HOME EXTENSIONS


Here, Dave Knight from Roof Windows 4 You outlines how your customers can ensure their home extensions let plenty of natural light in. And he’ll also give you some tips on what they might be looking to buy from you as a result.


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going to let plenty of natural light in. There are plenty of benefits to this: it will help the space to feel airy and bright, which is always a plus. Sunlight is also a natural mood booster, and can help to regulate our circadian rhythms, which will help to keep your customers happy and healthy. Finally, if there’s plenty of natural light streaming in through the windows and doors, people will have to turn on their lights far less often, which is great for both the environment and their electricity bills. Nobody wants their new house extension to be dark and dingy, and you’ll want to know which steps people are taking to prevent this, so you can ensure that you stock all of the products they need to avoid it. Here, I’m going to outline some of the most effective ways of ensuring a house extension gets plenty of light, so you can provide your customers with all of the essentials they need to turn their vision into a reality.


W


Roof windows will let light in from above Most home extensions


are built


with a simple flat or sloping roof, with homeowners having to rely on their standard windows and glass paned doors to illuminate the space. However, a relatively easy and effective way of letting even more light into an extension is to add roof windows. These are available in a whole host


of different designs, with a range of features and opening mechanisms. Each style is the most suitable for certain situations, so it’s well worth stocking a variety of roof windows in order to cater to as many of your customers as possible.


22 DIY WEEK OCTOBER 2020


hen your customers are designing


an


extension for their home, they’ll want to ensure it’s


If you’re advising your customers about adding roof windows to their home extension, tell them to look at where the sun hits their house at different times of the day. They should also look at whether there are going to be any areas of their roof that won’t get any light — they won’t want to pick a spot that’s always in the shade of the rest of their house, for example. So, it’s important that they consider


their roof window placement very carefully.


Installing extra-large windows is a great idea


If your customers are adding an extension to their home, they’re sure to be excited about the prospect of designing it specifically to their requirements. There might be little things they don’t love about the house — perhaps the doorways are too narrow and the windows are too small. Well, they can make sure their extension doesn’t come with all of these problems. And, if the rest of their house is quite dark and gloomy, installing some supersized windows in this new area of their home could be a great move.


If your customers come to you for advice, and natural light is one of their priorities, recommend installing windows that run the length of their extension. This will have the added benefit of


giving them sweeping


views of their own garden, which they’ll love if they’ve put lots of time and energy into making it look great. Adding a few different windows, rather than one big one, can help to disperse light around the room more effectively, and can also be helpful if certain areas of the house get different levels of sunlight throughout the day.


Bring the outdoors in


Should you find that your customers want to have a seamless transition between their garden and extension, you might want


to recommend


that they install large glazed doors that open wide. In terms of helping to brighten the space, these will essentially work as oversized windows,


light in as possible. And, whenever they open the doors


letting as much natural completely,


there will be a lovely flow from their garden into their home. There are plenty of different styles of patio door on the market, and you’ll want to stock a selection in order to cater to as many potential customers as possible. Bi-fold doors are a particularly popular choice at the moment, and they have a modern look that will let in the most light. They’re also ideal for getting that seamless feel between the indoors and outdoors, because they will allow your customers to essentially open up one side of their new extension. Sliding doors are similar, but they also tend to be smaller. Of course, they’ll still let lots of light in, but they won’t open up quite as wide. For a more traditional option, French patio doors are great. If their priority is letting enough natural light in as possible, advise that your customers opt for patio doors with a clear and simple glaze. While patterned designs might offer more privacy, they can prevent as much light from getting through, so adding blinds to their simple glass panes is likely to be a more suitable idea. French doors are typically the best choice for older houses if your customers would like


everything to look coherent, and they tend to be the most affordable option, too.


Introduce your customers to sun tunnels A lot of people won’t have heard of sun tunnels, but they can actually make a fantastic addition to home extensions where natural light is a priority. They’re designed to direct sunlight to an area that may not have otherwise had access to it. A sun tunnel is made up of a panel that will sit on a flat or pitched roof. This is attached to a reflective tube that will channel light into a particular room, and this is then passed through a diffuser that will disperse the sunlight. If you have a customer who doesn’t have the room for a roof window, but they would still like to allow plenty of natural sunlight into their new extension, a sun tunnel could be the perfect solution. When a customer comes to you


for some help with their home extension, you’ll want to ensure that you have the knowledge and products to assist them. Funnelling enough natural light into an extension is often a huge priority for people working on these types of projects, and I hope I’ve been able to give you all the advice you need to make it happen for them. For more information, visit www.roofwindows4you.co.uk


www.diyweek.net


WAYS YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN LET PLENTY OF NATURAL LIGHT INTO THEIR HOME EXTENSION


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