On the quest to find an apartment with the perfect patio? If enjoying the outdoors at home is crucial to your apartment selection, it may be a good idea to consider where the patio is located. Depending on how an apartment patio is faced in relation to the sun, you can expect to experience a different outdoor ambiance.
If you would like to enjoy a cool and shady patio in the summer evenings, you may want to find an apartment that faces North or East (in the Northern Hemisphere). With this option, you can experience the most natural light during the early part of the day. You will also miss the glare and the heat of the sun in the late afternoons and evening. This is also a good option if you like to keep a small herb garden on your patio. Plants receive a good amount of light earlier, while escaping the scorching heat late in the afternoon.
Apartments with patios that face South or West receive the most shade in the mornings. This an ideal situation if you are an early riser who likes to read or spend breakfast time outside, as it is cooler in the mornings during summer. As the day progresses, the sun will gradually fall over the patio and remain present until it sets in the evening. This is perfect if you enjoy watching the sunset in the evenings or if you like to sunbathe in the summer afternoons.
It is not a deal breaker if you do not find an apartment patio that is cardinally faced in a direction that is compatible with your lifestyle. With proper solar shading and cooling features for the morning or afternoons where the sun is most abrasive, your apartment patio can be enjoyed any time of the day during the summer.
Next week on the apartment living blog we will discuss in detail about the solar shading and cooling features that can be implemented on an apartment patio to make it more comfortable during the hot summer months.
