Sunday, June 27, 2010

heliolotry: word of the week

Did you know that at this here approximate latitude, the sun is around 30 degrees above the horizon at midday on the winter solstice? Did you know that on that day the sun rises approximately 73 degrees east of due south and sets about 73 degrees west of due south? On the spring and fall equinoxes, the sun is about 54 degrees above the horizon and it rises 91 degrees east of due south (and sets 91 degrees west of due south.) On the summer solstice, the fiery ball shines 78 degrees above the horizon and rises 110 degrees east of due south, setting 110 degrees west of due south. Here in the mountains, with the land's countless rises and falls, knolls and hollers, coves and ridges, it can be pretty tricky to find the perfect little nook to place a new house. The path of the sun across the sky through the seasons is a phenomenon to be observed with the utmost respect. The sun, the ultimate elemental representation of fire here on out little planet, is an entity to cater to, if not worship.
I wasn't in church this Sunday worshipping the son, but rather you could find me out in the woods dappling in a little heliolotry of sorts. I spent the morning gathering some basic props- a compass, a protractor, a level, a yard stick and my shotgun. By this afternoon I was up in the hills checking what the angle of the sun will be in the middle of winter at each of my three top potential house sites. I decided the best way to see if the mountains would be in the way of precious winter sun was this method:
1) Take a stump and mark it with north, south, east and west. Also, using the compass, mark it with the degrees east and west of due south that the sun will rise and set on the solstices and equinoxes.
2) Use the level to set the stump at level on the highest end of the house site (the uphill side).
3) Set the protractor in the center of the stump and set the arm to 30 degrees, facing due south.
4) Use the yard stick (propped up by the handle of a garden fork) to reach out from the center of the stump at 30 degrees- to the southern sky.
5) Lay the shotgun flat against the yard stick and look out and up the barrel (lining up the beads) to see if I am looking at a mountain or the sky. (A rifle with a scope would have worked much better.)
The result was enlightening (ha) and somewhat challenging. I don't want to build on to top where the spring flows underground; I don't want to build on really steep land; I don't want the sun to fry me in the summer; But I do want some good warm sunlight and warmth to keep me praying in the winter. I am thinking it might be a west facing house (with a windowy side to the south) which is up a bit on the hill, offset from the likeliest place the spring is under and with a nice view down below of the meadow. The idea is likely to change again tomorrow. There are so many factors. But one won't change- the sun will be honored and praised and damn near worshipped (and sometimes god forgive me daniel boone cursed) throughout the whole process.
Ideas, thoughts and opinions about this matter are welcome...

4 comments:

Dusti said...

Dane, my opinion is, first off you rock my butt plum off. My house (which I rent) is oriented in a pleasing fashion. The front greets the sun every morning nearly head on to the east, around the left side gets great southern exposure all day and Ra drives his chariot into the cradle of the west right behind my humble abode. I like it. When I imagine the house I will build I like to fantasize about which orientation would be the most advantageous. I never have to consider these mountainy issues you contend with. I love your surveying method! Did you figure this yourself or is this a time honored hillbilly method?
I love it. I LOVE imagining you with all your various accouterments studyin' on the sun and the best way to lay out your house to maximize opportunities to worship the the center of our little universe.
That makes me happy:)

Dana said...

Dusti, nicely put (Ra driving his chariot into the cradle of the west and that jazz.) As it turns out there is a device called something like a solar something or other that basically combines the compass, level, protractor and scope. I don't have one and yes I came up with the technique I used on my own before I knew about the all-in-one gadget that is out there. Since the placement and orientation is such a permanent decision and one I intend to live with for a long while, I am considering hiring this person I know as a consultant about the matter. He does this sort of thing for a living. All the factors are boggling my sensitive little brain- there is a spring to work around, and the placement of a septic tank to take into account (which I don't want going right over the underground spring) and then, of course, the slope of the hill and the mountains. We'll get her figured out here one of these days soon. Wish me luck (and thanks for the support!)

Anonymous said...

dear Dana, ever heard about a house you can move where the sun moves; yes I have seen in Scotland a construction where the house was sitting on a enormous wheelie construction with which you could rotate the house to where you want it.
Eduard

meg said...

and I quote Simon:
" Here, in Texas people orient their houses east/west. For to minimize direct light coming into your house. ( your not writing what I'm saying are you?)Try to have a south facing light in your kitchen to make it sunnier. Also you want a east facing window in your bedroom for the sunrise. Ideally you want light to come from 2 sides of every room. People are just more comfortable in rooms with light from two sides. If you have a carpenter who would put up with it you could frame the walls then look for the views you want then put the windows there. It is more work and carpenters don't usually work that way." I think S did a real nice job on our house following these principals. He also closely followed many rules in a book called A Pattern Language which is around 65$ at Barnes and Noble but you could get into one of them comfy chairs and pretend your gonna buy it... it's damn inneresting.