How Natural Light Can Affect Your Home Renovation

There are a few more things to consider besides the kitchen lighting and where the tomatoes will grow when it comes to sunlight at your home.  I thought I would list just a few so that you can incorporate this into part of your planning and make considerations for the materials or lay-out of your next project. 

One of my designers pulled up a useful online tool, www.suncalc.net and you can use this tool to get a real time look at your lot- try and make adjustments for trees and your grading slopes etc.  It is very simple to use and after you put in the address, it will let you see the typical sun angles for any time of year!

• Decking- For decking we see the 3 most popular choices as; exotic hard wood, composite (Trex mostly), and PVC which is a newcomer to the “reduced maintenance” products. Today I was chatting with a client who didn’t want to use wood because of the maintenance issues. The deck is in a mostly shaded area of the home. In the shade, many composite materials contain wood fiber and will spot with mold and look less than new quickly- especially in the shade so that was out. PVC decking condensates- and if you want to have your morning coffee overlooking the Charles River- you wouldn’t like the deck to be soaking wet every morning until that dries, and last- many of the issues with today’s mahogany are extreme sun. In this case, a good hardwood deck would require less maintenance than you would think to keep it looking new. Keep in mind that if you have a south facing deck that is all sun, PVC may be the right choice.
  
  
• Windows- Did you know you can order windows that have additional tinting for your southern exposures and less tints for your northern exposures? This will help with temperature control as well as fading that can occur on your furniture. There can be a noticeable difference when viewing from the outside, so understanding the sightlines of the home should be in the plan.
  
  
• Tree placement or removal- Before you remove trees to create that mini sport complex- make sure you consider the location with the inclusion of the sun angle instead of a spot that may look good because it is already flat. It might pay dividends in less water use if you remove trees on the north side of the lot and allow some shade during the day to keep the turf and the people cooler. Deciduous trees are also a great way to plan for shade in the summer and sun in the winter when the sun is lower and in more demand. Planting trees in critical sun zones will make every season more enjoyable.