The balcony that is only good before nine

Buy nothing yetMove the table before you buy the pergola.

Before you buy a pergola, move the table.

Every change below is put into the plan and the whole model is run again. That is why a pergola's winter cost shows up here without anybody having written it down, and why the cheapest thing that actually buys hours back is allowed to win.

Fixing

For

Reading at

8:00 AM·October

In the sun. The sun is 7° up.

Where it stands now

Morning coffee

The morning chair does not work for morning coffee right now, and what it feels like is why.

“No” means the model does not support this use under the conditions being read. The controlling limits are listed below.

Past the limit What it feels like is about 40°F — 14°F under (at least 54°F)Estimate: Worked out, but at least one input was assumed rather than measured.
The air is 45.2°F. It feels about 5.2 degrees cooler than the air, near 40°F.
Early sun is usually the point, not the problem.
Close to the limit Wind is about 8 mph — 0 mph over (at most 8 mph)Estimate: Worked out, but at least one input was assumed rather than measured.
Nothing upwind is doing much; this spot gets close to the open wind speed.
Cold air moving early is what sends people back inside.

Still unanswered:Privacy exposure

Why it is unanswered

Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

What would change this. This would change if what it feels like were measured rather than estimated, or if privacy exposure were measured.

Confidence low (35%). Treat this as a starting hypothesis, not an answer.

What this answer was built from

Use: Morning coffee
Place: The morning chair
Weather: Humid continental, hot summers, real winters (scenario shape), scenario (from a published source)
Method: Traced geometry and radiation at this hour, measured against what this use needs

Not offered, and why

No observer is marked, so there is no sightline to interrupt yet.
No observer is marked to screen from.
Every fixture here is already fully shielded.
No mature canopy here to work on.
No observer is marked to screen from.
No observer is marked to screen from.
No observer is marked to screen from.
Nothing here is relying on a deciduous canopy, so there is no winter gap to fill.
This point is a place for people, not a place for a plant.
This ground already sheds water quickly.
This surface already drains freely.
Every fixture here is already warm.
There is no lighting here to rearrange.

25 changes, tested at 8:00 AM in October

One at a time, so you can tell what caused whatLook at the plan

Does it have to suit you?

All 25 changes, in the order the engine ranked them. Say something about your situation and the ones that would not suit you get set aside.

I rent, so nothing permanentRules out anything that cannot be taken away again.
Nothing that needs a builderRules out changes that need footings, trades or a structure fixing to the house.
I want it working this seasonRules out planting and anything else that only works once it has grown.
I will not maintain itRules out anything needing regular watering, pruning or seasonal putting away.

TestMove itYou can undo it

Move the table 6 ft 7 in north-west

ForecastNostill No

Move the table 6 ft 7 in north-west does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Slide the seating about 6 feet 7 inches toward the north-west and change nothing else.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Move the table 6 ft 7 in north-west
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

+0 hours of usable time on this day. Opens 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Summer solstice, 21 June: still 4 hours usable.

Winter solstice, 21 December: no usable hours then, with or without this change.

Solstice hours are how long this use can happen on those days. The beam sentence is one clock time, and a different number.

On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and air movement is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change.

It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for.

TestMove itYou can undo it

Sit under The balcony above

ForecastNostill No

Sit under The balcony above does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Move the seating under The balcony above, which is already standing and already casting something. Costs nothing and takes an afternoon of trying it.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Sit under The balcony above
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

+0 hours of usable time on this day. Opens 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Summer solstice, 21 June: still 4 hours usable.

Winter solstice, 21 December: no usable hours then, with or without this change.

Solstice hours are how long this use can happen on those days. The beam sentence is one clock time, and a different number.

On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and air movement is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change.

It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for.

TestMove itYou can undo it

Two 8 ft 2 in parasols instead of one

ForecastNostill No

Two 8 ft 2 in parasols instead of one does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Two parasols about 8 feet 2 inches across, set 7 feet 3 inches apart along the table. Between them they cover a rectangle, which is the shape a table actually is.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Two 8 ft 2 in parasols instead of one
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

+0 hours of usable time on this day. Opens 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Summer solstice, 21 June: still 4 hours usable.

