Turning on lights in a house may give you the lighting you need, but it will come with a different look and feel than natural lighting. After living in rentals on your own and with your family, you may find that you love using natural light over artificial light whenever possible. You may love the soft glow and mood-boosting light enough to prioritize it while house hunting.
Get all the natural light you desire by learning about what to demand in a home.
Obstructions
Obstructions can get in the way of bringing natural light inside. The most major obstacles to avoid are buildings and homes because you will not be able to remove them. You must work around existing structures in a neighborhood. This makes it crucial to prioritize home listings where you know neighboring homes will not block any doors or windows from natural lighting.
Some other visual obstructions include bushes, fences, privacy hedges, and trees. You can avoid all issues with bringing light inside by analyzing these features with each listing. However, bushes are usually not much of a problem because you can remove them after moving in.
Windows
The International Building Code has specific requirements for the minimum window size in bedrooms of 5.7 square feet. As a result, you may find property listings where the bedrooms have small windows that barely satisfy the code requirement. This makes it tough to get ample natural light in a bedroom, so you should prioritize rooms with more windows and larger ones.
Line up several houses to look at in person at or around the same time. Then, bring a tape measurer and notepad to write down the size of all the windows inside each room. You can then calculate the totals afterward to determine which one has the most window space.
Without obstructions that block sunlight from coming in, you can usually trust that the home with the most window space will bring the most natural light inside.
Doors
While windows excel at providing natural light, you can also get great results from doors. Getting a sliding glass door is similar to a floor-to-ceiling window. Both of these features excel at bringing in sunlight, which makes them worth prioritizing for your living room. You can also take advantage of minor natural light sources, such as a front door with stained glass.
Use these tips while house hunting to find a residential home for sale with plenty of natural lighting.
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