Sunlight analysis for UK homes

Sunlight can change how a home feels.

A home or garden that looks bright during one viewing may feel different later in the day. A garden that feels open in summer may get much less light in winter. Nearby buildings, walls, fences, hedges, terrain and the shape of the street can all affect where shade falls.

SunStory helps you explore likely sunlight and shade around a specific UK home before you make a decision. Enter a postcode, choose a property, and create a home-specific sunlight and shadow view that you can explore by date and time.

If you are preparing for a viewing, start with the practical guide to checking sunlight before buying or renting a home, or use SunStory Compass to check the sun's direction at a property, now or on another date. It is free to use.

Why check sunlight before choosing a home?

Most people only see a property at one or two points in time. That can make it hard to judge what the light is really like.

Sunlight analysis can help you look beyond a single viewing, listing photo or street-view image. It gives you a clearer way to compare how light and shade may change across the day and through the year.

That can be useful when you are:

• Buying a home and want to understand the garden, outdoor space or neighbouring buildings before committing.
• Renting and trying to judge whether a flat, house or outdoor space will suit how you live.
• Planning a garden, seating area, planting scheme, patio or outdoor workspace.
• Thinking about an extension and wanting a better sense of the existing light around the property.
• Comparing two homes that look similar on paper but may feel different in practice.

What SunStory shows

SunStory creates an interactive 3D sunlight and shadow view for the home you choose.

You can move around the scene, change the date and time, and compare likely sunlight conditions at different points in the year. Instead of relying only on memory, photos or one viewing slot, you can explore the property in a more structured way.

SunStory can help you ask practical questions such as:

• Which parts of the garden may get morning or afternoon sun?
• How might shade change between summer and winter?
• Could neighbouring buildings affect the light around the home?
• Does the property still look suitable when the sun is lower in the sky?
• Is the outdoor space likely to work for how you want to use it?

What the analysis is based on

SunStory uses available map, building, terrain, sun-position, date, time and the property's location to create a home-specific view for the property you choose.

The result depends on the quality and availability of the underlying data, as well as modelling assumptions. It is designed to be useful practical guidance, not a guarantee of sunlight.

SunStory is in early access and still improving. The scene is built from available building and terrain data, and may suggest fences, hedges and walls for you to review. Trees are not added automatically yet, but you can add them yourself to include their shade.

SunStory is not formal planning, surveying, architectural, legal or right-to-light advice. If you need advice for a planning dispute, legal matter, formal survey, professional design decision or right-to-light assessment, you should speak to a suitably qualified professional.

Start with a postcode

Check sunlight for a home by entering a postcode and choosing the property you want to review.

You can also read about sunlight analysis for London homes or how a shadow map for UK homes can help you explore shade through the year.