Are you happy with your home? You spend a great deal of time there, but do you ever consider whether you could make changes that would give you pleasure. We often unthinkingly accept situations that could with a little thought be much improved.
For example, imagine you were about to buy the home you live in. Just as exercise, why not put on your coat and walk out to the front gate. Now pretend you are a potential buyer of the property you see ahead of you. Is everything the way you like it? Or are there things that could be changed, perhaps at little cost? Are there things you could do that would make it bigger and brighter? Read on for some suggestions on this.
Easy Ways to Create a Brighter Home
In most homes, the biggest factor in making the home a joy to live in is whether it is a bright home. There are a number of things you can do to create that brightness. Many of them cost very little. Changing the colour of the walls or of the floors is one possibility. Adding mirrors to reflect incoming light is another.
Bob Vila offers even more ideas in his article, 21 Clever Tricks to Make Your Home Look Bigger and Brighter. Another useful article offers 30 Home Design Tricks That Will Make Any Room Look So Much Bigger.
If you are able to spend some money on changing the doors or windows, then this offers many more possibilities. At the same time you are investing to increase the value of your home and probably to reduce the running costs incurred through energy losses.
Replacing Doors
The simplest way to bring in extra light is to replace a door with one of the same size that has glass panels. Or you can choose a door with larger glass panels than your current version. Such panels can have artistic glass designs or can be of frosted glass to preserve privacy. The same thinking applies with interior doors. If any room is too gloomy, an interior door with a glass panel may be the right solution.
Replacing Windows
Merely replacing windows without enlarging them will not normally give increased brightness within a room. However if the windows are old, it can often be worth changing them. You may be able to combine different types of windows. Large fixed windows combined with small operable awning windows can give better ventilation. Invisible glass coatings can boost the energy efficiency of a modern window by reflecting back interior warmth.
Enlarging Doors
By enlarging the doorway frame, you have many more possible ways to improve the brightness within your hallway. Adding a transom window above the door is a particularly effective way of bringing in more light. Alternatively adding narrow glass panels on each side of the door (also known as sidelites) will create an extremely impressive entrance. Such projects will benefit from the advice of one of our experienced consultants who is knowledgeable on all the latest innovations in door design.
Enlarging Windows
The best way to improve the brightness in the room is to enlarge the windows. By changing a plain window to a larger bay or bow window, you can bring in more light and at the same time give a more spacious feeling to the room. Another approach is to extend the glass area below and above standard window heights. This can create a floor to ceiling glass expanse that almost brings the outdoor landscape right into the room.
An often overlooked area of the house is the basement. By adding large casement windows, you can change the whole feeling of being there. This does require using a window contractor who can dig down and cut the foundation wall to enlarge the opening for such windows. The window well may also need to be enlarged. Arcana Windows and Doors is very experienced in this area and you should contact us if this could be of interest to you.
Further Reading
The following will give you further ideas on the possibilities available when changing doors and windows:
- Creating New Spaces with Windows and Doors | The Family Handyman
- Replacement Windows Bigger & Better – Home Tips for Women
- The Pros & Cons of Replacement Windows
