Let the Sunshine in! Large openings, brick windows, bay windows… We always need more light when building a new house. Because the benefits of natural light on daily morale and well-being have now been widely proven. But what are the best tricks to gain brightness in the house that we are going to build. Maisons SIC, builders of individual houses in the South-West and everywhere in France since 1972, give you some leads.
What are the benefits of natural light in a home?
As we know today, natural light in our place of residence and our place of work is a sinequanone condition for our well-being. According an Ipsos survey for Velux in 2013, "nine out of ten French people believe that good light in a home has a beneficial effect on morale, quality of life, visual comfort, health and energy savings.” And they are absolutely right!
toujours according to Velux, experts believe that up to 30% of the world's population suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or winter depression to different degrees. The precise causes of SAD have not yet been fully explored, but it is frequently linked to lack of sunlight.
We are passing 90% of our time indoors. It is therefore essential to bring as much natural light into our homes. For what ? Here are some of the proven benefits of light on our bodies…
Natural light helps synthesize Vitamin D
90% produced by the action of light on our skin, vitamin D is essential for our health because it:
- promotes good assimilation of calcium and phosphorus by the body with the consequent strengthening of bones and skeleton.
- would also have an influence on the muscles, the neurons and the heart (according to the site http://www.vitamine-d-lumiere.fr/).A good level of vitamin D could therefore protect against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, infections and even certain cancers.
- provides the energy essential to our brain to better assimilate the teachings of each day.
Natural light that helps you sleep better… and wake up!
We also know that it is the intensity of natural light that allows us to regulate our biological clock. Our wakefulness and our sleep (circadian rhythm) are indeed controlled by natural light. thanks to the hormone melatonin, secreted as soon as it gets dark and which allows us to sleep better.
Then it is daybreak that stops the secretion of melatonin. And as soon as light enters our day, it is the cortisol hormone that will play on our ability to wake up and wake up well. It is therefore very important, from the morning, to expose yourself to natural light, to be fit all day and be more relaxed.
Natural light that makes us happier and smarter
If natural light offers a feeling of well-being, it really makes us happier. Thanks to another of our hormones: serotonin. Indeed, the stimulation of the retina by light rays triggers a reaction of the brain which produces serotonin, a neurotransmitter playing a role in the feeling of well-being.
Even better, daylight allows us to better assimilate our knowledge. Indeed, by reducing our fatigue and therefore our stress, light allows us to be more concentrated, receptive and attentive and to learn better.
Natural light that also saves energy in your home
If natural light can recharge your batteries, it is also favorable to the good energy health of your home. Indeed, depending on the window glass you are going to use, you will be able to let in more light and heat and thus lower your heating bill. Like, for example, lenses made up of a LOW-E membrane that reflect outside heat inside in winter and prevent UV rays from entering inside in summer.
How to think about the natural lighting of your house even before its construction?
Increasing the brightness of your home is therefore essential for our well-being but also for our health. And when you build your own new house, it's even easier to think ahead of all the ways to bring natural light into your home.
Because, when you build your house, you have the opportunity to think with your builder about the choice of all your openings.
Maisons SIC helps you build a new house with as much light as possible
With more than 50 years of experience in the construction of new and modern houses, Maisons SIC knows how to advise its customers on natural lighting.
Indeed, we think with you about the luminosity of your house from its conception. Because from the work on the building plans for your house, it is necessary to think about how to bring the most natural light inside, depending, for example, on the geographical orientation of the dwelling. And that's why, we put our skills at your service in order to distribute the light as well as possible according to the rooms and their use, in order to avoid concentration points that are too bright or not bright enough.
Bay windows, skylights, skylights… Here is what you can think about, in terms of openings, even before the construction of your new house.
How to choose the right bay window (fixed, sliding, opening, with brick partition, etc.)?
The bay window is a considerable asset to bring natural light to your home. And open to the garden or the terrace. To calculate its size, apply the 20% rule. For optimal brightness, the surface of the windows must correspond to at least 20% of the floor surface of the rooms. A living room of 30m2 must therefore have glazing that covers at least 6m2.
When you build your new house, you choose the orientation of your living rooms. And its windows. A bay window can then be affixed in a living room or dining room. It is often advised to open the living rooms to the South, South-West. In order to take advantage of all the light of the day, until the end of the afternoon.
As for the choice of the bay window, the manufacturers offer you a very large choice of models. Quite expensive but very practical and aesthetic, bay window with brick partition is fully integrated into the wall, into which it enters when it is opened, allowing to create continuity towards the exterior and the terrace. more classic, the sliding bay window usually has 2 to 3 leaves. Fixed bay window does not open (and is therefore less expensive) but allows all the necessary natural light to enter. The opening bay window, which is also called "window door", still allows a saving compared to the sliding bay. You can choose your bay window in aluminium, wood, PVC, according to your tastes and your budget.
In a constant desire to help you master the construction chain of a detached house, Maisons SIC offers you, in its Expo Hall, a wide range of choice of materials and allows you to be accompanied by our decoration consultants.
Create large windows based on the orientation of each room
Each room has its preferences in terms of orientation. Thus, it is preferable to orient the bathroom north or east. Indeed, this utility room does not necessarily need an opening to the outside. Just a window for ventilation and lighting.
If you want beautiful light in your Food (for breakfast or meal preparation,) direct your window towards the South, South-East.
For bedroom, this of course depends on the place of the bed. According to Feng Shui, for example, it is not advisable to put your head to the north when you sleep. The bed should be as far as possible from the front door. And must not be under a window or facing the door. If you want to limit the heat at bedtime, it is better to place the windows to the west.
Finally, thethe work pieces, requiring constant light often have an opening towards the North.
Consider skylights and day / skylights
If you want more light into your home without glare, use your ceilings and framing. Whether you have opted for a house with a sloping roof or a flat roof (see our article on the subject), you can create openings in the roof. For immediate luminosity.
For somewhat dark spaces like hallways, you can also incorporate skylights/daywells. Equipped, for example, with a reflective tube and a crystal dome. Aesthetic and practical, skylights allow daylight to enter your interior naturally.
