Choosing an outdoor living spot: compare where you would actually sit

Give the comparison a specific occasion

Choose one ordinary occasion that matters to you: coffee before work, lunch outside or dinner with friends. Write down when it happens and who needs a seat. A space that works beautifully for a weekend lunch may offer something quite different when you arrive home.

Then mark two plausible locations on the site plan. Include a less obvious option, perhaps beside the house or within a gap between buildings. At Sylvan St Reno, the published design uses the space between a house and detached garage to create new living and entertaining areas. I would take that as a prompt to look carefully at overlooked spaces on your own property.

Spend time in both places

If the ground is safe and accessible, take a chair to each spot at your chosen time. Sit long enough to notice what makes you want to stay or move. Visit on more than one day; a calm afternoon gives you only one version of the site.

Record observations separately from assumptions. Write 'wind disturbed the newspaper here this afternoon' rather than 'this corner is always windy'. Note the date, time and weather beside photographs so the design team can understand what they show.

• Is sun reaching the seat, the table or your eyes?
• Would you choose shade or a warmer position?
• What can you hear while sitting quietly?
• What interrupts conversation or makes you move the chair?

Ask what the visits cannot tell you

Your observations are useful evidence, but they cannot show every season or the effect of a house that has not been built. Ask for sun and shadow studies at the hours you care about, showing the proposed building and relevant surroundings.

MBIE's landscaping guidance recommends considering summer and winter sun angles and the mature size of plants. BRANZ's Level guidance also recommends assessing wind early, including seasonal conditions, and explains that wind can funnel around or between buildings. Ask how the proposed building shape could change the conditions you observed.

• Which sun and wind assumptions still need checking?
• What changes if existing trees are removed?
• Who will advise on shelter where exposure is uncertain?

Compare the work each option needs

For a hypothetical household choosing an evening dining spot, the broadest view might compete with a quieter corner nearer the house. I would ask for both options to be drawn with furniture and any proposed shelter, then discuss which trade-off feels acceptable.

Make the comparison explicit: location A offers the outlook but needs a wind response; location B feels more enclosed but gives up part of the view. Ask the team to investigate those observations. Include the effect of any roof or screen on adjacent rooms before treating it as the solution.

A second, modest sitting place may be worth exploring if your favourite breakfast and evening positions differ. Decide whether you would use it often enough to justify the extra work and upkeep.

Bring a preference and an unanswered question

Bring your marked plan and observations to the next meeting. Say which spot you favour, why, and what would make you change your mind. If you would like help comparing the possibilities, we can talk through the site information and decide what needs testing first.