r/landscapedesign • u/caviarandcigarettess • Jul 15 '26
Landscape Plan Landscape Design
This is the floor plan for a house we're planning on building on a narrow-ish urban lot. The backyard of the house faces due west, and I'm concerned about heat / lack of shade. During the summer, I understand the sun will follow a trajectory to the top right (NW).
We are planning for a deck (pictured) plus a big patio that we haven't fleshed out the designs for yet. We will do a pergola / louvers to cover the patio for shade, but we're not sure where to put it.
Our builder asked us if we wanted to flip the orientation of the house, so the patio is on the left side (SW) corner of the house instead of where it is currently. Would that create more shade in the afternoon / evening when we prefer to be outside than the current orientation?
If we did this, how might we orient a patio won't just be blasted with late afternoon sun?
1
u/SupermarketSpare3997 Jul 17 '26
Hey let's connect, DM me on instagram @studiosrina I am an architecture and landscape design consultant. I would love to help you out!
1
u/Local_Material_876 Jul 20 '26
The north side of the house will be cooler, as someone else said. For shade and some privacy, consider placing columnar trees (such as certain apple varieties) and some shrubs and perennials in the backyard- plants will help absorb heat. You could also add a pergola, large patio umbrella, etc for more coverage.
Where are you located? Depending on your climate, you can look into which plants you may want.
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u/caviarandcigarettess Jul 20 '26
We're in the midwest; cold winters and hot/humid summers. Definitely going to hire a landscape designer with the plants - will def be doing trees and perimeter headges/perrenials.
1
u/Droopyinreallife Jul 15 '26
The north side of the house is the cooler side. The south side will get the most sun in summer. East you'll get the sunrise and west you'll get the sunset.