Personal Microclimate

I visited some friends today who live in a beautiful east/west running valley in West Marin. It was wonderful to be with people as attuned to (obsessed with?) microclimate as I am. Being in a valley, they are very attuned to their location, and how it affects how much sun they get at this time of year. Their property is on the south facing slope, a few hundred feet up from the creek, and because of the direction the valley runs, they are largely spared the prevailing (cold) NW wind. Their neighbors a few houses down at a lower elevation get much less sun and are more prone to frost, since the cold air flows down the valley.

Beyond the overall issue of warmth and energy use, microclimate preference is a somewhat personal thing. If you like being an early riser you'll like an eastern exposure, especially for bedroom and kitchen. If you are a later sleeper, and/or like your home flooded with light during cocktail hour, you may prefer a western exposure. If you like to cook using herbs and vegies from your garden, you will love a walk out terrace or garden to the south, and if you are an artist and like the cooler, more consistent light from the north, you'll like your studio facing that way. If you are particularly sensitive to cold you'll want a southwest exposure.

Cats have this microclimate thing DOWN

In the city, a full floor flat would be lovely, so light from all directions would fill your home at different times throughout the day. In a single family home you'd need to be on flat terrain, or the top of a hill to be exposed to all the directions. Of course, other buildings and trees can also act like hillsides and block your sun exposure.

Armaclad Windows

Now's the time, I say again, to go look at the neighborhoods you are considering, at say, before 10 and after 2, and see where the sun is. There's not much that is sadder than finding out you live in a shadow 6 months out of the year, AFTER escrow has closed, the movers have driven off and the kids have started school.