Property exposure brief
The north-facing city garden
The north-facing city garden: not enough is mapped yet to say anything useful.
The property, as mapped
The north-facing city garden at Chicago (demonstration). 3 places are being read, against 4 things that stand in the way.
| The house | 36.1 ft | 100 per cent solid. Confirmed. |
|---|---|---|
| East party wall | 14.8 ft | 100 per cent solid. Confirmed. |
| West party wall | 14.8 ft | 100 per cent solid. Confirmed. |
| The block behind | 39.4 ft | 100 per cent solid. Confirmed. |
How The bed by the back door behaves in September
| Direct sun | 0 hours | of 12.3 hours of daylight |
|---|---|---|
| Sky visible from here | 34 per cent | The house takes 34%, East party wall takes 30%, West party wall takes 30%, The block behind takes 5% |
| Usable light | 6.8 mol/m² a day |
Whether it works for growing things
The bed by the back door does not work for growing things on a day like this, and how long it stays wet is why.
| How long it stays wet | 24h against at most 10h | Roots and foliage sitting wet kill more plants than the wrong hardiness zone does. |
|---|---|---|
| Hours of direct sun | 0h against at least 1.5h | Some direct sun, even briefly, changes what is possible here. |
What survives out here
Things stay wet here for 12 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.
| Sling and mesh fabric | well suited | The surface here peaks near 139°F. Ask the supplier: What holds the sling to the frame, and can that fixing be replaced when the fabric goes? |
|---|---|---|
| Tempered glass | well suited | The surface here peaks near 139°F. 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 139°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? |
| Stainless steel | well suited | The surface here peaks near 139°F. Ask the supplier: Is it 304 or 316? Within a few miles of salt water that difference is the whole decision. |
| HDPE and polypropylene resin furniture | well suited | The surface here peaks near 139°F. Ask the supplier: Is it ultraviolet-stabilised, and what does the fade warranty say in years? |
| Exterior porcelain paver | well suited | The surface here peaks near 139°F. Ask the supplier: What is the slip classification, wet, and how is it being laid: pedestals, sand or mortar? |
What belongs here
About 10.3 moles of usable light a day with about 2 hours of direct sun in high summer. That is part shade, whatever the label on the plant says.
Of the groups in the reference set, fern for cool damp shade is the one that actually belongs in conditions like these. Anything planted here sits wet for 12 months of the year, so drainage is the decision before the plant is.
| Fern for cool damp shade | belongs here | Surfaces here reach about 139°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Dryopteris; Polystichum; Athyrium. |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture-loving marginal | belongs here | Surfaces here reach about 139°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Astilbe; Ligularia; Iris sibirica. |
| Deep-shade foliage plant | will work | Surfaces here reach about 139°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Hart's tongue fern; Epimedium; Asarum. |
| Rain garden and swale planting | will work | This spot gives about 10.3 moles a day and this wants at least 12. It will live and it will not perform. Examples, not recommendations: Iris in damp ground; Switchgrass; Joe Pye weed in North America. |
| Narrow upright evergreen screen | wrong place | This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does. 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. |
What to measure before spending anything
Ranked by how far the answer actually moves across the plausible range, not by a checklist.
| Who can actually see in | sit there | Sit where you actually sit and look around. Mark the one window or path you can see a person from. Until one exists, privacy is a question we are not answering rather than one that is fine. This is not a refinement. Nothing can answer this question until somebody marks it. |
|---|---|---|
| What you are looking at | sit there | Mark the direction of the view worth keeping. Without it, every screening recommendation is optimising against nothing. This is not a refinement. Nothing can answer this question until somebody marks it. |
The year at a glance
| Jan | 0 h sun | 3.3 mol light, would not dry within the day |
|---|---|---|
| Feb | 0 h sun | 4.7 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Mar | 0 h sun | 6.4 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Apr | 0 h sun | 8.1 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| May | 1 h sun | 10.8 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Jun | 2 h sun | 13.2 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Jul | 2 h sun | 13 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Aug | 1 h sun | 10 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Sep | 0 h sun | 6.7 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Oct | 0 h sun | 5.2 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Nov | 0 h sun | 3.6 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Dec | 0 h sun | 2.8 mol light, would not dry within the day |
Where this stops
- 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 4 places: a structural engineer, a drainage engineer, an electrician and your planning authority.
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 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 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 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 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.
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
- 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
- Proceedings of the Royal Society A, Penman, Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass
- ASTM G154, Practice for operating fluorescent ultraviolet lamp apparatus for exposure of materials
- 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
- Purdue University Horticulture, Faust and others, Daily light integral as a design metric for plant growth
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Plant Hardiness Zone Map
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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