If you ask people why they prefer summer over winter, lots of them will say it’s due to the increase in temperature. It’s what we would all expect to hear. A certain percentage of the population will tell you it’s because it’s brighter for much longer.
Winters can be dark and gloomy from the moment you finish work until you wake up the following morning. If you work somewhere without windows, sunlight might disappear from your life for months. Let’s look at how you can let more natural light into your home.
Contents
- 1 Strategies For Increasing Natural Illumination in Your Residence
- 1.1 1. Add A Skylight To Your Bedrooms
- 1.2 2. Build A Sunroom Onto The Living Room
- 1.3 3. Replace Old Door With Patio Doors
- 1.4 4. Installing Windows In Your Attic
- 1.5 5. Egress Windows Needed In Basement
- 1.6 6. Hang Mirrors Beside Your Windows
- 1.7 7. Choose Door Styles With Glass Panels
- 1.8 8. Creating An Open Floor Plan House
- 1.9 9. Installing Floor-To-Ceiling Windows
- 1.10 10. Building An Outdoor Living Space
- 2 A Bright Home is a Happy Home
Strategies For Increasing Natural Illumination in Your Residence
1. Add A Skylight To Your Bedrooms
Most people are lucky if they have one window in their bedroom, which is usually a large one. You’ll soon realize it’s still not enough to let lots of sunlight inside. There will always be some little corner that remains dark.
You can solve the problem by adding a skylight, which comes with multiple benefits. Not only will lots of light enter at a great angle, but you can look out toward the stars. It’s an effective way to keep your room smelling fresh too.
2. Build A Sunroom Onto The Living Room
The living room is probably the most important area in your home. It’s where the average person will spend most of their time, so you want to ensure it’s bright. At night, you can sit in front of a lovely fire that brightens everything up.
If you want the same kind of brightness during the day, it’s worth looking into adding a sunroom extension to the end of your living room. It’s a pretty big renovation project, but it’s one you’ll appreciate very much.
3. Replace Old Door With Patio Doors
The sale of patio doors in Canada and America is hitting an all-time high right now. Homeowners are sick and tired of having one little door at the back of their house to get outside. Sliding patio doors are much more elegant.
It will also allow much more sunlight into your home. Just make sure you trim branches if you have trees in your garden. The light won’t be able to enter your rooms if it has to fight through leaves and bushes first.
4. Installing Windows In Your Attic
Most people throw their junk into the attic to rot away, but you should turn it into a livable room. Double-hung tilt windows are quite affordable and they’ll offer you a tremendous view of the neighborhood.
It will allow in much more sunlight than what your attic currently experiences. You can turn the attic into anything you want, so don’t think you must add a bedroom. It’s a great place to build a playroom to give your kids more room to play.
5. Egress Windows Needed In Basement
Most basements are always dark and dingy because they’re the equivalent of dungeons in castles. If you plan on converting the room into a living space, you’ll need to ensure it has large windows, or else it will never be bright.
An egress window is a perfect way to guarantee light gets inside while keeping you safe at the same time. It’s more like a door you can open any time you want. You could leave it open during the day to let fresh air inside.
6. Hang Mirrors Beside Your Windows
Sometimes sunlight enters your rooms at awkward angles, which means it doesn’t brighten everything up effectively. It will change as the sun moves during the day, but there is one trick that will help push light around a room.
Hang a mirror close to your windows, so sunlight bounces off them once it comes in. That will normally help it hit hard-to-reach places. If you look around for beautiful mirrors, they’ll make great features in your rooms.
7. Choose Door Styles With Glass Panels
It might eventually be time to replace your front door, so be selective about which style you choose. Do you have a solid wooden/plastic door at the moment? You’ll need one with glass panels to let light inside.
The panels shouldn’t be too big because it will be easier for burglars to break inside, plus frosted glass will stop anyone from looking in. A few little panels should illuminate your hallway when the lights are switched off.
8. Creating An Open Floor Plan House
It’s hard to brighten up a home with lots of small rooms. You should look into knocking a couple of walls down this year. You can turn it into an open floor plan house, which will be a hundred times brighter.
Open floor plans are great because it feels like you’re living inside one giant space. You’ll need to call a professional to see if it’s possible first. Some walls will need to remain in place to ensure the structural integrity of your home.
9. Installing Floor-To-Ceiling Windows
If you want to carry out a luxurious renovation project, look into installing floor-to-ceiling windows. You won’t be able to do it in every room unless you’re extremely rich, but it’s usually possible in your master bedroom.
When you open the curtains in the morning, you’ll have the best view in the world. Just make sure you’re careful about who can see into your room from the street. You don’t want anyone to catch you walking around naked.
10. Building An Outdoor Living Space
If you build an outdoor living space in your garden, you’ll have all the light you need while sitting outside. You can decorate it with beautiful furniture that will allow you to relax outside when it’s warm.
Place a fire pit in the middle if you want to stay outside once it’s dark. It’s possible to get really creative when building an outdoor living area. Some people have fully operational kitchens where they cook all their meals.
A Bright Home is a Happy Home
You’ll start to appreciate your home a lot more if it’s naturally brighter. Nobody wants to stay in a dark house filled with artificial lighting. If you like any of the ideas we’ve talked about today, you can plan out a couple of DIY projects over the next year.
