Is there nothing more beautiful than natural light? Great rooms are bathed in it. Materials like wood and stone come to life in its presence. It literarily illuminates our lives. Is it not one of life’s simple pleasures to sit in your kitchen as the morning light falls across the breakfast table? It is grace itself. Now consider those rooms in your house that you rarely go in. Are they bad rooms, or rather the victims of lack of light?
So where does natural light come from? Curiously, it is all around us, hiding in plain sight. Nothing could be easier and more cost effective than adding natural light. I start every project by considering where to add windows, transoms, and most importantly skylights. Why skylights? Because they are cost effective, simple to install and most homes in the lower Hudson Valley were built without them. It’s not their fault, they were built before the advent of super reliable skylights, by company’s like Velux. A skylight from the 1940’s or 1950’s would have been site built and susceptible to condensation. Today’s skylights are engineered as rigorously as windows and doors. And the best of them have insulated glass and come with integral flashing or factory installation kits, so workmanship is consistent and the units stay watertight.
It seems natural light is that thing all around that we forget to harness. So for your next project add a skylight and let the light in.
Victor
