Calculating Sun Angles

A powerful (and free...) tool for modeling is Google's 'Sketchup'. We regularly use Sketchup to help our clients envision their new addition or new house. For Stacey and Matthew Flier, a primary concern for their new sunroom addition was: how will the sun come through the windows or be blocked by the eaves throughout the year? We designed the roof overhangs in Sketchup, using a tool to view the sun angles throughout the year. This animated model shows sun angles in the afternoons from January to December.
You can see how the overhangs effectively block the sun in the early summer months, but not in the late summer and early fall. This study told us that a pergola would be necessary to help shade the lower windows and glass french doors for those months.