I currently live in a home on the south side of an east-west street. This means that the back of the home faces the south and the front faces the north. I have a small porch on the front (north) and the same on the back (south).
I prefer to sit on the north side (street side) because it is shady there during the day and generally cooler. But we get no breeze there.
Today I was visiting with a gal in the same set-up and we walked to the east side of her home and I was surprised by the breeze coming through. It reminded me when I lived on the west side of a north-south street. We would sit in the evening on the east side of the house. There were 3 homes there, all aligned in front. Two of the homes were 72' long. This creates quite a long "sail" for the wind to hit and travel along. Usually the wind is coming out of the south here in the summer.
I think the preferred walk-out direction is to the east. That way, things get light early in the morning and you are shielded from the sun during the day. The second choice would be to the south, where you have the sun all day long, but not so much in the afternoon. The worst choice I suppose would be a walk-out to the west, where you would be broiled in the afternoon.
Things like this make a big difference in gardening and landscaping. I remember a space between a masonry wall on the east side of a house, and a garage about 16' away. It was a narrow area and the breeze would come through there. It stayed cool, but got a bit of sun in the morning and as the sun was directly to the south. So it was possible to grow grass and plants. It was a great area to gather in the afternoon along a picnic table.
Everyone is different. I like an area with sun in the morning where I can drink my coffee/eat breakfast and enjoy the morning, then stay out of the sun during the day and the heat of the afternoon/early evening. Others want to be directly in the sun during the afternoon.
Does anyone else have some observations about designs by purpose or by chance which have worked out well or been the work of satan?
I prefer to sit on the north side (street side) because it is shady there during the day and generally cooler. But we get no breeze there.
Today I was visiting with a gal in the same set-up and we walked to the east side of her home and I was surprised by the breeze coming through. It reminded me when I lived on the west side of a north-south street. We would sit in the evening on the east side of the house. There were 3 homes there, all aligned in front. Two of the homes were 72' long. This creates quite a long "sail" for the wind to hit and travel along. Usually the wind is coming out of the south here in the summer.
I think the preferred walk-out direction is to the east. That way, things get light early in the morning and you are shielded from the sun during the day. The second choice would be to the south, where you have the sun all day long, but not so much in the afternoon. The worst choice I suppose would be a walk-out to the west, where you would be broiled in the afternoon.
Things like this make a big difference in gardening and landscaping. I remember a space between a masonry wall on the east side of a house, and a garage about 16' away. It was a narrow area and the breeze would come through there. It stayed cool, but got a bit of sun in the morning and as the sun was directly to the south. So it was possible to grow grass and plants. It was a great area to gather in the afternoon along a picnic table.
Everyone is different. I like an area with sun in the morning where I can drink my coffee/eat breakfast and enjoy the morning, then stay out of the sun during the day and the heat of the afternoon/early evening. Others want to be directly in the sun during the afternoon.
Does anyone else have some observations about designs by purpose or by chance which have worked out well or been the work of satan?
