Property exposure brief
The pool surround nobody can cross barefoot
The route to the water is open for crossing barefoot 12:00 AM to 10:30 AM and again 4:00 PM to 11:30 PM.
The property, as mapped
The pool surround nobody can cross barefoot at Phoenix (demonstration). 2 places are being read, against 2 things that stand in the way.
| The house | 13.8 ft | 100 per cent solid. Confirmed. |
|---|---|---|
| Block wall | 6.2 ft | 100 per cent solid. Confirmed. |
How The route to the water behaves in September
The route to the water is open for crossing barefoot 12:00 AM to 10:30 AM and again 4:00 PM to 11:30 PM.
About 18 hours in September, and surface heat is what closes it.
The sun reaches this spot from 6:20 AM and leaves it at 6:20 PM.
| Direct sun | 12.3 hours | of 12.3 hours of daylight |
|---|---|---|
| Sky visible from here | 93 per cent | The house takes 100% |
| Usable light | 41.3 mol/m² a day |
Whether it works for crossing barefoot
The route to the water does not work for crossing barefoot right now, and surface heat is why.
| Surface heat | 134.2°F against at most 120.2°F | This is the one use where the ground decides everything and the air decides nothing. Skin blanches at about fifty degrees and burns not far above it, and a pale-looking paver in July sails past both. |
|---|---|---|
| Direct sun | 100 / 100 against at most 85 | Sun on the crossing is only a problem because of what it has done to the slab for the last four hours. |
What to try, cheapest first
Two 8.2 ft parasols instead of one is the smallest change that moves this. Two 8.2 ft parasols instead of one improves things by 8 points without solving any single limit outright.
| A shade sail over the seating | +66 | a project. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. |
|---|---|---|
| A deciduous tree 16.4 ft south-west of the seat | +66 | a project. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. |
| Raise the seating 3 ft | +15 | a project. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. |
| Two 8.2 ft parasols instead of one | +8 | move it. It does not meaningfully change the beam in either season. |
| A deciduous climber on tensioned wires | +4 | a project. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. |
| A pergola with open slats | +8 | a build. It takes the summer sun and leaves most of the winter sun, which is the behaviour worth paying for. |
What survives out here
Ultraviolet is the dominant pressure here. Colour goes first, then the fibre or the finish. 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.
| Tempered glass | well suited | The surface here peaks near 153°F. Ask the supplier: What is the edge detail, and how will it be cleaned on the outside face? |
|---|---|---|
| Weathering steel | workable | The surface here peaks near 153°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 | workable | The surface here peaks near 153°F. Ask the supplier: What is the slip classification, wet, and how is it being laid: pedestals, sand or mortar? |
| Stainless steel | workable | The surface here peaks near 153°F. Ask the supplier: Is it 304 or 316? Within a few miles of salt water that difference is the whole decision. |
| Gravel and self-binding aggregate | workable | The surface here peaks near 153°F. Ask the supplier: What size and shape is the aggregate, and is there an edge to keep it where it belongs? |
| Sling and mesh fabric | workable | This spot takes about 1.57 MJ per square metre a day of ultraviolet in its harshest month. Ask the supplier: What holds the sling to the frame, and can that fixing be replaced when the fabric goes? |
What belongs here
About 50.9 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.
Of the groups in the reference set, salt-tolerant coastal shrub is the one that actually belongs in conditions like these.
| Salt-tolerant coastal shrub | belongs here | About 50.9 moles a day against an ideal of 30. There is no stated ceiling for this group, but that is a lot more light than it is built for. Examples, not recommendations: Escallonia; Griselinia; Elaeagnus. |
|---|---|---|
| Contained clumping bamboo | belongs here | Surfaces here reach about 153°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Clumping Fargesia. |
| Shade-tolerant lawn or alternative | will work | Surfaces here reach about 153°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Fine fescue mixes; Clover and micro-clover blends; Moss, accepted rather than fought. |
| Deciduous climber for seasonal shade | will work | About 50.9 moles a day against an ideal of 30. There is no stated ceiling for this group, but that is a lot more light than it is built for. Examples, not recommendations: Grape vine; Wisteria, given the structure for it; Virginia creeper. |
| Seasonal container display | will work | Surfaces here reach about 153°F. A container in that is a watering commitment, not a planting decision. Examples, not recommendations: Regional bedding for the season. |
| Large evergreen screening shrub | will work | About 50.9 moles a day against an ideal of 26. There is no stated ceiling for this group, but that is a lot more light than it is built for. Examples, not recommendations: Photinia; Viburnum tinus; Laurel where it is not invasive. |
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 | 10 h sun | 22.2 mol light, would not dry within the day |
|---|---|---|
| Feb | 11 h sun | 29.8 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Mar | 12 h sun | 38.6 mol light |
| Apr | 13 h sun | 49.7 mol light |
| May | 14 h sun | 57.3 mol light |
| Jun | 14 h sun | 59.8 mol light |
| Jul | 14 h sun | 51.6 mol light |
| Aug | 14 h sun | 46.7 mol light |
| Sep | 12 h sun | 41.6 mol light |
| Oct | 11 h sun | 34.4 mol light |
| Nov | 10 h sun | 24.8 mol light, would not dry within the day |
| Dec | 10 h sun | 20 mol light, would not dry within the day |
Where this stops
- Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.
- Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.
- A raised deck is a structure: footings, guarding above a certain height, and in many places a planning question about overlooking.
- Fixings into a wall carry load and need to miss what is behind the render.
- Footings, post sizing, wind and snow loading, and whether this needs consent at all are engineering and planning questions, not design ones.
- 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 6 places: a structural engineer, a drainage engineer, an electrician, your planning authority, an arborist and local planting advice.
Inferred from the time zone America/Phoenix. 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
- Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.
- A raised deck is a structure: footings, guarding above a certain height, and in many places a planning question about overlooking.
- Fixings into a wall carry load and need to miss what is behind the render.
- Footings, post sizing, wind and snow loading, and whether this needs consent at all are engineering and planning questions, not design ones.
- 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
- A raised deck is a structure: footings, guarding above a certain height, and in many places a planning question about overlooking.
- Footings, post sizing, wind and snow loading, and whether this needs consent at all are engineering and planning questions, not design ones.
- 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
- Sail tension pulls hard on its anchors. Fixing points into a wall, a post or a tree is a structural decision.
- Mature size, root behaviour near foundations and drains, and local suitability are questions for a nursery or arborist who can see the site.
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.
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
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
- Royal Horticultural Society, Plant selection and site assessment guidance
- 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
- ASTM G154, Practice for operating fluorescent ultraviolet lamp apparatus for exposure of materials
- Purdue University Horticulture, Faust and others, Daily light integral as a design metric for plant growth
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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