Living where you do, somewhere between 30° and 50° north latitude, the
sun, summer or winter, will never pass overhead at noon but shine on
a slant from the south, very much more in winter than summer. This
slant of the sun, however, will not concern you practically so much
in placing your house, as will the time and direction of sunrise at
the extremes of June and December, and the position of the sun the
successive hours of the day, at those times of the year.
You have certain rooms in which you especially want the sun, morning or
afternoon; or a porch you want as much in the shade as possible, let us
say. In tracing the direction of the sun’s rays, do not think of them
as converging or as spreading out. Think of them rather as coming in
great, broad, parallel bands so that no matter how large your house may
be, the moment one side gets the sun, the opposite parallel side falls
into shade. The broad band of parallel lines streaming from the sun, as
seen on the chart, is meant to illustrate this.
Now cut a piece of light cardboard in the shape of your house, at a
greatly reduced scale, with all its porches and projections, as, for
example, the blank form on the chart. Attach it with a pin at the
center of the chart, so it may be easily turned. First place your house
facing directly east. You will see on midsummer day that the north and
east elevations will get the first morning sun. About 8 o’clock the sun
will leave the north side and begin to illuminate the south elevation.
At noon, the sun will pass from the east to the west side of the house,
and then, at 4 o’clock, leave the south and creep back to the north
side of the house, shining on west and north sides from then on until
its setting between 7 and 8 o’clock in the evening.
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