Winter solstice, 21 December: no usable hours then, with or without this change.

Solstice hours are how long this use can happen on those days. The beam sentence is one clock time, and a different number.

On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and air movement is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestAn afternoonYou can undo it

A 9 ft 10 in umbrella

ForecastNostill No

A 9 ft 10 in umbrella does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A 9 feet 10 inches canopy at about 7 feet 7 inches, tilted toward the low sun.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A 9 ft 10 in umbrella
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

+0 hours of usable time on this day. Opens 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Summer solstice, 21 June: still 4 hours usable.

Winter solstice, 21 December: no usable hours then, with or without this change.

Solstice hours are how long this use can happen on those days. The beam sentence is one clock time, and a different number.

On the winter solstice: what it feels like is what keeps it shut, and air movement is the part that moves how it feels, with or without this change.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestAn afternoonYou can undo it

Two low shielded lights instead of one high one

ForecastNostill No

Two low shielded lights instead of one high one does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Add a pair of shielded 200 lumen fixtures at knee height near the seating, so the useful light is where people are rather than thrown across the garden.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Two low shielded lights instead of one high one
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestAn afternoonYou can undo it

Add 1 ft 6 in of trellis to Balcony parapet

ForecastNostill No

Add 1 ft 6 in of trellis to Balcony parapet does not move this in any way worth the effort.

An open trellis panel on top of Balcony parapet, taking it from 3 feet 5 inches to 4 feet 11 inches. Open trellis blocks a sightline at an angle while letting light and air through, which a solid board does not.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Add 1 ft 6 in of trellis to Balcony parapet
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestAn afternoonYou can undo it

A short return panel on the west corner

ForecastNostill No

A short return panel on the west corner does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A panel about 6 feet 3 inches high and 5 feet 3 inches long, set square across the corner the wind comes round. Air speeds up as it turns a hard edge, so the metre and a half at the corner is worth more than five along the fence.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A short return panel on the west corner
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestAn afternoonYou can undo it

A line of tall planters upwind

ForecastNostill No

A line of tall planters upwind does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A run of planters about 4 feet 11 inches to the west, planted to roughly 5 feet 3 inches. It is porous, it is movable, and it needs no footings — which is the whole point on a balcony.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A line of tall planters upwind
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestA projectYou can undo it

A shade sail over the seating

ForecastNostill No

A shade sail over the seating does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A sail about 16 feet 5 inches by 13 feet 1 inch, set at about 9 feet 2 inches and angled to shed water.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A shade sail over the seating
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestA projectYou can undo it

A 5 ft 11 in porous windbreak upwind

ForecastNostill No

A 5 ft 11 in porous windbreak upwind does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A slatted break about 5 feet 11 inches high and 16 feet 5 inches wide, set 14 feet 9 inches west of the seat. Roughly forty per cent open shelters further than solid.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A 5 ft 11 in porous windbreak upwind
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestA projectYou can undo it

A drawable outdoor curtain

ForecastNostill No

A drawable outdoor curtain does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A heavy outdoor curtain on a track, drawn across the west side when it is wanted and open the rest of the time.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A drawable outdoor curtain
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestA projectYou can undo it

A 6 ft 11 in panel to the south-east

ForecastNostill No

A 6 ft 11 in panel to the south-east does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A solid panel about 6 feet 11 inches high and 9 feet 10 inches wide, standing 7 feet 3 inches to the south-east. Low sun arrives almost horizontally, and only something vertical stops it.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A 6 ft 11 in panel to the south-east
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

TestA projectYou can undo itYears to work

A deciduous climber on tensioned wires

ForecastNostill No

A deciduous climber on tensioned wires does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Wires strung about 8 feet 6 inches above the seating with a vigorous deciduous climber trained across them. In leaf it shades like a light pergola; bare, it gives back most of the winter sun a solid roof would have kept.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A deciduous climber on tensioned wires
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA projectPermanent

