol light, would not dry within the day
Dec	9 h sun	8 mol light, would not dry within the day

Where this stops

Any freestanding barrier above about 6 feet 7 inches carries real wind load into its footings and is likely to need consent. That is an engineer's calculation and a planning question, not a design one.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.
Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.
Wall fixings, cantilever loads and wind class are an installer's responsibility, and a badly fixed awning takes render off a wall.
This is a decision instrument. It models sun, shade, sightlines, radiant heat and drying from the geometry it was given. It is not a structural, drainage, electrical or planning assessment, and it does not replace one.

Who to ask, and what to ask them

Everything this reading cannot answer goes to 8 places: a structural engineer, a drainage engineer, an electrician, your planning authority, an arborist, local planting advice, a pool or spa installer and the manufacturer.

Inferred from the time zone America/Chicago. A time zone identifies a country reasonably well and a county not at all, so nothing below is local to you.

A licensed professional engineer (PE), structural

Whether a wall, deck, post or fixing carries the thing you are proposing is a calculation about materials and connections. This product models sun, wind exposure and sightlines; it has never been told what the wall is made of or how the deck is framed.

Take these questions

Will this fixing or footing carry the load, in the wind this site actually gets?
What has to be opened up or exposed before that can be answered?
Is there a version of this that avoids a structural question altogether?

Take these with you

The contractor packet from this property, which has the dimensions and where each came from
Photographs of the wall or frame the thing would fix to
Anything you know about what is behind the surface

Where the register is

NCEES — licensure and verification — Licensing is by state; this points at the board that holds your state's register.

The 6 lines in this document that send you here

Any freestanding barrier above about 6 feet 7 inches carries real wind load into its footings and is likely to need consent. That is an engineer's calculation and a planning question, not a design one.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.
Wall fixings, cantilever loads and wind class are an installer's responsibility, and a badly fixed awning takes render off a wall.
This is a decision instrument. It models sun, shade, sightlines, radiant heat and drying from the geometry it was given. It is not a structural, drainage, electrical or planning assessment, and it does not replace one.

A drainage contractor or civil engineer

This product reads how long a surface stays wet from sun, shelter and shade. It does not know where the water goes afterwards, what the ground is made of below the top few inches, or what your drains are connected to.

Take these questions

Where is this water going now, and where would it go after the change?
Is there a connection or a soakaway involved, and is that something I am allowed to alter?
What would a percolation or infiltration test cost here before anybody designs anything?

Take these with you

The wetness reading and the months it is worst in
Where the downspouts land and where water stands after rain
Any drainage drawing that came with the property

Where the register is

USDA NRCS — Web Soil Survey — Free drainage class and infiltration context for your parcel, before you pay anybody.

The 2 lines in this document that send you here

Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.
This is a decision instrument. It models sun, shade, sightlines, radiant heat and drying from the geometry it was given. It is not a structural, drainage, electrical or planning assessment, and it does not replace one.

A licensed electrician

Outdoor lighting and anything powered near water is a wiring question with a legal answer, and this product models the light rather than the circuit.

Take these questions

Is this circuit suitable for outdoors and for the distance involved?
What protection does this need, and does the work have to be certified or inspected?
Can the fixture be aimed or shielded the way I need without changing the wiring?

Take these with you

Where the fixtures would go and what they are pointed at
The distance from the nearest existing supply

Where the register is

Your state or county building department — Permitting and licence checks are local; the state consumer office lists who holds them.

The line in this document that sends you here

This is a decision instrument. It models sun, shade, sightlines, radiant heat and drying from the geometry it was given. It is not a structural, drainage, electrical or planning assessment, and it does not replace one.

Your city or county planning and building department

Whether you are allowed to build a thing is decided by a local rule set that varies street by street. This product has no idea which rules apply to your address, and anything it said about consent would be a guess dressed as an answer.

Take these questions

Does this need consent at this height, this footprint and this distance from the boundary?
Is there anything specific to this property — a conservation designation, a covenant, an easement, an HOA rule?
If it does not need consent, is there anything that would make it need one?

Take these with you

The dimensions and the position relative to the boundary, which the contractor packet already states
A site plan showing where it sits
The property address, which is what everything above is actually keyed to

Where the register is

USA.gov — find your local government — Permits and setbacks are city or county; this finds the office that issues them.

The 3 lines in this document that send you here

Any freestanding barrier above about 6 feet 7 inches carries real wind load into its footings and is likely to need consent. That is an engineer's calculation and a planning question, not a design one.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
This is a decision instrument. It models sun, shade, sightlines, radiant heat and drying from the geometry it was given. It is not a structural, drainage, electrical or planning assessment, and it does not replace one.

A certified arborist

This product models a canopy as a shape that blocks light. Whether a tree is safe, whether it will survive what you are proposing, and whether you are permitted to touch it are three separate questions it cannot answer.

Take these questions

Is this tree safe as it stands, and does the answer change if I build near it?
What will this do to the root zone, and how far out does that reach?
Is this tree protected, and by what?

Take these with you

The canopy dimensions this product is using and where they came from
Photographs of the whole tree, including the base
What you are proposing to build and how close

Where the register is

ISA — find an arborist — The certification register, including the tree-risk qualification.

The 2 lines in this document that send you here

Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.
Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.

Your county Cooperative Extension office

This product names the kind of plant a place suits — the light, the moisture, the exposure it has to survive — and stops short of naming a species, because which species does that job well is a regional answer and a wrong one costs a season.

Take these questions

What grows here that wants this much light and this much water?
Which of those is a problem locally — invasive, disease-prone, or wrong for this soil?
What is the honest mature size, rather than the label size?

Take these with you

The light and moisture reading for the bed, which is the part most advice has to guess at
Your hardiness zone if it is known, and the coldest temperature the place actually reaches
A photograph of the bed at the hour it gets its light

Where the register is

USDA — find your Cooperative Extension office — Free, local, and the single most under-used resource in American gardening.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map — Your zone, from your postcode.

The line in this document that sends you here

Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.

A pool or spa installer, plus your building department for barrier rules

This product reads the air, the light and the sightlines around water. Electrical bonding, barrier law, deck loading and water chemistry are all outside it, and each of them is a safety question rather than a comfort one.

Take these questions

What does the deck have to carry with this full and occupied?
What barrier or fencing rule applies at this address?
What has to be bonded, and who signs that off?

Take these with you

Where it would sit and what it sits on
The distance to the nearest supply and to the boundary

Where the register is

CPSC — pool and spa safety — Barrier and entrapment guidance; local code still decides.

The line in this document that sends you here

Any freestanding barrier above about 6 feet 7 inches carries real wind load into its footings and is likely to need consent. That is an engineer's calculation and a planning question, not a design one.

The manufacturer or an approved installer

Wind ratings, fixing patterns and warranty conditions belong to whoever made the thing. This product can say what a change would do to the reading; it cannot say what voids the guarantee.

Take these questions

What is the wind rating, and in what mounting?
What does the warranty require of the installation and the maintenance?
What is the actual lead time and what does it look like in five years?

Take these with you

The exposure this product measured, including the windiest month
The fixing surface you actually have

No register is named here, because this router does not know which country holds one for you. The questions above are the same wherever you are.

The 2 lines in this document that send you here

Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Wall fixings, cantilever loads and wind class are an installer's responsibility, and a badly fixed awning takes render off a wall.

Nothing here says what the answer will be. These are registers rather than recommendations, and a name on one is a qualification rather than an endorsement.

What this was built on

The property record itself can be exported as a file and carried to another device. Nothing about this property has left your device unless you chose to send it somewhere.

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