Windows have gotten lots of attention over the last few years. The emphasis has been on upgrading windows for energy efficiency so now it's time to step back now and look at the emotional side of picking the right windows for your home, and that includes changing your existing windows.
As people stay in their homes longer, you want to look for projects to update your home's best features. You'll enjoy your home more, your home will be more attractive when it's time to sell and with the right research and budgeting, you can recoup part of your investment when selling so let's look at window styles that give us more natural light, as any people are affected by sunlight (or the lack of natural light).
Window Design Creativity
Windows are a big decision when designing and building a house. It's important to consider how different windows will look outside your home, i.e. so that each side of your home presents an integrated look and feel. This can be more challenging when adding an addition or changing just one room in your house but don't despair.
At the same time, it's perfectly okay to mix and match different window styles like the photo which shows 5 different window styles that all work together in this Victorian home. The windows on the first floor are wide with integrated grill work. The second floor has tall, narrow double hung windows and sitting above them are dormers with triangle windows.
Windows that Add More Natural Sunlight
Transom windows are windows that sit above the beam or crosspiece separating a door or window below it. Earlier transom windows could be opened to provide cross-ventilation before air conditioning became common. They were high and small enough to maintain security and privacy in apartment buildings and office buildings. Transom windows are one of my favorite window styles because they let you catch more light as the sun rises or sets so if you have high ceilings and feel like your rooms are too dark, this is a great approach to bringing more light into your home.
The original picture has been around since the 1950s. The large, fixed pane “picture window” is still popular in living rooms and dining rooms. When creating a wall of glass, you can get creative in combining different types of glass doors and windows, some opening and others fixed pane to cut costs. When designing a wall like this, don't forget to consider your window coverings as they can help integrate your various window choices to create a seamless design.
Skylights are a perfect solution to adding natural lighting to kitchens and bathrooms where there is very little wall space available for windows. The kitchen skylight here was added when the kitchen was updated, and a second skylight was added over the staircase near the front door. Velux, the leading skylight manufacturer, has created a smaller sun tunnel product for bathrooms which might be overpowered by a skylight.
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