Many British homes suffer from a lack of natural light. Whether you just have one or two problem rooms, or your whole house is darker than you would like, there are several options to help you increase the amount of light coming into your home.

Extra Window Space

The most obvious answer is to add extra windows. This is usually most effective if you can put them into a wall that currently has no windows, especially if the wall is south-facing. The downside is that this solution is so obvious that, chances are, if it could be done, someone already would have. An alternative is to replace your existing windows with bigger ones, or add glass doors if you are on the ground floor, or glass doors and a Juliet balcony on an upper floor.

Skylights

For top floor or single story room, skylights are a great choice. They allow loads of light in, as well as giving you views of the sky above. When picking a skylight (and someone to install it) the key thing is not to skimp on the price. Cheap, or poorly fitted skylights won’t just let light in, but everything else as well, meaning next time it rains you would be likely to regret your penny pinching decision. Of course, traditional skylights won’t help you in rooms where there’s another room above.

Clear tiles

An alternative to traditional skylights, clear tiles are not available with all types of roofing. However, with systems such as the lightweight steel roofing offered by Metrotile, clear tiles are a simple and relatively inexpensive option. They can be seamlessly integrated into an existing roof, or included as part of a new installation. The great thing about a flexible option such as clear tiles is that you can easily add more of them if you later decide you want to let in even more light.

Sun tunnels

Also known as tubular skylights, light tunnels and solar tubes, these use a clear dome fitted to your roof to allow light in. The light enters a long metal tube, which is mirrored inside, allowing the light to bounce around and make its way down to the base of the tube. Here a grille or piece of glass allows the light to pass into the target room. These are a highly effective way of getting light into ground floor rooms where a skylight or other roof-based option would not be possible.

To find out more about the ways Metrotile can help you bring more light into your home, please make use of our online enquiry form, or give us a call on 01249 658 514.