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 1
Observed 5

Why this result

In the tub does not open for the hot tub after dark on this day, and light after dark is the reason. It clears the same limits at other hours, but not the ones you would use it in.

What you told it, and what it assumed

You told it

The place is called “The hot tub that feels like a stage”, in Minneapolis (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

In the tub does not open for the hot tub after dark on this day, and light after dark is the reason. It clears the same limits at other hours, but not the ones you would use it in.

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.
Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
Wall fixings, cantilever loads and wind class are an installer's responsibility, and a badly fixed awning takes render off a wall.
Check buried services before digging, and check mature spread against the boundary before planting.
Permanent exterior circuits need code-compliant wiring.
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
ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Plant Hardiness Zone Map
DarkSky International, Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting
Proceedings of the Royal Society A, Penman, Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass
ISO 9223, Corrosion of metals and alloys, corrosivity of atmospheres
ASTM and DIN 51130 ramp test, Slip resistance classification for pedestrian surfaces
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 hot tub that feels like a stage at Minneapolis (demonstration). 1 places are being read, against 3 things that stand in the way.

The house	22 ft	100 per cent solid. Confirmed.
Board fence	5 ft 11 in	95 per cent solid. Confirmed.
The spruce	30 ft	90 per cent solid. Confirmed.

How In the tub behaves in October

In the tub does not open for the hot tub after dark on this day, and light after dark is the reason. It clears the same limits at other hours, but not the ones you would use it in.

Nothing in October clears what the hot tub after dark needs here.

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 8:00 AM and leaves it at 3:00 PM. The sun reaches In the tub at 7:50 AM. In the tub loses the sun at 3:19 PM because of the spruce.

When this was read	30 October 2026	America/Chicago. Northern hemisphere.
Direct sun	7.3 hours	of 10.3 hours of daylight
Sky visible from here	73 per cent	The house takes 73%, The spruce takes 27%
Usable light	11.3 mol/m² a day

Whether it works for the hot tub after dark

In the tub does not work for the hot tub after dark right now, and light after dark is why.

Light after dark	about 92 / 100 — 57 over (at most 35)	Any lamp near the water makes the tub the brightest object in the garden and everything beyond it invisible.
Privacy exposure	48 / 100 — 18 over (at most 30)	People are least clothed and most lit at the same moment, which is why this fails on sightline far more often than on temperature.

Privacy and view

Right neighbour's bedroom has a clear line from 38 feet away, 15 degrees above the seat. Halfway along that line a barrier would have to reach about 10 feet 4 inches. An 11 ft 10 in screen 25 ft out is the smallest thing that closes every line that matters. It leaves the view essentially intact.

2 screens, one for each direction	11 ft 10 in × 8 ft 5 in	Line into the seat 52% open → 4%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
A 7 ft 1 in screen 6 ft 11 in out	7 ft 1 in × 9 ft 11 in	Line into the seat 52% open → 9%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
An 8 ft 4 in screen 11 ft 6 in out	8 ft 4 in × 8 ft 5 in	Line into the seat 52% open → 9%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
A 9 ft 10 in screen 17 ft 3 in out	9 ft 10 in × 6 ft 8 in	Line into the seat 52% open → 9%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.
An 11 ft 10 in screen 25 ft out	11 ft 10 in × 4 ft 3 in	Line into the seat 52% open → 9%; marked view 100% → 100% open. Closes every marked line. your land.

NoteNot answered here. No view worth keeping has been marked, so the cost side of every screening option is missing. 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

A 9 ft 10 in umbrella is the smallest change that moves this. A 9 ft 10 in umbrella fixes light after dark and privacy exposure.

