Advice on sun/shade

jenna_1708NT56gEiv

Hello,

We currently have a beautiful big south facing garden which is not overlooked and gets full on sun from mid morning till night. We are considering moving to a new build house which has a more northerly facing garden and I am concerned that we would get no sun! I am new to gardening and so have very little idea about these things yet - trying to learn. Could you offer advice on the sun/shade in the garden in the possible new build plot? I have marked the property with a black dot. Your wisdom is very much appreciated. P.S we are in Scotland, just north of Dundee. Thanks in advance. 

K67

Don't think you will get a lot but your plot will be very overlooked and the houses behind might well be planting for privacy which might affect you.
Its always hard to tell but in mid summer you will but over winter it does depend on whether the sun will get above the house roof.
There are apps you can download which will track the sun in a given spot.

jenna_1708NT56gEiv

K67 said:

Don't think you will get a lot but your plot will be very overlooked and the houses behind might well be planting for privacy which might affect you.
Its always hard to tell but in mid summer you will but over winter it does depend on whether the sun will get above the house roof.
There are apps you can download which will track the sun in a given spot.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! And so quickly too. Yes, that was my fear. I will have a go at downloading a tracker app.

Nanny Beach

can I ask why you are moving from your lovelly big south facing garden.  Your question, my garden faces north but because of the size I get sun from dawn, till 6.30 somewhere in the summer. But it is a detached bungalow not overlooked or overshadowed

jenna_1708NT56gEiv

Nanny Beach said:

can I ask why you are moving from your lovelly big south facing garden.  Your question, my garden faces north but because of the size I get sun from dawn, till 6.30 somewhere in the summer. But it is a detached bungalow not overlooked or overshadowed

Thanks for your reply! We have a young baby and currently live in a remote village so thinking about moving to a livelier area. Parting with a large, sunny, secluded garden is a big downside though! 

raisingirl

In summer, you'll probably get an hour so of sunshine on the left side of the plot in mid to late morning, then the sun will go behind the green house to the left of yours until mid afternoon. Then you'll have sunshine for a few hours until close to sunset, depending how tall the houses in the street behind are. 
In midwinter, the sun will rise round about the gap between your house and the green one but then quickly go behind that house and set before it goes around far enough, so probably in shade pretty much all day.
Between those extremes, you'll probably normally get a couple of hours of afternoon sun on most days when it's shining.

Does the ground slope much, or is it flat? That will make a difference, potentially

jenna_1708NT56gEiv

raisingirl said:

In summer, you'll probably get an hour so of sunshine on the left side of the plot in mid to late morning, then the sun will go behind the green house to the left of yours until mid afternoon. Then you'll have sunshine for a few hours until close to sunset, depending how tall the houses in the street behind are. 
In midwinter, the sun will rise round about the gap between your house and the green one but then quickly go behind that house and set before it goes around far enough, so probably in shade pretty much all day.
Between those extremes, you'll probably normally get a couple of hours of afternoon sun on most days when it's shining.

Does the ground slope much, or is it flat? That will make a difference, potentially

Thanks so much for this really helpful and detailed answer!! So useful. 

The ground slopes downwards slightly from the house to the back of the garden. Apparently the bottom of the garden is 37cm lower than the top part at the backdoor.

There is potentially another plot available with the same type of house. There is existing housing opposite. I have marked it on the attached photo in a blue/green dot. It is less overlooked but not sure about the sun again. How would it compare for sunlight?

Thanks so much again!

raisingirl

jenna_1708NT56gEiv said:

The ground slopes downwards slightly from the house to the back of the garden. Apparently the bottom of the garden is 37cm lower than the top part at the backdoor.

If it keeps sloping that way, so the houses behind you are lower than yours, you'll get sun for longer in the evening - over their roofs

The second house will have sun from mid morning to early afternoon and will have some sunlight in the winter (as long as your neighbour doesn't plant a big tree). You won't get late afternoon sun there - your own house will shade it.
So if you want your child to play out in the day time, the second one might be better. If you want to be able to sit out at the end of the day, after school, the first one probably has the edge. The first one is further from the road and probably less overlooked, if that's a concern for you.

It's always hard 'off plan' because it's really difficult to get a 'feel' for a place. Ultimately, is there a community there? Or is it just a load of new houses in a field? Because if you're moving from a remote place to somewhere livelier, an estate of brand new houses may not be the right choice, regardless of which way the garden faces. Go to a new estate that was built a year or two ago and have a walk around. If it doesn't feel 'homely' then keep looking. Gardens can be made lovely in almost any aspect, the house needs to be right and that is down to what's around it more than the house itself, as often as not.

jenna_1708NT56gEiv

raisingirl said:

jenna_1708NT56gEiv said:

The ground slopes downwards slightly from the house to the back of the garden. Apparently the bottom of the garden is 37cm lower than the top part at the backdoor.

If it keeps sloping that way, so the houses behind you are lower than yours, you'll get sun for longer in the evening - over their roofs

The second house will have sun from mid morning to early afternoon and will have some sunlight in the winter (as long as your neighbour doesn't plant a big tree). You won't get late afternoon sun there - your own house will shade it.
So if you want your child to play out in the day time, the second one might be better. If you want to be able to sit out at the end of the day, after school, the first one probably has the edge. The first one is further from the road and probably less overlooked, if that's a concern for you.

It's always hard 'off plan' because it's really difficult to get a 'feel' for a place. Ultimately, is there a community there? Or is it just a load of new houses in a field? Because if you're moving from a remote place to somewhere livelier, an estate of brand new houses may not be the right choice, regardless of which way the garden faces. Go to a new estate that was built a year or two ago and have a walk around. If it doesn't feel 'homely' then keep looking. Gardens can be made lovely in almost any aspect, the house needs to be right and that is down to what's around it more than the house itself, as often as not.

Thanks so much again for a really thoughtful reply. We know a few people in the town and the development is in its final phase so well established now. It's a big decision so every little bit of information is helpful. Really appreciate your help - thank you so much 🙂

jenna_1708NT56gEiv

Just a wee update to let you know that we decided against this move - for various reasons including the garden. It was just not the right property for us. Thank you so very much for all of your helpful comments. They were really valuable in making an informed decision. So thank you all again!