An 8 ft 2 in awning

ForecastNostill No

An 8 ft 2 in awning does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A folding-arm awning projecting 8 feet 2 inches from the house wall at about 8 feet 6 inches, retracted out of season.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: An 8 ft 2 in awning
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA projectPermanentYears to work

A deciduous tree 16 ft 5 in south-east of the seat

ForecastNostill No

A deciduous tree 16 ft 5 in south-east of the seat does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A medium deciduous tree planted 16 feet 5 inches to the south-east, grown to about 26 feet, with a crown roughly 19 feet 8 inches across.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A deciduous tree 16 ft 5 in south-east of the seat
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA projectPermanent

Raise the seating 1 ft 6 in

ForecastNostill No

Raise the seating 1 ft 6 in does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A raised platform lifting the seat about 1 foot 6 inches. It clears low boundaries, reaches faster air, and it works both ways: what you can see over, you can be seen over.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Raise the seating 1 ft 6 in
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA projectPermanent

A solid roof over the seating

ForecastNostill No

A solid roof over the seating does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A roof about 9 feet 2 inches above the seating. Against a tall building or a hard boundary, air spills over the top and comes down on the far side, and a seat that is nowhere near the wind still sits in it. Closing the top stops that in a way no amount of fence does.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A solid roof over the seating
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA projectPermanent

Open up Balcony parapet to about half

ForecastNostill No

Open up Balcony parapet to about half does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Replace the boards of Balcony parapet with a slatted or louvred panel roughly half open. Solid barriers throw air over the top and drop it in a turbulent eddy just downwind; a porous one bleeds air through and lengthens the sheltered zone to several times its own height.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Open up Balcony parapet to about half
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

A pergola with open slats

ForecastNostill No

A pergola with open slats does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A pergola about 13 feet 1 inch square at 8 feet 6 inches with open slats, slats running roughly south-west.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A pergola with open slats
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

An adjustable louvred roof

ForecastNostill No

An adjustable louvred roof does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A louvred roof about 13 feet 1 inch square at 8 feet 6 inches, blades running south-west and closable.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: An adjustable louvred roof
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

A paler paving

ForecastNostill No

A paler paving does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Replace Balcony floor with a paler paving of similar mass. The surface itself runs cooler underfoot; the trade is that more light bounces back up at a seated person.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A paler paving
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

A solid canopy over the seating

ForecastNostill No

A solid canopy over the seating does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A solid roof about 11 feet 2 inches above the seating, 13 feet 1 inch by 11 feet 6 inches, guttered on the low edge. Unlike fabric it works in rain, and unlike a pergola it takes the winter light too.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A solid canopy over the seating
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

Horizontal fins above the opening

ForecastNostill No

Horizontal fins above the opening does not move this in any way worth the effort.

A run of fixed horizontal fins projecting about 2 feet 4 inches from The building, set above head height. Geometry does the work: high summer sun is cut, low winter sun passes under, and the view out is barely touched.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Horizontal fins above the opening
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

A ventilated timber deck instead

ForecastNostill No

A ventilated timber deck instead does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Replace Balcony floor with a ventilated timber deck. Heavy paving charges all afternoon and radiates back until well after dark, which is why an evening terrace can feel hotter than the air. A light deck over an air gap is done within the hour.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: A ventilated timber deck instead
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.

CommitmentA buildPermanent

Take up the paving and plant it

ForecastNostill No

Take up the paving and plant it does not move this in any way worth the effort.

Lift Balcony floor and plant it. Nothing else on this list moves surface temperature as far: paving in full sun sits twenty degrees or more above the air, while planted ground transpires and typically sits at or below it. It is also the only change here that gets better rather than worse over ten years.

Gained: Nothing here.
Lost: Nothing here.
Unchanged: What it feels like
Wind
Still unanswered: Privacy exposure

The test: Take up the paving and plant it
If it worked: The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared.
If it didn’t: If what it feels like still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism.
Next evidence: Privacy exposure. No observer has been placed yet. Privacy is a question about who can see in from where, and until one is marked there is nothing to answer.

It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season.