A 9 ft 10 in umbrellaTestYou can undo it	+4 hours this day	+4 hours this day This hour: No → Works. an afternoon. Reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. Summer solstice, 21 June: 3 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 1 hour gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 0 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 4 hours gained. On this day: light after dark is what keeps it shut, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. On the summer solstice: light after dark is what closes it, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. If it worked light after dark and privacy exposure no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If the hour feels the same after you try it, the model guessed at the wrong thing. What would change this Measure the actual height available before ordering: this is sized at 7 feet 7 inches and about four inches either way changes whether it works.
A 7 ft 10 in screen 9 ft 7 in from the seatTestYou can undo it	+4 hours this day	+4 hours this day This hour: No → Works. a project. Reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. Summer solstice, 21 June: 3 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 1 hour gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 0 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 4 hours gained. On this day: light after dark is what keeps it shut, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. On the summer solstice: light after dark is what closes it, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. If it worked light after dark and privacy exposure no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If the hour feels the same after you try it, the model guessed at the wrong thing. What would change this Measure the actual height available before ordering: this is sized at 7 feet 10 inches and about four inches either way changes whether it works.
An 8 ft 2 in awningCommitmentPermanent	+4 hours this day	+4 hours this day This hour: No → Works. a project. Not reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. Summer solstice, 21 June: 3 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 1 hour gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 0 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 4 hours gained. On this day: light after dark is what keeps it shut, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. On the summer solstice: light after dark is what closes it, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. If it worked light after dark and privacy exposure no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If the hour feels the same after you try it, the model guessed at the wrong thing. What would change this Measure the actual height available before ordering: this is sized at 8 feet 6 inches and about four inches either way changes whether it works.
An evergreen hedge to about 7 ft 10 inCommitmentPermanent	+4 hours this day	+4 hours this day This hour: No → Works. a project. Not reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. Summer solstice, 21 June: 3 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 1 hour gained. Winter solstice, 21 December: 0 hours usable now, 4 hours with this change. 4 hours gained. On this day: light after dark is what keeps it shut, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. On the summer solstice: light after dark is what closes it, and The floodlight is the light doing it. With this change, nothing named closes the usable span. If it worked light after dark and privacy exposure no longer stops the hour. If it didn’t If the hour feels the same after you try it, the model guessed at the wrong thing. What would change this Measure the actual height available before ordering: this is sized at 7 feet 10 inches and about four inches either way changes whether it works.
Move the table 6 ft 7 in eastTestYou can undo it	No	This hour: No → No. move it. Reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. If it worked The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared. If it didn’t If light after dark still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Mark 6 feet 7 inches out on the ground and stand there before committing. The geometry is only as good as that distance.
Two low shielded lights instead of one high oneTestYou can undo it	No	This hour: No → No. an afternoon. Reversible. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. If it worked The hour is easier, even if no single limit disappeared. If it didn’t If light after dark still stops the hour after you try it, this was not the mechanism. What would change this Measure the actual height available before ordering: this is sized at 1 foot 8 inches and about four inches either way changes whether it works.

What survives out here

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

Stainless steel	well suited	The surface here peaks near 115°F. Ask the supplier: Is it 304 or 316? Within a few miles of salt water that difference is the whole decision.
Tempered glass	well suited	Anything that stays damp grows something, whatever it is made of. Ask the supplier: What is the edge detail, and how will it be cleaned on the outside face?
Weathering steel	well suited	The surface here peaks near 115°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	Anything that stays damp grows something, whatever it is made of. 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	Anything that stays damp grows something, whatever it is made of. Ask the supplier: What size and shape is the aggregate, and is there an edge to keep it where it belongs?
Powder-coated aluminium	well suited	This spot takes about 1.15 MJ per square metre a day of ultraviolet in its harshest month. Ask the supplier: Is the powder coat rated to AAMA 2604 or 2605, and is the substrate marine-grade?

What belongs here

About 29 moles of usable light a day with about 13 hours of direct sun in high summer. That is full sun, whatever the label on the plant says. Midwinter direct sun is about 8 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 29 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	About 29 moles a day, against an ideal of 24. This is the right light band. 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. Zone 4.3 is outside this group's usual range of 5 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan. 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. Zone 4.3 is outside this group's usual range of 5 to 10. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan. 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 you are looking at	sit there	Mark the direction of the view worth keeping. No view has been marked yet, so nothing weighs what the view is worth, and a screen that blocks it looks free. This is not a refinement. Nothing can answer this question until somebody marks it.

The year at a glance

Jan	8 h sun	8 mol light, would not dry within the day
Feb	7 h sun	12.8 mol light, would not dry within the day
Mar	9 h sun	18.7 mol light, would not dry within the day
Apr	10 h sun	24.9 mol light, would not dry within the day
May	13 h sun	30.9 mol light
Jun	13 h sun	34.5 mol light
Jul	13 h sun	34.7 mol light
Aug	11 h sun	28.5 mol light
Sep	10 h sun	21.3 mol light, would not dry within the day
Oct	8 h sun	14.5 mol light, would not dry within the day
Nov	7 h sun	8 mol light, would not dry within the day
Dec	7 h sun	6.1 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.
Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
Wall fixings, cantilever loads and wind class are an installer's responsibility, and a badly fixed awning takes render off a wall.
Check buried services before digging, and check mature spread against the boundary before planting.
Permanent exterior circuits need code-compliant wiring.
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 7 places: a structural engineer, a drainage engineer, an electrician, your planning authority, 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 5 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.
Anchoring and wind rating are the manufacturer's numbers, not ours. A cantilever umbrella in gusty conditions is a real hazard.
Anything freestanding taller than a person is a wind-loaded structure and may need consent as well as footings.
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 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.

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 2 lines in this document that send you here

Permanent exterior circuits need code-compliant wiring.
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.

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

Check buried services before digging, and check mature spread against the boundary before planting.

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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