Worked room · 12 × 18 ft

Outdoor room that dies at dusk

The garden holds until the light leaves.

A paved terrace with generous planting and no planned light path. By day it is a room. At dusk it becomes a yard you retreat from.

Buy nothing yet

strongLight 86

Light is what is wrong. Open a route through the room — no money yet.

Why: Light is the primary friction at 86. Light scores 86. Daylight, artificial distribution, glare, dark zones. Function at 48 is real, but it is not the thing a body hits first. North screen sits on the primary walk. The route does not narrow — it stops and goes around. Addresses congestion with a measured cause behind it. It costs nothing, takes about 30 minutes, and is undone in a minute.
Caveat: Unnamed: whether the GFCI can take a string-light load; neighbor sightlines after dark.
Next: Nothing currently crosses this room without moving something, starting with North screen. Shift it far enough that a body gets through, then re-measure. Measure: Tape the walk. It measures 0" now and must hold 36" with the door open.

This holds until: The “Open a route through the room” step is complete and a second reading shows what changed.

Driven by Light score (86). Strong — every condition scored, ranked, and clear of a tie.

Open a route through the room
Nothing currently crosses this room without moving something, starting with North screen. Shift it far enough that a body gets through, then re-measure.
How to tell it worked: A body walks it without turning the shoulders.

One reversible split
Place a folding screen, a tension curtain, or a planted trough on the line between the two jobs. Live with it for seven days. Do not also move the bed in the same week.
Measure: Can you do job A without seeing job B? Time the walk around the split — it must not pinch 36 inches.
Temporary light path
Two plug-in or battery lanterns along the planted edge, plus one at the table. Dusk to full dark. No shop light.
Measure: Sit at the job 30 minutes after sundown. Can you read a page without the overhead?
Move the largest piece once
Shift the sofa, island, or bed off the crossing. Live with painter's tape marking the old footprint. Do not buy a new piece this week.
Measure: Primary path ≥ 36". Conversation or work still functions.

Another rug before the walk is clear. Rugs do not fix circulation. They hide it.
Hardwired statement fixture. Electrical is a watch or professional review is required. Prove the path with plug-in light.
Decorative storage cubes for the pile. A lid is not a sort. Empty the pile first.