I planned for everything except the sun rising each morning.

[Packard]

My kitchen is not of the “eat in” variety and has no table.  And no island.  So I thought adding a “coffee bar” in the sunroom would make sense.

I completed it on Wednesday.  The clear oil based poly has cured enough for light use.  (I am still using placemats, and will do so for another week.)

This morning was the first time I was to use the coffee bar. 

My house is at the highest point in town (about 250 feet above sea level—the main roadway is at 90 feet above sea level).  The sun room faces east.

I went to sit down and enjoy my coffee and bagel, but the sun rose bright and was so blinding that I had to move to the dining room.

I ordered double honeycomb light filtering pull down shades (not the room darkening shades).  No one seems to sell the spring loaded pull down shades. 

So, the project cost an unplanned-for additional $540.00, and remains unusable for breakfast (except on cloudy days).

(My fault entirely.  I mean, who does not know that the sun rises in the east virtually every day.  And on the day it does not rise, there will be no saving humanity so home improvement projects would be on a permanent hold.

I just placed the blinds order from Blinds.com.  I have no idea at this point how long it will take to arrive (and once again, I have purchased from a vendor without checking on their reliability in advance).

 

[Sparktrician]

Do you have sun-block tinting on the east-facing windows?  You might consider the kind that blocks UV-A and UV-B without blocking significant visible light.  The down-side is that if you have plants in the sunroom, you may need to install grow lights after applying the UV-block tinting. 

 

[Packard]

Thanks for the suggestion.

It maybe just the offices I have visited with this type of film, but the rooms tended to seem gray and without any sparkle. 

I want the sunroom to remain sunny, bright and cheerful. 

They allow for adjustability.  In the morning I can lower them and filter the light.  Late in the day I can raise them and keep the room bright and cheerful.

Ideally, I would have welding helmet technology, with a darkness control knob to adjust from light to dark.  I read that the new Ferrari has a glass roof that employs that tech, and combined with a built in light meter it adjusts the light automatically to a preset value.  (I suspect that would cost a lot more than $520.00.)

 

[Sparktrician]

I'd recommend that you talk with a company that does the tint application for a recommendation of a film that meets your expectations, and get one window done so that you can see the effect.  [smile]

 

[luvmytoolz]

You can get really nice holographic/prismatic vinyl sheet stickers off ebay for windows that let light in while diffusing the glare.

Sort of a faux leadlight in clear or coloured.

 

[Packard]

The window shades were ordered before I made the post.  I was just venting on my own shortsightedness.  I should have foreseen this from the beginning.  The sun has been going on like this for quite a while now.

 

[rst]

If you think thigs are going well...it is obvious that you are overlooking something.  One of my life lessons after 70 years

 

[Packard]

If you think thigs are going well...it is obvious that you are overlooking something.  One of my life lessons after 70 years

I guess I’m a slow learner.  The life lessons have not kept pace with me and I’m 74.

 

[rst]

Worse part of being older is forgetting what you’re forgetting

 

[luvmytoolz]

Worse part of being older is forgetting what you’re forgetting

That explains why I keep finding mugs in the freezer! ;-)

 

[Michael Kellough]

Worse part of being older is forgetting what you’re forgetting

Having walked purposefully to the other end of the shop, I stop and wonder why?

And it’s a short walk.

 

[mino]

Not sure, why but I know a LOT of people who would kill to be able to eat breakfast in a room with direct morning sunlight. Even better, a terrace with one.

We have a small "coffer table" just below the window in our bedroom for that exact purpose.

Onto the issue:
Did you consider just changing the seating instead, so you do not (have to) sit "facing" the rising Sun ?

Secondly, while you missed the east part, make sure to not miss that the Sun rises at different times and at different places/angles in summer and in winter. So what may be an annoying angle today, may be just very nice and romantic/pleasant eperience during the summer periods.

My 2c.

 

[Packard]

It is not sunny out today or I would have posted an image.

My home sits at the promontory of the tallest hill in town and my sunroom windows overlook an unobstructed view that extends for miles.

What that mean is there is no structures or trees to block the sun as it rises.  At this time of day the sun shines directly in my face from about 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning and it is so bright and is aiming upwards in my face that it is impossible to read or even look at my plate. 

