The west patio that cooks at five

Do not let one good July afternoon approve a permanent object.

This is the annual vote. The same proposed screen, awning, pergola, move or planting change is held fixed while the engine re-runs the property in winter, spring, summer and autumn.

Reading point

Use

Clock hour: 5:00 PM

The hour is intentionally held constant. This isolates seasonal geometry instead of letting a different clock time flatter the proposal.

The year, in one line

Everything below is about a change. Before that, it is worth knowing what the place already does — the hours it is open, month by month, on one page you can put on a fridge.

Operating hours card

Before a permanent change gets to win

Make January, April, July and October vote on it.

These are the exact same proposed objects re-run through the engine in four seasons. A summer fix that steals winter sun cannot hide inside one July afternoon.

Same geometry · four seasons

Change	Jan	Apr	Jul	Oct	Seasons it helps	Year verdict
A 7 ft 1 in screen 10 ft 8 in from the seat The status improves in 1 of 4 seasons and does not get worse in the rest. 3 stay No.	No No → No	Works No → Works	No No → No	No No → No	1 of 4	seasonal
An evergreen hedge to about 7 ft 1 in The status improves in 1 of 4 seasons and does not get worse in the rest. 3 stay No.	No No → No	Works No → Works	No No → No	No No → No	1 of 4	seasonal
A second seat 19 ft 8 in north-east The status does not move in any sampled season.	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	0 of 4	weak
Raise the seating 2 ft 11 in The status does not move in any sampled season.	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	0 of 4	weak
An evergreen group behind the deciduous planting The status does not move in any sampled season.	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	0 of 4	weak
A 6 ft 11 in panel to the south-west The status does not move in any sampled season.	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	No No → No	0 of 4	weak

What changes by season

A 7 ft 1 in screen 10 ft 8 in from the seat

January: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

April: No → Works; after the change the controlling issue is glare; direct-sun reading +0.

July: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

October: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is glare; direct-sun reading +0.

An evergreen hedge to about 7 ft 1 in

January: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

April: No → Works; after the change the controlling issue is glare; direct-sun reading +0.

July: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

October: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is glare; direct-sun reading +0.

A second seat 19 ft 8 in north-east

January: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

April: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading +0.

July: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

October: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading -37.

Raise the seating 2 ft 11 in

January: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

April: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading -12.

July: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

October: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading -34.

An evergreen group behind the deciduous planting

January: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

April: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading -85.

July: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

October: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading -85.

A 6 ft 11 in panel to the south-west

January: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

April: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading +0.

July: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is what it feels like; direct-sun reading +0.

October: No → No; after the change the controlling issue is privacy exposure; direct-sun reading -92.

Draw this change

The same change, four times a year

A 7 ft 1 in screen 10 ft 8 in from the seat, drawn at 5:00 PM on the four days the vote reads. The top row is the place as it is; the bottom row has the change in it.

To scale · to the measurements given

The drawings, in a table

A 7 ft 1 in screen 10 ft 8 in from the seat, as the place is and with the change, at 5:00 PM on four days.
Day	Sun	As it is	With the change	Hours
15 January	Down	No	No	Not claimed
15 April	29° up, W	No	Works	Not claimed
15 July	37° up, W	No	No	Not claimed
15 October	14° up, SW	No	No	Not claimed

The year as it is

Works
Tight
No
Unanswered

Rings run from 3 pm at the centre to 11 pm at the edge. Schematic: A shape of the facts, not a picture of a particular date or a measured outline. Each month is its 15th, not a promise about the other days.

The dining table is open for dinner outside 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM, August to September. Shut October to July.

October to July: shut for dinner outside. What it feels like stops it in 6 of those months and privacy exposure in most of the rest.
August to September: open 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

The shut months are not shut for the same reason. What it feels like closes 6 of them and privacy exposure closes most of the rest, so a single change will not open the year — it will open part of it.

The same year as a table

Month	Open	Usable hours	What decides it
January 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
February 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
March 15	shut	—	Privacy exposure stops it
April 15	shut	—	Privacy exposure stops it
May 15	shut	—	Privacy exposure stops it
June 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
July 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
August 15	8:00 PM–9:00 PM	1 h
September 15	8:00 PM–9:00 PM	1 h
October 15	shut	—	Privacy exposure stops it
November 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
December 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it

The year with a 7 ft 1 in screen 10 ft 8 in from the seat

Works
Tight
No
Unanswered

Rings run from 3 pm at the centre to 11 pm at the edge. Schematic: A shape of the facts, not a picture of a particular date or a measured outline. Each month is its 15th, not a promise about the other days.

The dining table is open for dinner outside 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, June to August. It opens at different hours March, April to May, September and October. Shut November to February.

November to February: shut for dinner outside. What it feels like is what stops it.
March: open 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Glare is what closes it.
April to May: open 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. What it feels like is what closes it.
June to August: open 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
September: open 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
October: open 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. What it feels like is what closes it.

The shut months are shut for one reason: what it feels like. That is the thing to change if you want the season longer, and it is a different job from making the open months better.

The same year as a table

Month	Open	Usable hours	What decides it
January 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
February 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
March 15	5:00 PM–6:00 PM	1 h	Glare closes it
April 15	5:00 PM–8:00 PM	3 h	What it feels like closes it
May 15	5:00 PM–9:00 PM	4 h
June 15	7:00 PM–9:00 PM	2 h
July 15	7:00 PM–9:00 PM	2 h
August 15	7:00 PM–9:00 PM	2 h
September 15	5:00 PM–9:00 PM	4 h
October 15	6:00 PM–7:00 PM	1 h	What it feels like closes it
November 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it
December 15	shut	—	What it feels like stops it

Annual shortlist

6 exact proposals re-tested

A 7 ft 1 in screen 10 ft 8 in from the seat

seasonal

The status improves in 1 of 4 seasons and does not get worse in the rest. 3 stay No.

January: No → No · April: No → Works · July: No → No · October: No → No

An evergreen hedge to about 7 ft 1 in

seasonal

The status improves in 1 of 4 seasons and does not get worse in the rest. 3 stay No.

January: No → No · April: No → Works · July: No → No · October: No → No

A second seat 19 ft 8 in north-east

weak

The status does not move in any sampled season.

January: No → No · April: No → No · July: No → No · October: No → No

Raise the seating 2 ft 11 in

weak

The status does not move in any sampled season.

January: No → No · April: No → No · July: No → No · October: No → No

An evergreen group behind the deciduous planting

weak

The status does not move in any sampled season.

January: No → No · April: No → No · July: No → No · October: No → No

A 6 ft 11 in panel to the south-west

weak

The status does not move in any sampled season.

January: No → No · April: No → No · July: No → No · October: No → No