You Can Never Have Too Much Natural Light! Right?

Without question, there has been a movement over the past few years to bring as much natural light into homes as possible. And you won’t find many builders or designers disagreeing with that trend. And it’s not just a trend toward bigger windows–or having windows on three sides of a room where possible. The popularity of open floor plans that take advantage of natural light indicates that in newer homes, natural light isn’t just (pardon the pun) window dressing.

Windows, of course, do play a huge role in letting in natural light, and advances in window technologies have made it much easier to take advantage of what nature provides. That’s great for new construction, but what about renovating older homes that weren’t built with using natural light in mind?

That’s a dilemma remodeling contractors and owners of older homes are facing with increased regularity. On the one hand, there’s a desire to take advantage of new technologies and designs that allow more light to come in without compromising on energy efficiency. On the other hand you may be introducing a style, or an element that simply doesn’t fit the overall design of the house—or even the neighborhood. Can you install big bold windows anywhere you want? Probably. Should you do it (just because you can)? That’s a little tougher to answer.

Believe it or not, it’s possible to actually reduce the resale value of an older home by introducing popular, new features. Some people want the traditional look and feel of an older home. Of course, most people would prefer more light as well. Is it possible to have the best of both worlds?

There’s some good news. Door and window manufacturers have created products that maintain the character of older architectural styles, while allowing more natural light to come through. These features may be a bit more subtle than new styles, but they are a great improvement over dark interiors. In the kitchen, for example, an alternative to installing skylights (which often look out of place in older homes) is to install roof windows, which are flat and don’t disturb the lines of the roof. Unlike skylights, they can be opened to let fresh air in and to let odors out. Glass block or fixed glass panes can be installed as a backsplash in the kitchen to let light in without changing the design of the house.

Some interior rooms, however, just can’t accommodate a window. In these instances, tubular skylights can be installed. They are relatively inconspicuous, but they provide a surprising amount of light. There are some other tricks that allow owners of older homes to take advantage of natural light, without compromising the unique design characteristics that older homes offer. For instance, interior transom windows above doorways and in walls can discretely allow light to pass from perimeter rooms to interior rooms.

If you’re building new—go for open floor plans and large exterior windows. If you’re looking to remodel an older home, bear in mind that the existing character of your older home may just be what will make it valuable to a future buyer. And talk to your builder about how you can bring more light into your home—while still respecting it’s original design.