After 8:00 it is fine.  At that time the sun is aiming at an angle downward and vision is possible.  But I eat breakfast about 7:30.  So I can choose to eat breakfast elsewhere or add some sun control features. 

It is a very nice view so I would not want the shades down for more than an hour a day.  The it is at a critical eating time, so the shades are going up.  The are double cell light filtering (not room darkening) and will add some insulation too. 

 

[rvieceli]

Another solution would be to have breakfast earlier and you could view the sunrise.  [tongue]

Make it a feature instead of a problem.  [big grin]

Ron

 

[Packard]

Once I retired, I assumed the clock would prove meaningless.  When I worked, I woke up at 6:00 a.m.

I don’t set an alarm, but I have never managed to sleep past 7:00. 

Undoing 50+ years of habit is proving tougher than I thought. [big grin]

 

[Cheese]

If you think things are going well...it is obvious that you are overlooking something. 

Now that's hilarious... [not worthy]

FWIW...a good 25+ years ago Marvin was the first to offer a switchable privacy window and partnered with 3M to produce the film needed to install inside their casement windows. It was a great idea but too far ahead of the "customize your own window" curve to be very successful. Marvin was also offering, at the same time, motorized casements windows that could be programmed to close at a specific time of day or they would close automatically when the rain sensor was activated, similar to current Velux skylights.

The nice feature with the switchable privacy window is that it could be manually switched or it could be programmed to actuate at various hours of the day. So in your case Packard, sunlight spills in until 7:00 AM then privacy until 8:00 AM and then after that the sun returns.  [smile]

Thinking about that a little more, I wonder if there is some commercial film that's available to apply to the window in this day & age, that'd just make sense.

Here's an example of the current Marvin product, they're partnering with Polytronix.

Window on, window off.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[squall_line]

It is not sunny out today or I would have posted an image.

My home sits at the promontory of the tallest hill in town and my sunroom windows overlook an unobstructed view that extends for miles.

What that mean is there is no structures or trees to block the sun as it rises.  At this time of day the sun shines directly in my face from about 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning and it is so bright and is aiming upwards in my face that it is impossible to read or even look at my plate. 

After 8:00 it is fine.  At that time the sun is aiming at an angle downward and vision is possible.  But I eat breakfast about 7:30.  So I can choose to eat breakfast elsewhere or add some sun control features. 

It is a very nice view so I would not want the shades down for more than an hour a day.  The it is at a critical eating time, so the shades are going up.  The are double cell light filtering (not room darkening) and will add some insulation too.

Did you get the top-down, bottom-up style, or just traditional single rail double-cells?

I only mention the top-down because it sounds like it may make lowering the shades during the early parts of sunrise more amenable to leaving a view.

I also love top-down shades for the ability to get light at eye level while maintaining some privacy at body level.  Even better with double-hung full-screen windows to get air at night while maintaining privacy.

 

[Packard]

I did the traditional with cords.  The cordless appealed to me, but the counter (20” deep) would have made the shades largely unreachable.

Interior mount.  I’ll post an image showing a wider view of the room.

I’m working on the foot rail/ledge and that should be done tonight but adding the finish will require additional days.

 

[Sparktrician]

Worse part of being older is forgetting what you’re forgetting

Having walked purposefully to the other end of the shop, I stop and wonder why?

And it’s a short walk.

I can so relate to that (painfully...).  [big grin]

 

[mino]

That explains why I keep finding mugs in the freezer! ;-)

Hehe, guess some of us age in reverse. I managed to learn not "storing" things in the freezer only when around 30. In my 20s I was pretty good at "storing" my mobile there ... among other things.
Still hard at studying on how not to store stuff in the fridge ...

I think the "where did I forget it" more reflects a person "dropping" all the unimportant information. I very much remember "forgetting" where did I place that and that when I was in my teens. And it was definitely not due to a bad memory.

These days, when I try to up-move "junior" folks to a "senior" thinking, I start by saying:
"The speed how one moves up the knowledge ladder is not determined by their ability to learn and remember. It is determined by their ability to recognize and forget the unimportant. For that is what allows them to remember the important."

I think as people get older we unconsciously get better at identifying and forgetting the unimportant. Eventually we get so good we start forgetting the important.