Building
Where the sun falls decides which rooms feel bright, which patio gets used, and how hot the west wall gets in July. Home Shade shows the sun and shade on your lot at any hour of any day, so an extension, a deck or a new window goes where the light is.
See the shade at your home
An example home in Atlanta, to scale: the house and its five trees, every shadow cast by the sun's true position. It shifts between the photo and the plan Home Shade draws from it.
3:23 PM
6.0 h of sun on the garden, June 21
In the United States, rooms and terraces on the south side get the most sun across the year and the gentlest winter light. East gets cool morning sun; west gets hot late-afternoon sun, which is why west-facing glass needs shade in summer. North gets steady, indirect light, good for studios and kitchens that overheat.
A two-story house throws a noon shadow a few feet long in June and around 40 feet in December. An extension on the north side of a tall house may sit in shade all winter. Check December before you decide where to build.
Put an outdoor dining space where it's shaded at the hour you eat in summer, and a winter sitting spot where the low sun still reaches. Home Shade shows both from the same plan.
In the United States, living spaces facing south get the most sun across the year, with gentle winter light and summer sun that's easy to shade with an overhang.
Much longer than in summer. At around 34° north, a 26 ft house's noon shadow is about 5 ft in June and about 40 ft in December.
It shows the sun and shade on your lot today, from your house and trees, so you can see where the light is before you build.
