Natural sunlight ranks high in home design and property value
Homeowners have always rated natural light as a top consideration in home design. An abundance of natural light not only enhances the function of a building but also helps create a healthy living environment in addition to the obvious visual impact.
A crucial design factor for builders and architects, natural light in the context of home design heightens the atmosphere and appearance of a home, and ultimately boosts the property’s value. A recent survey of second and third home buyers, conducted on behalf of CSR cited natural light as a key priority in property investment, indicating that experienced home buyers recognise natural light as an important factor when assessing a home’s worth. The research confirmed the importance of natural light to the resale value of a house with over 80% of survey respondents prepared to spend up to $5,000 to ensure their new property was built with natural light as a priority and 17% of respondents willing to spend more than $5,000 on additional means to enhance their home’s access to natural light. Natural light can be cleverly incorporated into home design by specifying and installing performance glass. According to Viridian’s General Manager of Marketing, Lachlan Austin, builders and developers are always looking for new glazing solutions that will help meet their clients’ needs, going beyond mere weather protection to making homes brighter, healthier and more comfortable to live in, as well as quieter, safer and cheaper to run. Design decisions made at the building or renovation stage create a lasting impact on the quality of life inside the home and the strategic placement of performance glass throughout a building is central to a property’s development and value.
Austinmer beach house
The stunning Austinmer beach house is an example of smart design planning that helps increase the natural light levels as well as the value of the home. Performance glass was used throughout the property helping to regulate the internal temperatures as well as illuminating the living spaces. Architect Alexander Symes, who worked on the property in association with g+v architecture, explained the long term financial benefits of using quality performance glass such as Viridian premium double glazed units. Seeking to provide a solution where the upfront costs of the glazing would be offset by long term savings, he chose to specify Viridian. Performance glass products are available in a wide range of options with benefits including controlling and increasing the amount of natural light in a building; and enhancing different elements of a property such as value, space, security, temperature and comfort. Viridian’s ComfortHush is an acoustic performance glass that can significantly reduce the amount of external noise entering a home, lowering noise levels by up to 34% in addition to blocking more than 99% of UV light. Making a small investment in good windows and glass to facilitate increased natural light could see big returns at the time of resale. Real Estate Agents, LJ Hooker has devised a list of 17 Liveability Property Features outlining those aspects of a property that offer the potential for increased comfort, reduced running costs and increased sale value; windows (glazing) and shading or sun control are featured in this list. Viridian has launched The Living Space, a campaign designed to help homeowners and builders recover natural light in their properties. With an aim to start a social conversation on natural light, The Living Space examines the impact of natural light on aspects such as comfort, wellbeing, sense of freedom and space, social interaction and connection to the outside environment. The campaign also addresses everyday issues and concerns such as home design trends; space, safety and security factors; energy efficiency; and the impact of natural light on health and wellbeing.
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The Living Space is brought to you by Viridian New World Glass.